It’s been a busy few weeks on the PlayStation Network with several big announcements and new apps launching. In the month of November alone, we announced the launch of the NHL GameCenter Live application, the availability of Hulu Plus outside of PlayStation Plus, the VUDU app on PSN, and BBC America programming in the PlayStation Store. We’ve also shared a new episode of The Tester 2 each week and just last week we announced a number of new games on PlayStation Home, as we marked the 2-year anniversary of the platform. And, in addition to the PSN updates we’ve shared, there have also been a number of new updates for PlayStation Plus subscribers and new features in the PlayStation Rewards program.
There’s no doubt that PSN is in the midst of tremendous growth as we continue to expand our entertainment offering. We recently surpassed 60 million registered accounts worldwide – an increase of 53% in North America in just the last year – and we continue to see our users soak up the new entertainment content offerings. In fact, movies and TV series purchased on the PlayStation Network video delivery service increased 42% compared to a year ago and we’re seeing that our users are quite engaged, with well over 70% using PSN weekly.
It’s been busy and we’re certainly excited about how far we’ve come in a short time, but the busyness has also kept me away from addressing some of your questions and there have been some great ones. I wanted to take some time before we ended the year to look back at previous posts and address some of questions that you have. I’ve also cleared my schedule this afternoon to answer any further questions you might have on PSN and about some of our new services and partners, so drop your questions in the below comments and I’ll do my best to address them.
We’re lucky to have such loyal users. Thanks for continuing to come back and please keep on sending us your questions, thoughts and suggestions. They are important and we are listening!
PlayStation Plus
Q: Field Runners was in the July 6 and the upcoming December 14 publish. Will content continue to be recycled? – ExPresident (December 1, 2010 post)
A: PlayStation Plus has circulated a lot of great content since the service was launched in June and based on what we think our users want, we’ll look to bring back some of those popular items. This will not affect our goals to bring new experiences and discount options to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Q: Are there any plans to add a digital rental service to PlayStation Plus? – JacobeAbam (December 1, 2010 post)
A: While we don’t have any news to announce around a digital rental service for PlayStation Plus, our goal is to include a full game trial each month when possible, which allows gamers to try out PS3 titles for up to one full hour. Recently, we’ve launched full game trials for Red Faction Guerrilla, Warhawk, inFamous, God of War I, ll and Prototype, and we’re looking forward to upcoming releases, like Borderlands. And, don’t forget your PlayStation Plus includes access to PSP minis and PSone games as part of your subscription.
Q: Europe received the Fallout 3 DLC and Sam & Max season for free when we receive older titles. When can we expect newer discounted or free content? – Vengeance88 (October 20, 2010 post)
A: Content for PlayStation Plus subscribers differ for each region and that is dependant on a lot of different variables that aren’t always determined by us. Sometimes it’s our publishers that make decisions on how many or where to share certain content and sometimes it’s simply a case of where it makes the most sense for a particular game or feature. Having said that, we’re always looking for ways to extend the content we offer across different regions and hopefully you’ve seen that in some of the recent content that we’ve released, like the December 14th publish that included the upcoming featured download of the Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse season.
Q: When does the free three month promotion end for PlayStation Plus? – eatthemall (PS+ FAQ post)
A: The promotion that currently adds three months to your 12-month subscription is ongoing and users who subscribe to the promotion will now get 15 months of PlayStation Plus for the 12-month cost. If you’re not yet a subscriber, what other promotional offers would help you make the decision to subscribe?
Q: Can we have a progress update on cross game chat and any other features that will be available for PlayStation Plus subscribers? – xKOROSHIYAx (PS+ FAQ post)
A: I don’t have any progress updates to share at this time, but I can tell you that we’re listening to the things you want and whether or not we can release them now, we take all of the features you’ve been asking for seriously.
PlayStation Rewards
Q: When will the PlayStation Rewards program be available to Canada? – Chowbacca (October 27, 2010)
A: The PlayStation Rewards program is currently in beta and only available to GAP members and PlayStation Plus subscribers (who have opted into marketing emails as of October 24). If everything goes well during the beta period, our plan is to extend the offering to Canada in Spring 2011.
Q: Will the PlayStation Rewards program be available in Europe? – Coheno (October 27, 2010)
A: The other regions have shown interest, but we haven’t announced any plans to expand in Europe at this time.
