When the update goes live it will bring your PS3 to firmware version v3.70, once installed you will be use Automatic Update to automatically turn your console on to download the latest game patches, not only this but you will be able to set games to auto-upload game save data. Whenever the Auto Download function kicks in we are told that Trophies will automatically sync as well.

The firmware update will also bring another social-centric advance to the PS3, once you have it installed you will be able to share PlayStation Store recommendations with your PSN friends, this will allow you to easily link people to games etc which you love, this will also help to promote the many PSN offerings.

You have probably noticed that over the years the TV / Video services which are available on PS3 have increased, well Sony has noticed this and the update will bring a new category to the XMB which is aptly called “TV/Video Services” Within this category you will be able to access things such a s Hulu PLUS, Netflix and VUDU. In this category there will be a subcategory called “My Channels” where you will have quick access to your downloaded apps.

For those of you who use your PS3 as a 3D Blu-ray player we can confirm that the update will bring two enhancements to this particular function, once the update has been installed you will have 3D support when accessing Java-based special features on Blu-Ray, also lossless audio will be supported. Finally while we are talking about 3D we must tell you that 3D digital photos in MPO format will be viewable in 3D via the XMB and Photo Gallery app once the update arrives.

With so much great news regarding the update we bet you can’t wait for it to become available, sadly we only know that it is coming soon (it may have already arrived), therefore we will have to keep you posted as we hear more. You can find out more detailed information over at the PlayStation Blog.

Which of the new features / enhancements are you looking forward to the most?

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For those of you who have no idea what we’re talking about since the PlayStation Network is fine for most people, click here to get some background information on the PSN passwords issue.

Now that you’re up to date, it appears that you can still change your password by using Sony’s Qriocity service instead. Rather than waste time checking the usual site that Sony asks you to click, head to Qriocity.com, providing you’re in a supported area.

Once there, click ‘forgot your password‘, and you’ll be sent a new email from Sony Qriocity after filling in your current PSN details and your date of birth. This email is surprisingly different to the standard one that Sony sends on PSN, and following the details on the Qriocity link should bring up a new server that works.

After this, simply fill in your new password on the screen, head over to PSN and you should be able to log in with your new password without any problems. We can confirm that this method works for us, so try it out now and let us know if it works for you.

Again, we’re not sure why the main website is down, but who needs to care with this clever loophole. Enjoy the Welcome Back Package guys and watch out for those error messages.

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It’s a hard thing to swallow for many PS3 gamers as well. Just when you think everything is back to normal and you can finally go on to the PlayStation Network and resume your normal gaming activities, this new problem appears and it looks like it’s gone under the radar so far.

Just to recap you on the situation, Sony requires all users to change their passwords the very first time you try to log into the PSN again following on from the downtime. Depending on your console circumstances, some of you are able to change passwords directly on the PS3 console and there’s no problem there, but for everyone else, Sony requires you to change your password by retrieving their email and clicking on a generated link.

Well it turns out this generated link is offline, and has been for days. Below is the message you’ll see if you find yourself stuck in this situation:

We contacted Sony customer services to find out any information regarding this, and we were told that the service would be resumed as ‘soon as possible’ and that Sony are ‘working hard to fix the problem’. The fact that this has gone unnoticed and the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any official word from Sony on the PS Blogs is a bit worrying to say the least.

What are your thoughts on this gamers? Are you met with the same error screen when trying to change your PSN password, or is everything working fine for you?

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The EU PlayStation Blog has tweeted the news that the Welcome Back Package is in final testing and will ‘be available to download very soon’. Meanwhile over at PlayStation Blog forums it has been announced that there will be some added bonuses for PlayStation Plus members.

It says as the PlayStation Store was back later than Sony wanted they will add an extra ten days to the free time already promised. This will now mean the current Plus members will get a total of 70 days free added to their accounts, users will not need to do anything to get the free time as it will be automatically added to the accounts.

Are you pleased with the extra ten days of time added by Sony?

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We’ve been constantly trying to sign in within the last hour, and we’ve been unable to do so, so far. Instead we’ve been greeted with various error messages, with the newest one reading (80710D36).

Is the same thing happening to you, or can you log into the PlayStation Network just fine? It’s pretty frustrating to say the least, and we imagine you guys are feeling the same, especially after hoping that you can now start to download some content from the Store and redeem DLC codes that you’ve been waiting to do for weeks.

On a side note, those of you who are still having problems changing PSN passwords aren’t having much luck, as we can confirm that the website that Sony directs you to, to change your password is also down for maintenance too – we’ve guessing it’s all linked together into one big offline party.

If you are trying to log in to PSN now, tell us if you are successful or not, remember to state your location.

