Most long-standing PlayStation Network users should have taken advantage of Sony's Welcome Back offer. If you haven't, two free games and a month of PlayStation Plus (plus another two games for your PSP) are yours for the taking at the PlayStation Store.
Your free month of PlayStation Plus gives you cool things. The opportunity to play the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta early with a PlayStationPlus subscription is almost a fair exchange for Sony giving away PlayStationNetwork users' personal data to naughty internet thieves. I say, almost.
Sony have realised that a few old games and a month of PlayStationPlus doesn't actually cover their security faux pas. To further make amends, our friends at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe are about to shower us with more ‘gifts'.
Users of PlayStation 3's perpetually beta PlayStation Home will have some new stuff and some new threads to wear whilst spontaneously dancing and stalking ‘girl' avatars. Sony is offering the PlayStation HomeWelcome Back Content free to download from June 30 to July 28. Lucky PS3punters will be able to enjoy:
- An anime Style Apartment
- Anime themed clothing and furniture sets
- The Paris Modern Office furniture set
- nDreams Big Bash party bundle
- nDreams Fantasy Fashion and Funkster costumes
- The Aurora OrbRunner Booster Bundle
- A cuddly Stitchkins Bunny Toy from Lockwood
- A Midway Green ticket (50 plays)
- Some Cardboard Cartel Furniture from Codeglue
- A Fortune Cookie active item
- A selection of Tops, Shirts, Skirts, High-top trainers and glasses
- Go Fish – a new, free-to-play fishing game based in the Shopping Centre
With the exception of Go Fish, all the content, valued at€85/£65 (NZ$125), will be available from Home Square.
If your Home apartment's furnishings are limited to no more than a bubble blower and a sofa, the above will go some way to making it look a little more homely. I've you haven't visited Home for a while things have changed quite a bit since it was launched in 2008. This is a perfect opportunity to take another look.
Sony have given us all a great reason to spend the weekend playing virtual dress-up, arranging virtual furniture in our new anime virtual apartments as well as the usual spontaneous virtual dancing and virtual stalking of the ‘girl' avatars in Home Square. For more details check out the official PlayStation blog here.