Sony to "Welcome Back" PSN and Qriocity this Week

Sony has just announced that the PlayStation Network and its Qriocity services will be back up starting next week. The PSN has been down for over a week now, ever since Sony decided to temporarily disable it to prevent further external intrusions and to patch things up on the network.

Sony said that the initial phase of the rollout will include but not be limited to:

• Restoration of online game-play across the PlayStation (PS3) and PSP (PlayStation Portable) systems, including titles requiring online verification and downloaded games
•  Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
•  Access to account management and password reset
• Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
•  PlayStation Home
• Friends list
• Chat functionality

The restoration will also include a mandatory system update that will require all users to change their passwords. Users will be required to do so on their own PS3 or via a verified email confirmation

Sony also said that it would offer a "Welcome Back" program to each of the affected territories or regions, as compensation for the outage. The promotions will be "tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the company's appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty," Sony said.

"Welcome Back" PSN Users

As expected, the "central components" of the "Welcome Back" program will include selected PlayStation content for free download, with specific details to be made available soon, Sony said. In addition, each PlayStation Network customer will either receive 30 days of PlayStation Plus, Sony's value-added subscription gaming service that offers free downloads and game trials. Those that already subscribe to PlayStation Plus will receive 30 additional days for free, the same deal that subscribers to Sony's Qriocity cloud-music service will receive. If a user doesn't subscribe to Qriocity, however, he or she will not receive a free subscription.

Sony also said that it will also provide a "complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs".