Total PSN Downtime Could Hit up to Six Weeks

Original NXTGamer.com article
__________________________________________________________

May 9th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Sony spokesman Shigenori Yoshida has told Bloomberg that Sony plans to have PSN services up and running in their entirety by May 31st.

The PSN service has been in the process of adopting a new and improved security system since April 20th when the service was shut down due to possible data theft.  Originally Sony had stated on May 1st that they planned to start rolling out features of the service within a week of boosting security measures.

If the service does take until May 31st to get up and running the downtime will have amounted to six weeks, which is far longer than anyone could have imagined when this debacle began.  It would also mean that the service will have been offline for the release of the online-heavy FPS Brink and the widely anticipated L.A. Noire, preventing players from taking part in Rockstar Social events until service resumes.  Portal 2 owners are similarly unable to activate their PC version of the game on Steam while PSN is down.  As compensation for these grievances Sony are planning on giving every PSN user two free PSN games and a months free PSN+.

Obviously this series of events is not directly the fault of Sony, but it shows how lax their security was once the original hurdle of breaking the system was leaped nimbly over.  This could be a damaging blow to the future of the console as it will now be looming over prospective customers as well as those directly affected.

Sony have also stated that they won't bring PSN back online until they're certain that the security is air-tight.  On the Playstation Blog head of communications Nick Caplin said:

"As you may know, we've begun the process of restoring the service through internal testing of the new system.  We're still working to confirm the security of the network infrastructure, as well as working with a variety of outside entities to confirm with them of the security of the system.  Verifying the system security is vital for the process of restoration.

"Additional comprehensive system checks and testing are still required, and we must complete that process before bringing the systems online.  As you've heard us say, our utmost priorities are the security of the network and ensuring your data is safe.  We won't restore the services until we can test the system's strength in these respects.

"When we held the press conference in Japan last week, based on what we knew, we expected to have the services online within a week.  We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system.

"We know many of you are wanting to play games online, chat with your friends and enjoy all of the services PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer, and trust me when I say we're doing everything we can to make it happen.  We will update you with more information as soon as we have it.  We apologize for the delay and inconvenience of this network outage."

This could potentially mean that PSN will end up being down for even longer than suggested but, with such impetus on the service coming back online as Brink, Portal 2 and L.A. Noire, I don't think that will be the case.