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As most of you will know, the welcome back package is different depending on which region you’re living in, with the choice of free games for the PSP and also PSP varying considerably.

PSN users will get a choice of two free PS3 and PSP games from a selected list, while you’ll also get some unannounced region-free content as well. Perhaps more importantly though, regular PSN users will also get a free 30 day subscription to PlayStation Network Plus, allowing you to download content to your hearts content it seems, unfortunately Sony has remained pretty quiet on this though.

Sony has recently stated on the US PlayStation Blog that the Welcome Back Package is coming ‘soon’, and although there’s plenty of new content on the store via the update, it would have been nice if gamers could enjoy their Welcome Back Packages on the very first day that the store returns.

When will the Package be available? Sony should be well aware that gamers are not too patient these days, and we have a feeling that it won’t be ready until next week at somepoint – although another Store update is scheduled for Friday June 3rd.

Are you happy that the Store is back, or feeling a bit disappointed that the Welcome Back Package is not available yet?

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Sony has posted on the official PlayStation Blog telling all of its loyal users that the service is now available. They also thank them for all their patience, but do mention the Welcome Back Package is not yet available and is in the final stages of testing. They say it will be available soon but have listed a huge list of other content available.

There is a big variety of downloadable games, add-on content, demos, avatars, themes, and videos available now. PlayStation Plus has also been updated and now has new full game trails, free games, and discounts. Tomorrow Sony promised another PlayStation Store and PS Plus update, and there is some special publishes beginning next week.

They have listed a huge amount of content which is available now which include Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2, this is a full game trial as part of PlayStation Plus. Even though the Welcome Back Package is not yet ready, there is quite a lot of content available. Head over to the PlayStation Blog for the full list.

Are you pleased the PlayStation Store is finally back?

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Firstly, if you haven’t read our initial report about the maintenance, you can do so here again. Now on to the counter reports, as it turns out the PlayStation Store may be back online on Friday 3rd June, instead of June 2nd (tomorrow).

The news has surfaced from a game studio called Gamelion, who updated their Facebook page with an update regarding one of their planned releases onto the PlayStation Network. Here is what they said, as reported from PlayStation Lifestyle:

‘‘Block Cascade Fusion is coming as Minis for PS3 and PSP to North America on 3rd June 2011!”

The obvious question to ask is why would they put down a solid date of June 3rd, when they know that Sony is in the midst of switching the PlayStation Network on and off, and failing to give PS3 users a specific date for when services will be back to normal. The answer to this could be that Sony has already informed certain developers of a date for when they’ll be able to get their content onto the Store for users to download.

Either that, or they have just put down Friday 3rd June to go with Sony’s announcement of bringing full functionality to PSN before the end of the week. It’s something to bear in mind though today while we all hope the Store comes back online tomorrow.

What do you make of the statement by this studio? Will you be disappointed if you have to wait another day or not?

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The maintenance will result in the PlayStation Network going down and this will means the PSN will be inaccessible for several hours, however if you are already logged in you should remain online. This is an essential step which will allow Sony to fully restore all PSN services and the PlayStation Store.

If you do not want to be affected by the downtime you may want to sign in to the PSN on your PS3 asap, if not it could be quite a while until you will be able to get online. You can find out a little more about the scheduled maintenance on the PlayStation Blog, no exact timeframe has been given, however the maintenance will last “several hours” and full PlayStation Network services will resume in most regions this week. The news could also potentially mean that the PlayStation Store could be accessible at some point tonight.

Hopefully this will be the last time we have to mention PSN downtime this year, it has been a bumpy ride since April 19th, however it finally looks like the end is near.

Is the PSN down for you yet?

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However, it’s not all bad news. We’re hearing that this maintenance will only last for a short period of time, and once users will be able to sign in again, the PlayStation Store may be back online as well, as reported from VG247.

This falls in line with our previous update on the PlayStation Network status earlier this week, when we told you that Sony were planning to bring full functionality to the PlayStation Network, including access to the PlayStation Store back online before the end of the week. However, this would only apply to users in the US and Europe, so gamers elsewhere may still find that the downtime continues a little longer until Sony issues another statement.

Here’s something important that you need to remember now though: the PlayStation Network will go down for maintenance today at 4.30pm GMT, so for those of you who still want to play online, make sure you stay signed into PSN before then, or you’ll be locked out until 7AM GMT the following morning.

Hopefully this period of maintenance will bring the PlayStation Store back online just as Sony had promised. Everyone is still waiting to get their Welcome Back packages of course, so we’ll keep you updated on the situation.

Is the PlayStation Network online for you at the moment, or has it gone down already? – Please state your location.

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