<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
(	O
PSN	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
digital	O
media	O
entertainment	O
service	O
provided	O
by	O
Sony	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Launched	O
in	O
November	O
2006	O
,	O
PSN	O
was	O
originally	O
conceived	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
video	O
game	O
consoles	O
,	O
but	O
soon	O
extended	O
to	O
encompass	O
smartphones	O
,	O
tablets	O
,	O
Blu-ray	O
players	O
and	O
high-definition	O
televisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
service	O
is	O
the	O
account	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
,	O
accounts	O
can	O
store	O
games	O
and	O
other	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
's	O
services	O
are	O
dedicated	O
to	O
an	O
online	O
marketplace	O
(	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
premium	O
subscription	O
service	O
for	O
enhanced	O
gaming	O
and	O
social	O
features	O
(	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
)	O
,	O
music	O
streaming	O
(	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Music	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
)	O
and	O
formerly	O
a	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	I-Application
(	O
PlayStation	B-General_Concept
Now	I-General_Concept
;	O
folded	O
into	O
PlayStation	B-General_Concept
Plus	I-General_Concept
Premium	I-General_Concept
in	O
June	O
2022	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Launched	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2000	O
,	O
Sony	O
's	O
second	O
home	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
had	O
rudimentary	O
online	O
features	O
in	O
select	O
games	O
via	O
its	B-Device
online	I-Device
network	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Five	O
years	O
later	O
during	O
the	O
development	O
stage	O
for	O
its	O
third	O
home	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Sony	O
expressed	O
their	O
intent	O
to	O
build	O
upon	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
by	O
creating	O
a	O
new	O
interconnected	O
service	O
that	O
keeps	O
users	O
constantly	O
in	O
touch	O
with	O
a	O
"	O
PlayStation	B-Device
World	O
"	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2006	O
,	O
Sony	O
officially	O
introduced	O
its	O
unified	O
online	O
service	O
,	O
tentatively	O
named	O
"	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
Platform	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Known	O
as	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
provides	O
access	O
to	O
exclusive	O
content	O
,	O
complementary	O
games	O
,	O
regular	O
store	O
discounts	O
,	O
and	O
early	O
access	O
to	O
forthcoming	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
a	O
security	O
intrusion	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
had	O
a	O
temporary	O
suspension	B-Error_Name
of	I-Error_Name
operation	I-Error_Name
which	O
began	O
on	O
April	O
20	O
,	O
2011	O
and	O
affected	O
77	O
million	O
registered	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
Sony	O
launched	O
a	O
"	O
Welcome	O
Back	O
"	O
program	O
following	O
the	O
outage	O
,	O
allowing	O
all	O
PSN	O
subscribers	O
who	O
joined	O
prior	O
to	O
April	O
20	O
to	O
download	O
two	O
free	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
titles	O
and	O
two	O
free	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
also	O
received	O
30	O
free	O
days	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
,	O
while	O
users	O
who	O
were	O
already	O
subscribed	O
before	O
the	O
outage	O
got	O
60	O
free	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
disruption	O
,	O
Sony	O
changed	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
's	O
license	O
agreement	O
to	O
legally	O
bar	O
users	O
from	O
filing	O
lawsuits	O
and	O
joining	O
class	O
action	O
lawsuits	O
without	O
first	O
trying	O
to	O
resolve	O
issues	O
with	O
an	O
arbitrator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
acquisition	O
was	O
later	O
strengthened	O
when	O
Sony	O
acquired	O
the	O
assets	O
of	O
Gaikai	O
's	O
market	O
rival	O
OnLive	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
in	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
that	O
Gaikai	O
's	O
technology	O
would	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
power	O
PlayStation	B-General_Concept
Now	I-General_Concept
;	O
a	O
new	O
cloud-based	O
gaming	O
service	O
that	O
allows	O
people	O
to	O
play	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
on	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
2014	O
,	O
Sony	O
rolled	O
out	O
the	O
service	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
beta	O
form	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
test	O
performance	O
and	O
pricing	O
structures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
25	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
suffered	O
network	O
disruption	O
after	O
a	O
denial-of-service	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
1	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
that	O
users	O
would	O
be	O
compensated	O
for	O
the	O
downtime	O
with	O
a	O
five-day	O
extension	O
to	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
memberships	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Formerly	O
the	O
gaming	O
provision	O
of	O
the	O
much	O
broader	O
Sony	O
Entertainment	O
Network	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
became	O
Sony	O
's	O
premier	O
entertainment	O
service	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
unifying	O
games	O
,	O
music	O
,	O
television	O
and	O
video	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
synonymous	O
with	O
gaming	O
,	O
Sony	O
said	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
had	O
evolved	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
"	O
comprehensive	O
digital	O
entertainment	O
brand	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Signing	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
is	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Online	O
