After all the commotion surrounding the PlayStation 4's weekend launch overseas, we're in the middle of the work week. The PlayStation 4 is available here, there, and everywhere, meaning we can get back to normal, right? Think again, as problems with the PlayStation Network are still ongoing. But, maybe, just maybe, things will be under control in the next day or two.
A new update on the PlayStation Blog confirms that many of the features that were removed to help ease strain on the PSN are slowly but surely being restored, and the service should be back to normal soon enough.
Looking at the updates, the availability of voucher redemptions were increased yesterday, and the "What's New" feature is now live.
According to GameReactor, a PSN customer support staffer said that "the issues being experienced by gamers are 'widespread and random', and Sony are hoping to have the service up and running at full strength within the next 24-48 hours."
The site also reported some temporary solutions for connection issues, such as "opening certain ports on your wireless router (10070 - 10080) and using a wired ethernet connection to boost the stability of your signal," but the results seem to be mixed.
Sony had initially disabled certain certain PSN features to keep the servers from crashing entirely during the console's U.K. and European release over the weekend.
At the time, Sony issued the following statement via Twitter and the PlayStation Blog:
"We are aware that users are experiencing some disruption to the PSN service. To minimise the inconvenience we have suspended the 'redeem voucher' functionality whilst we investigate further. Unfortunately this means that money cards, product vouchers, PlayStation Plus vouchers, PS3-PS4 upgrade vouchers and any other vouchers for digital content are not redeemable at this stage. Other PSN features such as log-in, online multi-player gaming, PlayStation Plus trial, PS Store (excluding voucher redemption), trophies, messages, friends etc. are all available. We apologise and will provide an update to this announcement soon."
Since becoming available overseas, Sony has revealed that the total sales figures for the next-gen console (as of December 1) come in at 2.1 million consoles sold worldwide since the console first launched in North America on November 15, over a million of which came from the first 24 hours.
Sony Computer Entertainment President and Group CEO Andrew House announced the figure with a post on the European PS Blog, writing, "with PS4′s global launch expanding to a total of 32 countries worldwide, including Europe and Latin America, I'm proud to announce that more than 2.1 million PS4s have been sold."
"It's an impressive and record-setting accomplishment for our company and for our industry, and we couldn't have done it without you. I want to personally thank PlayStation fans, both old and new, for your vote of confidence. The best part: the PS4 journey has just begun. In addition to an incredible line-up of PS4 games from the best developers in the world, we will continue to introduce valuable new features and services to PS4 in the months and years ahead."
Another 700,000 sales came from Europe and Australasia within the first two days of availability in that region, and more than 250,000 sold in the U.K. in the first 48 hours, making £87 million. That would make the PS4 the fastest selling console in the U.K. according to MCV, outperforming the PSP record set back in 2006.
House continued, saying that the "PS4 delivered the best launch in PlayStation history," while claiming that "demand remains incredibly strong and continues to overwhelm the supply worldwide."
Under the hood, the PlayStation 4 boasts Supercharged PC architecture, X86 CPU, Enhanced PC GPU, and 8GB Unified Memory according to the official specs.
It supports the same PlayStation Plus service as the Vita and PlayStation 3. However, a Plus subscription is required for online multiplayer games, but not for additional media services like Netflix. Sony has also updated the Dual Shock controllers with a touch screen and improved shoulder triggers, and bundles the console with a headset.
Available titles for the system include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag,Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Madden NFL 25,NBA 2K14, Need for Speed: Rivals, and more. You can check out a complete list of launch titles' prices and install sizes here. It currently retails for $399, and a PS4-PS Vita bundle package was also recently announced.
Be sure to keep checking back with Gamenguide for more of the latest updates.
