back to article Sony posts, pulls PlayStation Store update

Sony pulled its new-look PlayStation Store from the UK yesterday after a barrage of complaints from users. The firm has now postponed the refresh in several countries and reverted the Store to its old design until it fixes "teething problems". Those who installed the update say it was buggy, full of random crashes and had …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. auburnman

    If the overhaul was done by the same team that did the current version, I'm not surprised it's crap. I wish they'd stop faffing about with the appearance and concentrate on making the underlying structure quick and responsive. I swear most days the waiting for screens to load in the store is like being on dialup.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I purchased a PS3, only to discover that the PSN is unusable even after the upgrade

    When setting it up initially, it asked for something like an "Online ID". I wrongfully choose an ID that easily allowed my real world identity to be inferred from the ID. I say "wrongfully" because as I discovered later, this ID is shown to everyone in multiplayer games and no one uses as an ID something that can even remotely be traced back to your identity. And of course, the PSN registration page omitted these details, and lacked even the basic advice about all this.

    No problem, I said. It likely is just a matter of changing my account details in the PSN. That was when I discovered that my "Online ID" is what holds together game achievements and PS Store purchases. Yes, you cannot change your ID. The closest thing you can do is to create a new one, but then you cannot -or at least I could not find how- transfer anything from your old ID to your new one. All your purchased content, remains available on your old ID, but if you want to dismiss that one, you'll lose it.

    Apparently this is a well know drawback of the PS Network. Apparently, no one is concerned. I am. Hence, I'll not purchase anything on the PS Store. I'll not likely purchase again a PS product. I don't want my belongings to be held hostage by something so absurd as an online ID.

    The strange thing is that in Japan you're allowed to change your online ID in the PS store What is even more strange: with something as unsophisticated as a Wii, even Nintendo can transfer your purchases from one console to another should your Wii be replaced. What a weird software design decision by Sony is using a string identifier to represent your identity.

    Sony, it's my online ID AND credentials (password) what probes who I am. I should be able to change any of them and still be who I am. And my purchases are still mine even if I change my age, my marital status, even my gender in the PS account. Why not allow to change ID's?

    Sony, your policies are absurd, against customer convenience and privacy and are plain greedy. And you expect people to like your store changes?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I purchased a PS3, only to discover that the PSN is unusable even after the upgrade

      How many places have a userid that isn't your username?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        How many places have a userid that isn't your username?

        A lot of them, in fact. Everywhere you register and identify yourself with your mail address, for example, but what is displayed in your comments, forums, etc, is the ID you've entered when registering. Too many places to list here, but a lot of places allow this.

        Oh, yes, The Reg forums is not a good example, but even here you can post anon...

        No excuse for Sony to keep doing that, except perhaps making you pay again for everything purchased under the old ID?

    2. Jolyon Smith
      FAIL

      I chose a stupid user ID only to find I shouldn't have

      I really fail to see how it is Sony's fault that you chose a user ID you wish you hadn't.

      From your story you would have realised your mistake VERY quickly, and if it bothered you that much you could have created a new ID at that point and would have lost very little. But compounding your mistake you pressed on with the ID you chose and now regretted.

      You REALLY cannot blame Sony for the fact that having shot yourself in the foot you then proceeded to feed your leg into a meat grinder and chewed the whole damned limb off.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I chose a stupid user ID only to find I shouldn't have

        "You REALLY cannot blame Sony for the fact that having shot yourself in the foot you then proceeded to feed your leg into a meat grinder and chewed the whole damned limb off."

        Exactly how is choosing an ID, stupid or not, an then wanting to change it is shooting oneself in the foot? And which part of the store is comparable to the leg grinding?

        So you have all the same identity across every single thing you use online? And never, ever, wanted to change it? And even if you personally don't need or want to do it, is that enough of a reason for thinking that nobody in the world should want to change it?

        Let's suppose that there are three people with your same name, would you perhaps want to change your ID online after you realize that and put something different so tht people can distinguish you from the other three? Or perhaps the opposite, wanting to keep your privacy, may want to change it?

