Sorry Japan, Your PSN is Still Down

[Tom Goldman]

Sorry Japan, Your PSN is Still Down

Japanese PS3 owners still cannot access the PlayStation Store after more than two months of PSN downtime.

Just in case you've been living under an Xbox, one of the biggest videogame industry stories this year revolved around external intrusions [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109568-Sony-Admits-Private-PSN-Info-Has-Been-Stolen-All-Of-It] into Sony servers that caused the company to shut down the PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment MMOs for three weeks. That is, if you live in North America or Europe. In Japan, parts of the PlayStation Network are still down, with no restart in sight.

The hold up is believed to be related to the Japanese government [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110292-Credit-Card-Companies-Delay-Japans-PSN-Return]. Sony had hoped to get the PlayStation Store back up in the region by the end of May, but that quite obviously didn't happen. The PSN was restored in other regions of the world on May 14, while the PlayStation Store returned on June 2.

Sony recently issued a notice for its Japanese PSN customers with an update on the situation. In the notice, Sony once again apologizes for the delay in the PlayStation Store's return, but says that more time is still needed to "make adjustments" with the parties involved.

The report came with no estimate on when the Store would return. For those keeping track, the PSN has been down for more than two months in Japan as of this writing. Sony must be in some very hot water in the land of the rising sun, and along with its partners is suffering with a ton of lost business.

Source: Andriasang [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/06/24/sony_psn_notice/]


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[Realitycrash]

So, that's over two months not being able to play the game you purchased, some of them not even offline?

Yeah..

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

It's odd...because that's where you'd expect it to go up first.

Well, they still have their Monster Hunter Ad-Hoc.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Is the law in Japan really that strict, or did Kaz Hirai sleep with the emperor's wife?

 

[Alar]

Wow, that's just... ouch. I don't know who I feel more for, the fans or the company. That's going to be a lot of lost customers if they don't get things taken care of soon... I have to wonder how many they've lost already.

 

[twistedheat15]

"Just in case you've been living under an Xbox" I lulz at that, nicely done.

 

[Thunderhorse31]

...do the Japanese play that many games online (in comparison to the West, I mean)?

Either way, that's terrible. Sony is just hemorrhaging money, I doubt they can afford to alienate the people who live next door.

 

[jackanderson]

Ouch! My support and thoughts go out to our suffering Japanese bretheren!

 

[FuktLogik]

Shit sux. I want my Japanese Welcome Back goodies. They might have something good, unlike the North America package, which just offered things I already owned.

 

[Jumplion]

Bueracracies are fun, no?

 

[xXAsherahXx]

Damn, PSN still isn't up over there?

It isn't a really huge deal to me that it was ever down to begin with since most of my games don't have any multiplayer, but still, that's a drag.

 

[duchaked]

I'd thought it'd be back up first in Japan...

 

[Brain_Cleanser]

The Japanese PSN itself is up. I signed into my Japanese account earlier today no probelm. Don't know about Online since I Don't use it to play games online.
The STORE still isn't online, but not really hurting anything, since their return package is so crap.

 

[FuktLogik]

The Japanese PSN itself is up. I signed into my Japanese account earlier today no probelm. Don't know about Online since I Don't use it to play games online.
The STORE still isn't online, but not really hurting anything, since their return package is so crap.

They have a Welcome Back package but no one can access it?

*Starts slow clap*

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

That's got ot be a massive kick in the balls.
After all they've been through.
Seriously, Japan needs a medal.

 

[Brain_Cleanser]

The Japanese PSN itself is up. I signed into my Japanese account earlier today no probelm. Don't know about Online since I Don't use it to play games online.
The STORE still isn't online, but not really hurting anything, since their return package is so crap.

They have a Welcome Back package but no one can access it?

*Starts slow clap*

It's a welcome back package without anything good, at that. The US and EU ones were spectacular, the JP and HK ones... ehh... lemme find the article...
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/27/japanese-and-asian-playstation-network-services-to-resume-this-week/
Bam. The list is resoundingly lack luster. I hope Sony picks up the slack and gives them better stuff, since it's been a like whole damn MONTH since the US go it's welcome back package.

 

[FuktLogik]

The Japanese PSN itself is up. I signed into my Japanese account earlier today no probelm. Don't know about Online since I Don't use it to play games online.
The STORE still isn't online, but not really hurting anything, since their return package is so crap.

They have a Welcome Back package but no one can access it?

*Starts slow clap*

It's a welcome back package without anything good, at that. The US and EU ones were spectacular, the JP and HK ones... ehh... lemme find the article...
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/27/japanese-and-asian-playstation-network-services-to-resume-this-week/
Bam. The list is resoundingly lack luster. I hope Sony picks up the slack and gives them better stuff, since it's been a like whole damn MONTH since the US go it's welcome back package.

Hmmm. The reason I didn't like the North America package was because I bought all that stuff ages ago, so all I got was a 2 month extension on my PS+ and the ability to not use my disc to play two of my games. If they ever get it up in Japan (Odd expression for such a sexual culture), I'll probably pick up The Last Guy and LocoRoco Cocoreccho!. But I see what you mean. Not a single full game, just a bunch of budget shit.

 

[Aeshi]

So all those multiplayer games of AC:FA (which REQUIRES THE PSN) I've been playing with Japanese players were a figment of my imagination?

 

[Corporal Yakob]

Youch! Poor bastards! I nearly went insane after a week of PSN going down so I can't imagine whats going on down in the land of the rising sun.....