PSN Store down today for 'scheduled maintenance'
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Apr 14th 2008 at 12:00PM }
All of this, of course, is in preparation for the new PSN Store going live tomorrow. We do not believe this behind-the-scenes updating will affect other PSN features such as chat or games, but if something does go wrong -- well, this will probably be the reason.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Gallery: PlayStation Store Update Spring '08
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brian @ Apr 14th 2008 12:08PM
Now if someone can only find out what the "suprise" is they promised with the reopening.
xboxhater @ Apr 14th 2008 12:36PM
If you are referring to this
"Check back here on the PS Blog next Monday, April 14th 2008, as we have a very special surprise in store for you! See you next Monday!"
it was posted by Brandon Laurino of Konami Online
Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 14th 2008 1:01PM
MGS4 surprise playable demo?
Matt B @ Apr 14th 2008 1:33PM
...or the Assassin's Solid playable demo.
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 12:14PM
Well here's hoping the hoopla is worth the time. The PSN store is functional, not great, but functional. So I'm hoping that more is coming than the store redesign.
We'll see tomorrow.
seefresh @ Jun 25th 2008 8:11AM
What is wrong with a functional store?
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 12:33PM
"What is wrong with a functional store?"
Nothing, the store does what it supposed to do. I've never had a problem purchasing or downloading from the PSN store. Yet it doesn't have to be broken or unusable to need a lot of improvement.
The site organization, speed, and design are not really all that great in a PC browser window let alone a console. And as the PSN actually grows to a sizable service the problems only became worse. This new design seems to improve organization, but I'd rather the store front be an application rather than a webpage loaded into the default PS3 browser.
Kodros @ Apr 14th 2008 2:00PM
"This new design seems to improve organization, but I'd rather the store front be an application rather than a webpage loaded into the default PS3 browser."
The new PSN Store is an application =)
PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Apr 14th 2008 2:16PM
yea i believe it is an application, that's why its coming through a new firmware upgrade and not just the site maintenance. heres hoping my internet isnt being a douche tonight like it has been lately so i can try this new store out.
Tiptup300 @ Apr 14th 2008 3:15PM
The new PSN Store is not ran in a web-browser.
whymog @ Apr 14th 2008 12:16PM
This is a much better-looking design than the Xbox Live Marketplace. Bigger text boxes mean no waiting for slow-scrolling descriptions, more information is displayed in the same amount of space...it's nice. I hope Microsoft takes note.
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 12:22PM
Better looking? Perhaps. While I've heard that it's more than HTML rearranged, it'll have to behave better than a prettier web page to be an improvement.
I'd be interested to hear what negatives 360 owners might say about the XBL store. What should a redesign improve there?
whymog @ Apr 14th 2008 12:28PM
Browsing the store is a pain as only maybe five or six items can be viewed at any time, and every list is just a vertical scrolling sequence of buttons. Loading times between pages can last between a couple seconds and closer to ten at the worst, and when the store is being flaky (which is often) data will take upwards of a minute to load, if it does at all.
Basically, I think accessibility and stability are both lacking for the XBL Marketplace. Bear in mind that I've never use the PSN Store, so I'm not comparing performance between the two - just visuals based on these images.
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 12:40PM
"I've never use the PSN Store"
Ditto for me and the XBL store. It sounds like the XBL store has a slight leg up right now in organization, as the PSN has horizontal paging. The lag between scrolling is the same; you'd think they'd be able to spin a process in the background to load the next pages.
I mean what is a user naturally going to do with new content? They'll browse through at least the summary pages.
gregory mitchell @ Apr 14th 2008 1:05PM
you are an idiot my friend. xbl seems more complex to most because there is sooo much in there. PSN on the other is bone dry. and studid shit opening a description only to be sent to the store front when you try to go back is very annoying.
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 1:13PM
"and studid shit opening a description only to be sent to the store front"
Do you suffer from Tourette Syndrome or did you intend to post that "sentence"? I mean, shit opens canned beta offer puke shuttle?
gregory mitchell @ Apr 14th 2008 1:18PM
I Also have another point why when you PS3er's get something you ALWAYS have to mention 360....what a bunch of gossiping bitches. get what you get enjoy it and be happy. You are always the 1st to start making comparisons, when IN CURRENT STATE(not that coming soon bullshit or "this is our year" rhetoric) I mean RIGHT NOW 4/14/08 PS3 is the one that is lacking in major areas. online is there but content is seriously lacking. Games are also lacking yea we know "they're coming" again im talking about right now. I have 80gb Im impressed because i feel i got my moneys worth but at the end of the day PS3 hasnt done anything in my living room that 360 hasnt done either. most of the comparisons you guys make are bullshit you're always leaving shit out. i think that its funny that most of you broke ass bitches only have the 20-40gb anyways no wonder you alway crying about free services.
whymog @ Apr 14th 2008 1:22PM
Did Phil Harrison take a shit all over your breakfast? I can't believe how militant some people get about videogames. Chill the fuck out, gregory.
Tiptup300 @ Apr 14th 2008 9:13PM
greg, you give microsoft whores a bad name!
Sidebuster @ Apr 14th 2008 12:17PM
looks like the same layout with bezel and similar effects. I hope the way it's layered is better than the last one. (you know Home page --> games -->various game options --> etc..)
gcountach @ Apr 14th 2008 12:25PM
From what I've seen lately, it'd be more surprising to see a headline about the Store having scheduled up-time.
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 12:44PM
Dunno, I only check on update Thursdays, but the store has always functioned for me then.
Tranando @ Apr 14th 2008 1:16PM
It's only the paid-for 360 store that has the poor uptime. PSN is extrement reliable so far...
PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Apr 14th 2008 2:28PM
yea the PSN has never been down that i know of except for the scheduled maintenance today. now they havent updated in two weeks but it hasnt been down. you could still go to the store and download stuff and play games, it just wasnt any new stuff on there. what downtime are you talking about?
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Apr 14th 2008 1:32PM
"what a bunch of gossiping bitches."
Define: Blog - Short for "Web log," a specialized site that allows an individual or group of individuals to share a running log of events and personal insights with online audiences. Certain users are also, apparently, known as "gossiping bitches".
"when you PS3er's get something you ALWAYS have to mention 360"
That might be because the 360 is the direct competitor for HD gaming and XBL is currently the market leader in online services. Making comparisons is natural. Anyway, might I note that in this reasonable dialog between a 360 owner and a PS3 owner, you're the one being a dick. Guess owning both consoles hasn't taught you to be polite.
Crazy 88 @ Apr 14th 2008 1:39PM
Does anyone know (from logging onto your ps3) if the down time has affected online gaming or just the store? I was hoping to get a little Warhawk action in this evening.
Thanks
PojoMofo @ Apr 14th 2008 3:19PM
played COD4 this morning and worked just fine, and AFAIK it is only supposed to affect the store, not PSN as a whole.
whistlepig @ Apr 14th 2008 2:30PM
the big surprise is the portal song you can download for free till the end of times .
Deaddy @ Apr 14th 2008 3:07PM
I've been reading some blogs/forums today and it seems that when people mention "the surprise" the automatic answer is "it was just that konami guy's post, not related to the store relaunch." Well I distinctly recall when Sony announced 2 weeks ago that updates would be postponed until the relaunch they said that there would be a special surprise to go along with the new store in mid-april. I was checking out the official Sony blog and the Sony employees who write those updates were either clueless about this or playing dumb. I hope there is something special as opposed to them just sweeping it under the rug. Also, there was supposed to be a firmware update paired up with the store launch, right?
mkernan @ Apr 15th 2008 12:43AM
downloading firmware now.