Q: Why do trophy counts not affect the PlayStation Rewards program? I think trophy level should determine a gamer’s status in the program. – Mirauder (October 27, 2010)
A: The PlayStation Rewards program is still currently in beta and will remain an evolving program post-launch. Currently, we have incorporated the use of trophies into the Quest system announced earlier this week. Quests tie into more than just games, giving PlayStation Rewards members opportunities to gain progress from all aspects of the PlayStation Network, such as PlayStation Home, original programming and more.
Q: How long is the beta period for the PlayStation Rewards program? – LightAce (October 27, 2010)
A: We are expecting PlayStation Rewards to come out of beta in April 2011.
Q: Will the PlayStation Reward levels be based on games we beat from this date? Or will it include the games/trophies we have already beaten/earned on PS3? – cdsly16 (October 27, 2010)
A: The PlayStation Rewards program is not retroactive. It will take into account all the new games that you have played since the launch of the program.
VUDU
Q: Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t Hulu, VUDU, Netflix, and the Store all be competing for purchases of the same content on each and every PS3? – JBracin70 (November 16, 2010)
A: Actually, no. There are quite a few differences in terms of the type of content provided across the different services, the window of availability of content, and the payment options, etc. The bottom line is that we’re extending our content offering with a choice of partners to bring you the entertainment experience you want.
Q: Isn’t this video service cannibalizing on Sony’s current PSN video service? – Neil (November 16, 2010)
A: No, actually all of the different options haven’t cannibalized the PSN video delivery service, as proven by the 42% year-over-year growth. The PSN wallet and the compatibility with the PSN cards on PlayStation Store purchases have proven to be a great solution of convenience that complements our other content offerings.
Hulu Plus
Q: When will the service be available to Canadians? – Jeanse27 (November 4, 2010)
A: At this point, we don’t have any news to share on the exact timing for bringing Hulu Plus to Canada, but I can tell you that we’re exploring ways to bring our Canadian friends more of the content we’ve released in the US. However, it does bear mentioning that these plans are also contingent on Hulu Plus and when they extend their services to Canada.
Q: Any chance we can get Move support for both the Netflix and Hulu Plus app down the road? – Philaroni (November 4, 2010)
A: While you can use the Move controllers to navigate through the XMB, we don’t have anything to announce today for full support of Netflix or Hulu Plus. VUDU has announced that they will support PlayStation Move motion control with their new UI, VUDU 2.0, which will automatically update to your PS3 sometime this month.
Q: Do I have to pay for the monthly service with my credit card or can I use my PlayStation Wallet? – Rene_Led (November 4, 2010)
A: At this time you will have to pay for your Hulu Plus subscription with your credit card on Hulu.com, but we’ll certainly share updates on payment methods as they become available.
The Tester
Q: Can you consider including Canadians in your contests or at least run Canada specific contests? – krae_man (November 2, 2010)
A: Great suggestion, and we’ll most certainly be thinking about ways to integrate Canada and/ or Canadian specific challenges into future Tester series. Please continue to share your suggestions as we evolve the series, contests and overall experience.
NHL GameCenter
Q: Will we see similar sports applications, such as the NFL Sunday Ticket or NBA League Pass, on the PlayStation Network? – TABBYG87 (November 11, 2010)
A: We’re focused on providing you with many choices for your entertainment needs. We’ll continue to expand the catalogue of content you have access to on the PlayStation Network, however today we don’t have any news to share specific to NFL Sunday Ticket or NBA League Pass.
Q: Will the free NHL GameCenter app go away after the PlayStation Plus subscription has ended? – Dagger_32 (November 11, 2010)
A: The app itself won’t disappear from your XMB, but the free access to the app will discontinue once your PlayStation Plus subscription has ended and you will need to purchase it. As with all of the other content offered through PlayStation Plus, only subscribers will have access to the exclusive, free or discounted offers within PlayStation Plus, which includes the NHL GameCenter app being free to subscribers.
Hey SCEA, I appreciate the updates, and your dedication to improving the services offered.
I find that I split my PS3 usage between playing games and watching media; the majority of my media viewing is local files on my home network. Currently I’m using PS3 Media Server to transcode files on the fly, but, as with any patchwork solution, things don’t always work out perfectly.
