Sony confirmed late Monday night that while it will miss the end of May deadline previously set for the complete restoration of the PlayStation Network, the last-minute delay shouldn't last too long. The company is now aiming to reopen the PSN store by week's end - in some countries, anyway.
In a press release posted at the official U.S. PlayStation blog by Jeff Rubenstein, Sony's Social Media Manager, the company announced that it expects to see a full restoration of the PSN in the Americas, Europe and some parts of Asia (sorry Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea) sometime this week.
Why the last-minute delay? Sony was coy with details, but it's safe to assume that the development and implementation of "considerable security enhancements" had something to do with it.
Kazuo Hirai, Sony's Executive Deputy President, said that he appreciated everyone's patience and reiterated the company's earlier declaration that security, not speediness, was priority one.
"We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love," Hirai said.
Here are some services Sony says will be available on the PSN over the next few days:
• Full functionality on PlayStation®Store
• In-game commerce
• Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
• Full functionality on Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PCs
• Full functionality on Media Go
The third bullet point is likely the one gamers' eyes will gravitate towards, as it means they can finally snatch up those free games Sony promised as part of its "Welcome Back" package.
Rubenstein said the next time you hear from him the store should be open.
While many regions have had some PSN access since mid-May, Japan only saw online gameplay return this past weekend. The Japanese government worried that Sony's reworking of the PSN wouldn't be enough and that the company might struggle winning over aggrieved consumers.
[UPDATE]: Eric Lempel, the Vice President of Sony Network Entertainment, announced on Wednesday morning that the PlayStation Network will be down for "several hours" throughout the day. Lempel confirmed that the scheduled maintenance is "a crucial step in the full restoration for PSN" and that the company still aims to have the PSN storefront open again this week.
Have you decided which PS3 games you'll be downloading yet? Let us know in the comment section.
