No one likes it when the PlayStation Network goes down, especially on a Friday. Sony has announced a make-good for PlayStation Plus subscribers affected by the recent service disruption.
Five Days of PS Plus as Compensation
All PlayStation Plus members will automatically get five extra days added onto their subscription. This is a thank you for your patience and a gesture for the trouble. The outage lasted a little over 20 hours, making this a good move by Sony.
Sony confirms that network services are back to normal. They described the issue as an "unspecified operational issue." Details are still a bit fuzzy, but we are back online and receiving something extra for our trouble.
Missed Monster Hunter Beta?
The timing of the outage landed in the middle of the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta. Gamers wanting to experience the new beta were stuck in limbo. It is uncertain if Capcom will extend the beta. However, we are getting extra PS Plus time to make up for lost game time.
[Update: There is a rumour that Capcom may extend it by a further 24 hours later. Fingers crossed]
Remember the 2011 Downtime?
For long-time PS users, this is not as dramatic as the 2011 PSN hack. That outage lasted for weeks and involved compromised user data.
Sony offered a free month of PS Plus, a month's extension, and free games like the original inFAMOUS at that time. Five days of service might seem small in comparison. This time, the issue was resolved much quicker and without a security nightmare.
Bottom Line: A Welcome Bonus
Network outages are frustrating. It is good to see Sony responding relatively quickly. Offering a tangible form of compensation to PlayStation Plus members is a nice touch. Hopefully, network stability will be a top priority going forward. Happy gaming.
