UPDATED: Sony Playstation users who created their PSN account and password on an old model PS3 could face problems logging on to the network if they have moved to a new slim PS3, after Sony moved to bring their network back online using a new password system.Overnight Australian users of the PSN network which has been down for three week were told that they can now log back in. According to Kazuo Hirai, head of Sony’s game division users will have to change their password to log on using their “original PS3 console” which was used to create the account.
What is not known is whether users who have upgraded to a new console but retained their original log on ID will be able to go back online.
Sony said it had begun restoration of its PlayStation Network games service on Sunday, almost a month after a hacker forced the company to shut down both their Playstation and Entertainment network.
The 3.61 update demands a password change which can only take place on the original PS3 itself. Those who’ve never used a PS3 to get content will still get an e-mail with a one-time link to change the password.
Despite the new firmware, Sony didn’t have new information on when PSN would go back online in Australia. Service has been out for more than three weeks and only has a May target for when it would return. Sony’s issues were compounded on May 2 when SOE was also known to have been hacked and plans to get PSN back up quickly had to be put on hold.
The company had been criticised by gamers and security experts for its handling of the incident, which cast a shadow over its plans to combine the strengths of its content and hardware products via online services.
In what is thought to be the biggest security breach of its kind, hacker’s accessed personal information on 77 million PlayStation Network accounts, including over 800,000 in Australia.
Sony said the restoration of PlayStation Network and Qriocity online movie and music services would take place on a country by country basis and that it expected the process to be complete by May 31.
Sony Online Entertainment services are also being restored and customers will be offered free game time as compensation for the outage, the company said.