ID	O
is	O
one	O
's	O
username	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Profiles	O
can	O
be	O
viewed	O
via	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
or	O
online	O
through	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
user	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
log	O
into	O
their	O
PSN	O
account	O
using	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
to	O
access	O
and	O
customize	O
their	O
Portable	O
ID	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
then	O
given	O
a	O
unique	O
URL	O
which	O
they	O
can	O
cut	B-General_Concept
&	I-General_Concept
paste	I-General_Concept
to	O
display	O
their	O
ID	O
elsewhere	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
platinum	O
trophy	O
is	O
awarded	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
once	O
they	O
unlock	O
all	O
other	O
trophies	O
in	O
the	O
base	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
;	O
smaller	O
sized	O
games	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
generally	O
do	O
not	O
offer	O
a	O
platinum	O
trophy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
discourage	O
cheating	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
how	O
soon	O
Trophies	O
are	O
awarded	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
requires	O
consoles	O
to	O
maintain	O
an	O
accurate	O
time	O
and	O
date	O
setting	O
before	O
a	O
digitally	O
downloaded	O
game	O
can	O
be	O
started	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
extends	O
to	O
virtually	O
all	O
physically	O
released	O
software	O
for	O
the	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
and	O
certain	O
physical	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
PS5	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Without	O
a	O
connection	O
to	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
,	O
consoles	O
would	O
rely	O
on	O
a	O
CMOS	O
battery	O
to	O
maintain	O
the	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
console	O
is	O
unable	O
to	O
obtain	O
an	O
accurate	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
from	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
due	O
to	O
loss	O
of	O
connectivity	O
and	O
CMOS	O
battery	O
charge	O
combined	O
,	O
games	O
can	O
be	O
rendered	O
unplayable	O
on	O
it	O
,	O
leading	O
critics	O
to	O
decry	O
this	O
anti-cheat	O
system	O
as	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
always-on	O
DRM	O
and	O
a	O
threat	O
to	O
video	O
game	O
preservation	O
upon	O
discovery	O
of	O
this	O
issue	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
C-bomb	O
,	O
several	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
's	O
launch	O
,	O
as	O
Sony	O
was	O
contemplating	O
an	O
equally	O
controversial	O
decision	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store	O
for	O
previously	O
discontinued	O
systems	O
that	O
used	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
Sony	O
resolved	O
the	O
C-bomb	O
issue	O
for	O
the	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
with	O
firmware	O
update	O
9.0.0	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
an	O
inability	O
to	O
obtain	O
an	O
accurate	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
from	O
PSN	O
would	O
only	O
disable	O
time-stamping	O
of	O
Trophies	O
instead	O
of	O
blocking	O
startup	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
later	O
resolved	O
the	O
same	O
issue	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
in	O
November	O
,	O
allowing	O
all	O
physical	O
and	O
digital	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
and	O
PS5	B-Device
games	O
to	O
run	O
without	O
any	O
need	O
for	O
an	O
accurate	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
reading	O
from	O
PSN	O
,	O
except	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
require	O
online	O
verification	O
to	O
access	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
(	O
PS	O
Plus	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
paid	O
tiered	O
subscription	O
service	O
that	O
provides	O
users	O
with	O
access	O
to	O
premium	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
features	O
include	O
access	O
to	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
,	O
exclusive	O
discounts	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
upload	O
up	O
to	O
100	O
GB	O
of	O
saved	O
game	O
files	O
to	O
PlayStation	B-Device
servers	O
,	O
and	O
three	O
games	O
available	O
to	O
download	O
each	O
month	O
at	O
no	O
additional	O
cost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Extra	O
"	O
tier	O
provides	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
Collection	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
wide	O
catalogue	O
of	O
400+	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Extra	O
"	O
tier	O
also	O
unlocks	O
a	O
catalogue	O
of	O
Ubisoft+	B-Application
classics	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Premium	O
"	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Deluxe	O
"	O
)	O
tier	O
adds	O
access	O
to	O
downloadable	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
limited	O
trials	O
of	O
select	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
(	O
in	O
some	O
regions	O
)	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
cloud	B-Application
stream	I-Application
certain	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
all	O
PS	O
Plus	O
tiers	O
have	O
the	O
Game	O
Help	O
feature	O
;	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
exclusive	O
that	O
provides	O
spoiler-free	O
hints	O
and	O
tips	O
while	O
playing	O
supported	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Membership	O
includes	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
rotating	O
selection	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
selection	O
varying	O
based	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Members	O
can	O
keep	O
all	O
games	O
in	O
their	O
library	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
they	O
remain	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
during	O
