And for my next trick...

UPDATE (25.05.11) Sony has confirmed that it will compensate PSN users registered prior to the recent downtime. All such users will receive 30 days of free PlayStation Plus membership, with existing PlayStation Plus subscribers to receive 60 days. PlayStation 3 users will be invited to download two free titles from the following list: Dead Nation, Infamous, LittleBigPlanet, Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty and Wipeout HD. Meanwhile, PSP users will have the opportunity to download two of the following: Killzone Liberation, LittleBigPlanet PSP, ModNation Racers PSP and Pursuit Force. Of course, these benefits are dependent on restoration of the PlayStation Store. While a range of services have been brought back online, Sony is yet to announce a date for the relaunch of the PlayStation Store.

UPDATE (16.05.11) It may have taken a little longer than the suggested week, but Sony has today commenced restoration of the PlayStation Network in a range of territories, including Australia. Sadly, the influx of new users (many of them eager to change their passwords as per Sony’s advice) has resulted in the system going offline yet again. All going well, however, we should soon have uninterrupted access to a range of services, including online play and friends lists. While this would have been a golden opportunity to quietly retire the PlayStation Home feature, Sony has inexplicably resurrected that as well.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Two weeks after it pulled the service offline, and one week after it conceded that confidential user data may have been compromised, Sony has outlined plans to restore some elements of the PlayStation Network. According to its latest blog post, we will soon regain access to several core features, including account management, online play and movie rentals. The restoration program is set to commence this week.

Sony has also announced that it will offer a number of “welcome back” incentives to its PSN members. Returning users will receive complimentary access to the PlayStation Plus program for 30 days and be invited to download unspecified “entertainment content” at no charge. The multiplatform Qriocity service is also set to return, with users to be offered 30 days of free membership.

Will these measures be sufficient to draw the curtain on what has been one of the more traumatic episodes in Sony’s history? The platform holder’s corporate reputation has taken a battering not only from mainstream news outlets but also from countless disgruntled gamers on social networking platforms. As reported by The Age, it has also been targeted with multiple class-action lawsuits related to the security breach. It seems likely that this will be an event not soon forgotten.