Sony has announced that PlayStation Store service will be restored this week. Seen as one of the last steps in restoring full PSN service, the store was originally supposed to be back up before the end of May. Sony just missed that deadline by the skin of its teeth, though, as it last night announced that it hopes to have everything in working order for users in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia (excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea) by the week’s end. This week will also see the resumption of Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity.
Sony says it’s implemented "considerable security enhancements to the network infrastructure, as well as conducted testing of the payment process and commerce functions" and thanked users for their patience and support.
"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," said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. "We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time."
Details for Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as the remaining services on Qriocity will be announced as they become available.
Of course, this also means that customers don’t have to wait much longer to redeem their ‘Welcome Back’ packages from Sony. Everyone will get two free games and 30 free days of PlayStation Plus (existing PlayStation Plus subscribers will get 60 days free). Music Unlimited Premium Trial subscription members will receive an additional 30 days of free premium subscription while existing Music Unlimited Premium/Basic members will get 30 days plus time lost. PlayStation Home will be offering 100 free virtual items as a ‘welcome back,’ and Sony will be making a selection of movie rental titles available to PSN customers for one weekend (where Video Service is available).
