Sooner Than Expected: PSN Begins Phased Restoration

Well, it's been almost a month, but Sony has finally begun their "phased restoration" of the PlayStation Network. For those of us in the States and Canada, odds are your service is already up and running. 

In a video addressed to Qriocity and PSN uders affected by the attack, Sony Computer Entertaint president Kazuo Hirai details a bit about what the first phase has restored:

• PlayStation Network and Qriocity sign in
• Restoration of online game play across PS3 and PSP
• Enabled third party services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.tv, etc.
• Access to PlayStation Home
• Access to 'Friends' category, including Friends lists, chat, and trophy comparison
• Restoration of Sony Online Entertainment games

Upon your initial log in, you'll be prompted to change your password, which you must do. Also, PSN Store has yet to be activated, so for those of you hoping you'd be able to buy the latest downloadable game or content, you'll have to wait for a later phase. 

Kaz attempts to soothe PSN users by detailing the security upgrades Sony has put into place to prevent an issue like this from arising again: increased encryption, added firewalls, and some other security services that most big corporations should already have in place. Welcome to the party, PlayStation. 

The 'Welcome Back' program - see: free compensatory shit - has yet to be detailed, but more information will be released in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Head over the PlayStation.Blog for the full rundown, as well as Hirai-san looking cool, calm, and sharp in his expensive suit sans tie, to give the impression he's been hard at work.