PSN Welcome Back Program FAQ

[nCogNeato]

We're so excited to welcome you back to PlayStation Network. With the PlayStation Store back online, we've been getting all caught up this week, having launched an abundance of amazing content for download on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable devices across games, movies, themes and DLC. Today, we're excited to launch the Welcome Back program to thank you for your loyalty, and below, we've got what you need in order to get access to the included content. So, here's a list of questions about the program. If you don't see your question below, mention it in the comments and we'll do our best to provide an answer. Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we restored the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services – your support has meant a lot to us and is greatly appreciated.



Q: What's in the Welcome Back Program?
A: To start, all PSN members who had signed up before the outage (April 20, 2011) will be able to select two games for the PS3 and two games for the PSP systems.

For PS3 owners, go to the 'Welcome Back' section in the PlayStation Store, and select 2 titles from the following list:

    • Dead Nation
    • inFAMOUS
    • LittleBigPlanet
    • Super Stardust HD
    • Wipeout HD + Fury

For PSP owners, go to the 'Welcome Back' section of PlayStation Store on your PSP system and select 2 titles from the following list:

    • LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
    • ModNation Racers
    • Pursuit Force
    • Killzone Liberation

Select your first game from "Game 1", then return to the Welcome Back page and go to "Game 2" to select your second game out of the remaining choices available. This goes for both PS3 and PSP.

In addition, we're giving access to our premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus, which includes games, huge discounts, exciting exclusives and added features like online storage and automatic downloads, to all PSN members for 30 days at no charge, requiring no long term commitment. As with the games above, go to the PlayStation Store and under the 'Welcome Back' section, select 'PlayStation Plus: 30 Days Free', and you'll be given access to all of the benefits of PlayStation Plus. Note that this will not auto-renew and simply expires 30 days after activation.

Current Plus subscribers receive an extra 60 days added to their existing subscription at no charge. For current Plus subscribers, no action is needed as the 60 days are automatically added to your subscription.

PlayStation Network users will also get 100 virtual items in PlayStation Home as a show of appreciation for your patience while Home was inaccessible. Additional content is coming soon, including the next addition to the Home Mansion personal space, and Ooblag's Alien Casino, an exclusive game.

A selection of "On Us" movie rentals are currently available to PlayStation Network customers this weekend only, where Video Service is available.

Finally, current Music Unlimited Premium subscription members will receive an additional 30 days of premium subscription plus days lost due to the outage.

Q: When will I have access to the Welcome Back Program?
A: The content offered as part of the Welcome Back Program is available for download today and will be available through July 3.

Q: I have both PS3 and PSP. Does this mean I will get 4 games all together?
A: Yes, as long as you were a PSN member before April 20, 2011, you'll be able to receive up to 4 games based on the titles listed above; 2 on each platform.

Q: Are there any limitations to the PS3 and PSP games we are receiving as part of the Welcome Back Program?
A: None. These games are yours to keep.

Q: How long do I have to get into the PlayStation Store and receive my content for Welcome Back?
A: Access to the Welcome Back content will be expiring on July 3. Once this date has passed, the Welcome Back section in the PlayStation Store will be removed.

Q: When does the 30 days of my PlayStation Plus access expire?
A: Your PlayStation Plus 30-day access will expire 30 days from the date you activated it in PlayStation Store.

Q: When will (insert game here) be published?
A: Look forward to posts over the coming days that will show what content will be available at that point, or coming soon. We're planning frequent store publishes offering lots of new content for everyone to enjoy.

Q: I'm getting 30 days of access to PlayStation Plus; can you refresh my memory on what I get with this service?
A: From the time you activate your 30 days of PlayStation Plus, you'll be able to download games and game related content, purchase select store items at a discount, and have access to the exclusive features of Plus. You'll also be able to get early access to any Plus exclusive Demos and priority Beta invitations that might be scheduled during your 30 days.

Q: Do I get to keep the games in PlayStation Plus forever?
A: Content that is free in PlayStation Plus will not be available after your PlayStation Plus time has expired. However, if you decide to join PlayStation Plus, you'll have access to all of the content you downloaded during your 30 day access for as long as you are a subscriber.

Q: Do I get to keep any games or content I purchased with the PlayStation Plus discount?
A: Yes. Any content you purchase at a discount is yours to keep, regardless of your subscription status.

Q: Aside from the games and discounts; does PlayStation Plus offer anything else?
A: Yes! PlayStation Plus includes the Online Storage for Game Saves feature, allowing you to backup treasured game saves or access them from another PS3. In addition, you get the Automatic Download feature, which automatically updates your 10 most recently played games while the system is in stand-by mode so you don't have to wait for updates before playing your games.

Q: What content will be in PlayStation Plus when I activate my 30 days?
A: PlayStation Plus content and discounts are regularly updated throughout the month. For up-to-date information on content within PlayStation Plus, please visit the Plus homepage.

