Sony Offers Discounts And PlayStation Plus Extensions After Holiday Problems

Sony Playstation — A person plays a video game at a Sony PlayStation in the Sony's flagship store in Berlin, April 27, 2011. Reuters/Thomas Peter

On Dec. 25 a group calling themselves "The Lizard Squad" claimed responsibility for a world wide shutdown of both Sony and Microsoft's online gaming networks. Claiming they did it to raise awareness for internet security along with amusing themselves. Two of the members were later brought in for questioning by the police and the FBI and one of them - Vinnie Omari - will be having a court hearing about the attack on Mar. 10.

After the large scale hack attack on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live ruined Christmas for possibly millions of gamers hoping to go online, it looks like it's time for damage control. While Microsoft recovered fairly quickly, it was only recently that the PlayStation Network was finally running problem free after about three days or so of inactivity according to Gamespot and Kotaku. It seems that Sony wants to make things better for their loyal customers as the company announced on the PlayStation Blog that some rewards are coming to their patient consumers.

The blog titled "A Holiday Thank You" detailed what would be coming to those affected by the PSN downtime. For those who signed for the company's PlayStation Plus programs during the holidays they will be getting a PlayStation Plus extension with five free days of the program after the initial offer expires.

A program that normally requires a yearly subscription has been praised by many a fan for its numerous benefits such as free games and early discounts along with special themes and exclusive game trials. All of this for more than a fair price. The PS Blog also announced that the free PlayStation Plus games for January include "Infamous: First Light"' a short expansion pack for "Infamous: Second Son," a remake of the classic Capcom NES Game "Ducktales Remastered," and finally "Prototype 2."

Also announced was a future ten percent discount code for a total cart purchase that will be released later this month. The discount will supposedly work on big-budget new releases, movies, themes and even games developed by independent companies. The company then thanked consumers for their patience and promised more to come.