What I would love to see is improved media playback functionality integrated into the PS3 experience. Sony has the SMP-N100, among other devices which play files from network shares; is there a chance that we’ll be seeing features from that in a future PS3 update?
While it’s already the winner in my home entertainment setup, that would really make it the king
Dear Playstation,
I see that the Playstation Store in Japan is receiving alot of Squaresoft RPGs for the PSOne. Many of them have been out for awhile. Is their any plan for them to be released to the US or as to why we haven’t seen any of these classics?
Thank You!
I will really love to see some commercial like system on PlayStation Home.Like its own monetary system and stores that sell items by using that monetary system and the real money. That way there could be a more traffic commerce between items, and those who want premium items could buy them on the existing store with real money. Also a marketplace where users could sell and buy, that other users have, like an auction house.
I know Sodium and Novus Prime have one, but I mean on the entire Home network. And you get money by doing some quest, jobs, or winning games.
Any update for the PSN+ members who still haven’t received a download code for Sam an Max after the second round of emails? Aside from “please be patient” again?
When will the Digitals Comics be available to Canada ?
That only raises further questions!
^_^
Well I’d love to partake in all the new PSN Video content , but who knows how long it will take them to deactivate my YLOD PS3 and “Activate” my new slim for video. PS: Backing up your PS3 will only help you if your HDD fails … If your PS3 fails it’s essentially useless. 0 game saves or any game data made it restoring the Data . PS yes I have a Customer Service email in .. I’m just grumpy as 4 YEARS of game saves and game data on my 1TB external HDD is just sitting their inaccessible to me. Grrr.
will there ever be a icelandic ps store
A shame Susan Panico keeps dodging the question about cross game chat, instead preferring to trot out the standard customer service pap. Either it’s being worked on or it isn’t. The way it’s dealt with is indicative of the clueless way SCE is run. No wonder the PS3 and PSP are selling so badly compared to the opposition.
Q: When does the free three month promotion end for PlayStation Plus? – eatthemall (PS+ FAQ post)
A: The promotion that currently adds three months to your 12-month subscription is ongoing and users who subscribe to the promotion will now get 15 months of PlayStation Plus for the 12-month cost. If you’re not yet a subscriber, what other promotional offers would help you make the decision to subscribe?
^^Classy… Answer a question with a question and no definitive answer.
what we need is a better browser ! what can you tell us about that ? i know no info !!
I have been a PlayStation guy since 1996. I have a few questions.
1. Are there any plans to take PlayStation Move to the non-controller realm like the other guys use with the K thing? This is a deal breaker for some of us. The additional cost of controllers to play the games on move can be astronomical. I love the idea but if i want to play more games its $50 a controller and some games one person needs 2 that’s $200 dollars if I am going to play a boxing style game against someone else.
2. Also are there any plans for an ESPN 3 application?
3. Last but not least are there any plans to update the PlayStation browser?
Hi
I just want to know if there will be a way to manage your Playstation and/or PSP to active and deactivate the account games on them, like what if i had a broken PS3 that had my account on it and i want to deactivate it?.
Thanks
when will iceland get a ps store
@ 41
Great post. The “other console” has had these features since day one including..
– Appear offline
– Extremely fast patches/updates
I just don’t understand why PS3/PSN can’t have these features. It’s been 4+ years and the Best console still doesn’t have these things.
Besides, we’ve been getting pointless updates that add either a security patch or just useless features like having the option to print pictures from the PS3 or a photo editing system…on a gaming system.
Please, please, PLEASE hear me out Susan Panico. Please don’t walk away from these major features that’ll greatly benefit PSN and us PS3 gamers.
1st of all thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. I also just wanted 2 say that I’m a supporter of the cross game chat. And I would like to see more stuff be implemented into home. Such as the trophy room, each trophy should unlock something for home and also help progress the rewards program bar. And for PS+ how about having options such as 2X experience points in an online game ? or have a couple unlock points… PS+ should help improve my gameplay experience, right now it’s not worth the buy for me but hopefully you guys update it some more so that it becomes somewhat more interesting….
Hi, Susan. I hope you’re fine.
I see you haven’t answered a question since the third page (or was it the second?), so I expect at least you and Sony’s people read this question.