Q: Where can I find the Welcome Back content in Home?
A: The 100 virtual items can be found in the kiosk in Home's Central Plaza along with two personal spaces – Dragon's Lair and the Mansion Garage. A new game – Ooblag's Alien Casino – will be released soon (June 2011). This game will be 100% free-to-play. As an added bonus, players that access the Ooblag Alien Casino space will be rewarded an active item version of the Ooblag game that can be played in your personal space(s).

[PlayStation.Blog]

[zerosum]

Nope - no dice here, instead there's a shiny message that reads:

"An error has occurred.
(80710D36)"

Gotta love it.

[nCogNeato]

I just tried logging into the PlayStation forums to see what's going on, but all I got was ...







WTF, Sony?  

These issues are no longer shocking.  No longer funny.  They're just sad.

[zerosum]

There's gotta be something f'ed up going on. I logged in after various attempts, still receiving that error code sporadically, though. When I hit the store and had the option for selecting the "Free Game", clicked on it, gave the error code again, but then took me to a download screen. Hit download and after a few seconds of blinking, nothing.

Then backed out onto the store and the option for the download wasn't available anymore for the 1st Free game. I get the feeling they're using duct tape and a band-aid to fix a severed limb out there.



Pretty whack, but if anyone gets that same problem where your 1st Free game disappears, here's the workaround:

If this happened, go to the XMB and under the PlayStation Network column, go to Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List>SCEA Promotions to download the game for that first slot.

That's all provided the (80710D36) error doesn't keep jumping up on you.

or...wait for it now..... you don't get the message "An error occurred during the install operation. (80029780)"

Sony has gone from grand, to EPIC.

From Playstation Blog:

UPDATE: Due to high traffic on PlayStation Store, you may encounter error messages or issues. We advise you to check back a little later and try again.

Note: In order to download two games at no cost, you must redeem them from the "Welcome Back" category. The individual titles are still available for purchase outside of the "Welcome Back Program"

If at any point you can't find the 'Welcome Back Free Game 1 or 2' products, the list of available titles or a game you've selected, go to your XMB>PlayStation Network>Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List>SCEA Promotions to complete the process.

Posted by Susan Panico

So, wait, now the servers can't handle the traffic?     Duct tape and band-aids, I tells ya...

UPDATE:

At this point, the experience is a hassle, which apparently was rushed into execution before properly being tested for traffic loads. Finally managed to download LBP late last night, through a batch of errors. Chances are, it's best to wait this process out for a few days and hopefully PSN can learn to properly walk again soon. I don't think this bodes well for Sony, going into E3 with a crippled network and a "Welcome Back Program" that's really turning what's left of their loyal customers off, as witnessed by some of the posts on their blog.

[PSN Blog]

[nCogNeato]

At this point, the experience is a hassle, which apparently was rushed into execution before properly being tested for traffic loads. Finally managed to download LBP late last night, through a batch of errors. Chances are, it's best to wait this process out for a few days and hopefully PSN can learn to properly walk again soon.

That's what I've decided to do.  I'll try again next week.

I don't think this bodes well for Sony, going into E3 with a crippled network and a "Welcome Back Program" that's really turning what's left of their loyal customers off, as witnessed by some of the posts on their blog.

Agreed.

[GamerMan316]

Got my free games (inFamous and Dead Nation) without much of a problem, stupidly slow download times would be the only problem but I didn't encounter any Playstation Store issues!

[nCogNeato]

Got my free games (inFamous and Dead Nation) without much of a problem, stupidly slow download times would be the only problem but I didn't encounter any Playstation Store issues!

Have you had a chance to play Dead Nation yet?  How is it?

[GamerMan316]

Got my free games (inFamous and Dead Nation) without much of a problem, stupidly slow download times would be the only problem but I didn't encounter any Playstation Store issues!

Have you had a chance to play Dead Nation yet?  How is it?

Not tried it yet as my brother still has my pad, I used my blu-ray remote to get the games!   

[nCogNeato]

I'm in.

I decided to go with Wipeout HD (bundle) and Dead Nation.  I already own inFamous and LBP on disc, and the demo for Super Stardust HD didn't blow my skirt up.

I also picked up Killzone: Liberation and LBP Portable for the PSP, just in case I get another PSP (or Vita) in the future.

I'm going to hold off on claiming my free 30 days of PlayStationPlus.  Nothing this week seems very interesting.  I have a feeling they'll be releasing some more quality items after July 3rd, so I'll claim my free 30 days then.   

[CRracer_912]

Mine worked OK.  I went with inFamous and Dead Nation.  Wish I had gotten wipeout HD instead of dead nation (It's just not my type of game)

Since I have plus for 30 days I set my console up to do auto downloads.  I went on yesterday and had received two or three game patches (I believe) and the 3.65 update (which has to be installed manually).

I didn't have any problems getting the free stuff, but I had waited a bit.  My son had trouble getting his email to change his password, it was to be sent to his email account.  I tried mine after his failed attempt, and it let me change mine on the console first try.

I could have cared less about the whole thing, its free, so I wasn't out anything.