its	O
next-generation	O
showcase	O
that	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
members	O
who	O
purchase	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
would	O
also	O
get	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
"	O
generation	O
defining	O
"	O
games	O
from	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
collection	O
includes	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
3	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Bloomberg	O
reported	O
that	O
Sony	O
was	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
new	O
subscription	O
service	O
codenamed	O
"	O
Spartacus	O
"	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
merger	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
’s	O
current	O
services	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-General_Concept
Now	I-General_Concept
,	O
with	O
the	O
company	O
reportedly	O
set	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
Plus	O
branding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
reported	O
as	O
including	O
three	O
tiers	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
including	O
all	O
the	O
benefits	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
,	O
the	O
second	O
expanding	O
upon	O
the	O
first	O
by	O
including	O
a	O
catalog	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
titles	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
third	O
expanding	O
upon	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
by	O
including	O
demos	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
catalog	O
of	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bloomberg	O
claimed	O
the	O
service	O
would	O
launch	O
within	O
early	O
2022	O
and	O
compete	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
’s	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
revamped	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
service	O
with	O
a	O
three-tier	O
subscription	O
model	O
was	O
officially	O
confirmed	O
by	O
Sony	O
in	O
March	O
2022	O
as	O
launching	O
in	O
June	O
2022	O
;	O
the	O
new	O
service	O
launched	O
first	O
in	O
Asian	O
territories	O
excluding	O
Japan	O
on	O
May	O
23	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
13	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
June	O
22	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
existing	O
service	O
became	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
Essential	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
Extra	O
additionally	O
gives	O
the	O
user	O
access	O
up	O
to	O
400	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
and	O
PS5	B-Device
games	O
as	O
downloadable	O
and	O
streamable	O
titles	O
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-General_Concept
Plus	I-General_Concept
Premium	I-General_Concept
further	O
adds	O
access	O
to	O
streaming	O
of	O
up	O
to	O
340	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
PS3	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
and	O
download	O
of	O
all	O
but	O
the	B-Operating_System
PS3	I-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
markets	O
without	O
cloud	O
streaming	O
,	O
Sony	O
offers	O
an	O
alternate	O
version	O
of	O
Premium	O
called	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
Deluxe	O
that	O
includes	O
the	O
benefits	O
of	O
Premium	O
at	O
a	O
discounted	O
rate	O
without	O
cloud	O
streaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store	O
is	O
a	O
digital	O
media	O
shop	O
that	O
offers	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
both	O
for	O
purchase	O
and	O
available	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
full	O
games	O
,	O
free-to-play	B-Device
games	O
,	O
add-ons	O
,	O
demos	O
,	O
music	O
,	O
movies	O
and	O
background	O
themes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
Cards	O
are	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
electronic	O
money	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store.PlayStation	O
Network	O
cards	O
,	O
playstation.com	O
Each	O
card	O
contains	O
an	O
alphanumeric	O
code	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
entered	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
to	O
deposit	O
credit	O
in	O
a	O
virtual	O
wallet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
devised	O
the	O
payment	O
method	O
for	O
people	O
without	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
credit	O
card	O
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
owners	O
who	O
would	O
like	O
to	O
send	O
or	O
receive	O
such	O
cards	O
as	O
gifts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
Sony	O
introduced	O
a	O
cross-buy	O
initiative	O
whereby	O
a	O
game	O
available	O
for	O
multiple	O
PlayStation	B-Device
devices	O
need	O
only	O
be	O
purchased	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
download	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
can	O
transfer	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
or	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
at	O
no	O
extra	O
cost	O
,	O
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initiative	O
was	O
later	O
extended	O
to	O
include	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Blog	O
is	O
an	O
online	O
PlayStation	B-Device
focused	O
gaming	O
blog	O
which	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
in	O
the	O
spring	O
of	O
2015	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
began	O
to	O
produce	O
and	O
distribute	O
their	O
own	O
original	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Sony	O
was	O
launching	O
the	O
Emerging	O
Filmmakers	O
Program	O
where	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
public	O
can	O
submit	O
pitches	O
for	O
potential	O
television	O
series	O
to	O
be	O
aired	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Submissions	O
were	O
due	O
on	O
August	O
1	O
,	O
2017	O
and	O
five	O
of	O
the	O
ideas	O
would	O
be	O
turned	O
into	O
pilot	O
episodes	O
that	O
will	O
be	O
voted	O
on	O
by	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
community	O
.	O
</s>