        I think you're assuming that the whole world should be and behave like you, and since you've never ever needed to do that that is enough reason for nobody wanting to do it. Which is not the case.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I purchased a PS3, only to discover that the PSN is unusable even after the upgrade

      FFS what's wrong with you? Make another ID for purchases and use both. Fuck "achievements", if you really value them you need to have a serious word with yourself.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I purchased a PS3, only to discover that the PSN is unusable even after the upgrade

        You're ignoring a scenario where the ID is shared by more than one person in the house that is using the console. Yes, the console supports multiple logins each one associated with a different online ID, but homes I know about with more than one person using the machine don't bother login with a different name. They just turn on the console and play, sharing the same online ID.

        As for the importance of achievements, trophies or whatever they are called, obviously you or I may not make a big deal of them. Ask the same question to a teenager and see what is his/her response. Do the same with their list of mobile contacts with a young adult and see what is the response.

        The point remains valid, not being able to change the online ID for a PSN account is actually possible in Japan, or so it seems. It follows that non japanese users are not woth the same consideration for Sony as japanese ones. Myself, I'll leave in the future the survival of Sony in the hands of its japanese customers.

  3. squilookle

    Really don't understand this.

    Firstly, I assume a company with the resources of Sony hire competent developers that can manage the roll out of a project of this type. Either they haven't, or the hands of those developers are tied by poor management. Either situation would be equally baffling.

    Secondly, with the recent issues they have suffered with their online services, you would think they would take extra care to ensure everything works before they roll it out.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'm guessing its not enough umph on the backend especially if the new store design is more gfx heavy. So I would point more towards not enough load testing myself rather than blaming the developers :)

      Pure speculation.. and not a developer

      1. squilookle

        I say developers, I really mean all the staff involved in the development of the service in any capacity, not just the coders.

  4. GrumpyJoe
    FAIL

    Full price launch titles

    Who in their right mind is paying £50 for Assassins Creed? What are Sony smoking?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Full price launch titles

      Firstly publishers set the price, not Sony.

      Secondly market forces men that people DO play it.

      Perhaps the price of not having disks is worth that? It not to me, but there surely are pay it.

      1. GrumpyJoe
        WTF?

        Re: Full price launch titles

        Yes, but it's just NOT competitive unless you are a cave-dweller! And a virtual copy is only good while Sony let you have it - no resale etc. means it's actually LESS valuable than the actual disc.

        Personal choice I guess, but I'd LOVE to see the purchase figures on those things - I can't imagine they'd be that good considering the local stores have them on discount pretty much from day 1 - if not Amazon and hundreds of other places online. As you say, it could be convenience, but downloading 8Gb of data for most people - you probably COULD have gone out and got it quicker in meatspace...

        Disclaimer - I HAVE bought PSN stuff, but not at full price or only for stuff that was not available on disc previously.

      2. Tom 260

        Re: Full price launch titles

        While Sony do indeed say that publishers set the prices, surely someone should notice that a game (NFS:Most Wanted) currently available to preorder at £59.99(!) is easily available at £36 to preorder from online retailers, and will certainly be no more than £39.99 in the majority of high street stores, and probably less at supermarkets on release. There's really no point in the exercise of making a game available digitally if they're not going to get any sales through unrealistic pricing.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Full price launch titles

          The fact you care, means you ARE willing to buy digitally, just not at those prices.

          I really don't give a crap about trade-in value, it's worthless, I prefer to keep the games. I only buy GOOD games anyway - which usually means PS3 platform exclusives, rather bother with multiplatform compromised crap, catering for lesser consoles. When you have played PS3 franchises like Uncharted, Killzone, Resistance, Infamous etc, everything else seems well, rather rubbish... Those games are worth replaying many times over, just to get the platinum trophies.

          And I would be willing to pay A BIT more than the disc based RRP to get them digitally.

  5. Test Man
    Meh

    So THIS is why I was getting the old store on launch evening.

  6. wipeoutmaster87

    PS STORE WONT START, BLANK SCREEN

    Please can anyone help me? a few days ago I could access the ps store no problem. now all I get is a blank black screen and lose all control of the ps3, I have to switch it off at the back and on again to carry on using it. every single other function works fine, i can play games online, signed into the psn no problem. it's just the store that's crashing :( thank you in advance. my email is wipeoutmaster87@gmail.com

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like