Sony announced earlier this morning that they will be able to “fully restore all PlayStation Network services” to America, Asia and Europe by the end of this week. The areas that will not be restored by the end of the week are estimated to be Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
When Sony means full functionality this means that the PlayStation Store will be put back online, including voucher and code redemption, as well as Qriocity and Media Go for people who actually use those things. This also means that the “Welcome Back” program will soon go into effect and allow PlayStation 3 owners to download their free games.
Kaz Hirai from Sony had this to say about the restoration and downtime: “We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love. We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”