You see, I’m from Chile, a South American country without Store, Home or any support, so in order to buy thing from PSN we are forced to create an US or European accounts (or even both), we suffer from a LOT of lag and we can’t enjoy things like Vudu, Hulu, Netflix and a lot of other characteristics. Microsoft has already added my and other South American countries (namely Brazil and Colombia, aside from other I just forgot) to their network support, so that they have their own store, movie, music, rental and other local options (oh, and almost zero lag). Being a hardcore PS3 player since the PS1, my question is: when will we, non-US, European or Asian users, have a local PSN support? When will we have a good local network support that let us enjoy thoroughly the online features of our games?
I never expected Microsoft to reach us, the forgotten countries, and now that they have, I’m eagerly waiting for Sony to do so.
That’s all I wanted to say.
Greeting from Chile.
I also get the error trying to download Sam and Max and didn’t receive a code or anything.
Btw, you might pay to play online on Xbox 360 but I think most can agree that you get what you pay for. Online stability/lag or latency issues trough Xbox is much better compared to the PS3 online experience and lets not forget X-game chat. With that being said i love playing online on my PS3 and I would just like to see some improvements.. oh and as far as apps for phones go, how about one where i can check if my friends are online and even send them a text message/picture via my android phone
PS: I’m a PS3 fanboy…..
When can we change our usernames? Xbox has this feature.
Hey Susan,
Please consider adding the ‘Greatest Hits’ line of best selling PS3 games to the PSN for digital purchase.
Id like to know why we got a Big Fazeek Tester t-shirt from last week’s viewing in the Home Theatre, but no War_Princess shirt…? i was sooooo looking forward to a War_Princess t-shirt…
and someone mentioned a rental deal towards games on PSN? why not a flat-rate for movie rentals….? i havent used the video side of the Playstation Store, but i’d be tempted to if there were like a rate for renting the movies rather than a per-movie basis… im still disappointed in the Netflix selection and havent decided whether i want to give HuluPlus a try since i watch very little TV with 24 and Prison Break gone…
Please add NFL Sunday Ticket and NBA League Pass.
Being with the playstation 3 since the beginning I can remember back to the old style PS store and the original barebones features and over time watched it grow very quickly into the amazing full service now. However the old updates that used to bring us great features and improvements seem to be gone and I really would like to get real updates again bringing me to my main problem cross game chat, now I understand it will take work to introduce this feature but it is the most needed and most wanted feature in the history of online console games so were is it? Why is there no update on the current position of this feature? Why do you have a site you made a huge deal about called share.blog when the number one most approved and voted on feature is according to you not in development? At this point with out this feature I feel the console is not worth it any more and I feel you don’t care.
Will their be any updates to older games so they include trophies like MGS4? Also when is the online browser going to improve? There are some serious issues using flash and I can’t even go on sites like youtube (the normal version, I don’t like XL) and gametrailer.com because some things refuse to load and videos won’t stream properly or at all. Firefox browser for PS3 would be cool. When will this be addressed?
Why do all stores across all regions carry the same content? I live in Ireland and have no video store or netflix. If Microsoft can do it with XBL why can’t Sony do the same with PSN?
Hi im was curious about any new updates with the web browser on the ps3 , i heard there was a tweet about having google chrome as an option soon will that be true , i hope and will consider it a christmas gift haha
i got a PSN related question for you. when you gonna send me my 3 game voucher for buying a PSP Go? its been over 2 weeks already.
Hi there.
I would like to know if we will be getting ESPN on PS3 sometime. Please, answer my question. If you dont know or havent talk about it then tell me please. have a good night. I love my PS3…
I have 2 questions regarding Home which would need 2 comments for me to post.
1. Will there ever be a way in which when you go into Public areas of Home like the Central Plaza that only have users who are closest to you, like in your city? I don’t want to waste significant amounts of time with virtual friends without the possibility of meeting them, so there needs to be an option for Home regarding this very important issue. I want the line between Home & the real world to blur, that way you can make friends in real life near you through Home, whom you also play games with & spend time with in Home, while going to the movies or whatever in the real world.
2. Back when Home was first revealed in a trailer they described it as a way to share all your (Hard Drive) files including pics, videos, & music. So far I think you can still only do pictures (On frames, when there should also be ways of putting them anywhere like LBP does in the little rocket looking thing). You should be able to make wallpapers in your apartment made out of your HDD pics. As far as the music & video sharing goes, I guess the real question is – Was this feature cut out due to legal issues? If that’s the case then I guess that sucks & we should never expect it anytime soon, but if not, & you guys still don’t have TV’s with personal video like that first trailer showed so many years ago, than WOW. Stereos with personal music as well would light up the virtual parties (which could then extend to real world parties if your friends were close by Hint* Hint*).
Both of these are major reasons why I don’t spend much, if any time at all, in there.
My ps3 was acting funny when i hooked it up from hdmi to component. I tried to turn it on and it kept asking to restore file system. It never worked.. So i formated the ps3 and tried to sign in using the account i already had. When i changed my password and logged back in my psn went from oodaface1988 to just oodaface. All the downloads that i purchased are gone. it only shows a few demos i download a while back thats all. i need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Can we know around when that Qriocity Music Service get released? and can we connect there with our psn account?
What songs will be available by the time Qriocity get released?
Are we ever gonna be able to subscribe to psPlus via psp?
and why are the psp always left behind like, most avatars and themes are on ps3 and not on psp?
and why the psApp got confirmed for mobile but not for the psp for ages?
Are Playstation ever going to have an equivalent to Microsoft’s XNA??
I JUST WANT TO THANK THE SONY FOLKES FOR PROVIDING ME THE COMPLETE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AND OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND TECH SUPPORT,I COULD’NT BE HAPPIER.HOPE ALL YOU GUYZ BEHIND THE SCENES THAT MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN…THANK YOU VERY MUCH….MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT…..
Just to ask:
1) When will the PSN add more video content from the Disney-ABC networks (ABC Family, Disney Channel and Disney XD)?
2) Are there plans to do a similar Avatar system for use with games? (meaning an avatar like the Home ones can be used in video games.)
One thing that I think would enhance PSN for me is a broader range of demos for PSN titles. The example that sticks out most clearly to me is the X-Men classic arcade game. I would also like better integration with raptr.com so I am able to track my time played and trophies more easily. PS+ is competitively priced but my income is limited and my wife can’t see the point in subscribing to both PS+ as well as XBL. It seems you guys keep it competitive though, so kudos to your success on that.
Ha sorry one last thing. Why is the update process (downloading/installing) such a long process? It seems like it could be better streamlined. If that’s the price I have to pay for free online though, it can stay that long.
well i noticed you asked what would motivate me to get playstation plus, ill tell you what, get cross game chat for play station plus and i wont even have to think about it ill buy ps plus right away
bring cross game chat to ps3 and custom music game
Ok…I signed up during the Killzone3 Beta for the 3 month PSN Plus. Will I get some sort of alert email when this is almost expired? I am hoping so since there is some PSN+ downloadable content that is rendered useless when you are no longer a PSN+ subscriber. Also, if my membership lapses but later I renew again will these downloaded contents become functional again?
Will we ever get a better console account system, one that lets every controller being used, be logged in to a different account. Or have the user system we have now, but allow for different controllers to log into different online accounts. More of a suggestion than a question, but I would like to hear your feed back.
Hey I was wondering if anyone could help me. I bought a pspgo a month ago. With the package it said 3 free game downloads were included. I followed all instructions to a tee. I even call a customer service rep and confirmed that I did it correctly. I purchased a game via the pspgo and waited the 7 days and received no email vouchers. I am still waiting and I am not getting ANY help from customer service. What is the deal. Did I get scamed or what?
Can you please add voice party’s so people don’t have to be in the same game to talk to each other
Why can’t people living in Malta (Europe) purchase games from PSN ?! I know loads of friends who have been waiting for this feature for ages.
Sony needs to extend chat rooms to nine or more people and be able to mute or kick people out of them and have it were you can focus on on certain people in chat room when its alot of them in it
i think we should be able to play music while playing games i know xbox has it but still people get bored we need music
I’m Wondering why the Playstation.blog share is up and running but seems to be ignored. There are a lot of good ideas on there that haven’t been implemented since it started. Please consider using some of these ideas. (X game chat, 2 psn accounts signed in on same system for games like resistance 2 and black ops)
Please answer…..I’m shure a lot of people are wondering the same thing as I am.
A lot of rumors about DC Universe are on the net.
Is there really a $15 dollar a month subscription fee and will Playstation Plus subscribers get a break????? $60 for the game and $180 dollars for the year are a steep price and many are saying they will not buy it if this is the case. They also will not subscribe to the Playstation Plus.