PlayStation 'Welcome Back' rewards available

Sony has made its free Welcome Back downloads available, and described how to grab your games. Some users, however, are reporting connection problems due to the rush of eager downloads.

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The PlayStation Network has been back for a full day now, but for the wounds so deep that only free stuff can mend them, Sony has now implemented its Welcome Back program.

As previously reported, you can pick two PS3 games from a list of five (Infamous, Dead Nation, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, and Wipeout HD), plus two PSP games from a list of four (LittleBigPlanet PSP, ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force, and Killzone Liberation).

The free games will be offered through July 3, but as long as you claim them before that, they'll be yours to keep. To claim them, go to the Welcome Back section. You'll pick one game from the section marked "Game 1," then go back and select another from the section marked "Game 2." If you own both a PS3 and PSP, you get four games out of the deal.

Plus subscriptions have been added or extended, 30 days going to non-Plus members and an extra 60 days going to current Plus members. A selection of movie rentals will be available over the weekend as well, and Music Unlimited subscribers have had an extra 30 days of premium service added to their accounts. Sony also promises that publishing dates on missed content will be coming soon.

You might want to wait a little while to start claiming your free stuff, though. Various users are complaining of errors accessing the Store, apparently due to the deluge of users rushing to grab their free content. Among those who have made it in, some are getting connection interruptions mid-transaction. There are mixed reports of a workaround for lost games through the Account Management listing, and Sony is sure to get any problems sorted out. At the same time, it doesn't hurt to have a little patience.

Editor-In-Chief
From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 3, 2011 11:30 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, PlayStation 'Welcome Back' rewards available.

    Sony has made its free Welcome Back downloads available, and described how to grab your games. Some users, however, are reporting connection problems due to the rush of eager downloads.

    • reply
      June 3, 2011 11:36 AM

      woo, something to look forward to after an expensive May

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        June 3, 2011 11:36 AM

        oh and Plus for 30 days? neat!

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          June 3, 2011 12:06 PM

          Stacking is probably the best free game of the welcome back promotion!

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            June 3, 2011 12:43 PM

            I don't see Stacking listed?

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              June 3, 2011 12:47 PM

              It's one of the games you can play for free with an active PSN+ subscription I think?

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                June 3, 2011 2:55 PM

                That offer was only available for a few weeks (or a month maybe). Can't get it for free anymore. :(

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                  June 3, 2011 3:17 PM

                  Oh I thought all the games that they were announcing for PSN+ were available for as long as your sub was active. I didn't realize that they actually rotated stuff out every month. That's too bad.

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      June 3, 2011 11:37 AM

      Has anyone checked out what the "On Us" movie rentals are? Apparently that's for just this weekend only. Would love to know the full list.

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      June 3, 2011 11:53 AM

      Can't even get into PSN Store. Overloaded!

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        June 3, 2011 12:18 PM

        Sony is doomed.

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        June 3, 2011 2:08 PM

        This probably should have been released pretty late, like 2am. Traffic is terrible right now.

    • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      June 3, 2011 11:55 AM

      I guess it's still overloaded or something. I get the ambiguous, "An error has occurred" when trying to log into the PSN Store.

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      June 3, 2011 12:01 PM

      Already have Infamous and Little Big Planet. Out of Dead Nation, Super Stardust HD, and Wipeout HD, which one should I NOT get?

      • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        June 3, 2011 12:22 PM

        Wipeout HD (cue haiku telling me I'm wrong)

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          June 3, 2011 12:42 PM

          wtf, no need for haiku to tell how wrong you are

          • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            June 3, 2011 1:01 PM

            Of those three games (all of which I own), I most regret Wipeout HD.

            SSDHD is fricking awesome, and Dead Nation is a decent game that becomes amazing in multiplayer.

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              June 4, 2011 5:35 AM

              I don't understand this at all. Wideout HD is amazing!

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        June 3, 2011 12:45 PM

        did you have an account before they took psn down? I don't think they are giving games away to people who didn't.

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      June 3, 2011 12:27 PM

      stupid thing error'd on me and I lost the ability to download my 1st game. What the fuck!

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        June 3, 2011 12:52 PM

        Same thing happened to me. I got the 2nd game no problem though and will chill as I'm sure many folks had the same issue.

        "Welcome Back!" indeed.. >:|

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          June 3, 2011 2:41 PM

          Actually, I found out a way to check. IT's pretty lame though. It picked Wipeout for me. Go to Account management > Transaction Management > Services List > SCEA Promotions.

    • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      June 3, 2011 12:36 PM

      I wish they had just done a store credit (even if it was less than the combined dollar value).

      The only games I can pick from the PS3 list, I've already finished/beaten. Friend of mine already owns them all. So we're sort of being penalized for being loyal Sony customers.

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        June 3, 2011 12:55 PM

        Yeah that's a huge kick in the balls from Sony. The idiots couldn't even get their "we're sorry" right.

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        June 3, 2011 2:58 PM

        Sounds like you got to play those games for free already so I don't see how you can complain. Me OTOH, I bought every single one of the "free" games. FML

        • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          June 3, 2011 3:08 PM

          I did not get them "for free"

          But I disliked LBP, so I no longer have it, and having beaten Infamous I have no desire to replay it. So I no longer possess them.

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            June 3, 2011 3:20 PM

            Sorry, thought you were inferring that you gameshared 'em.

            I wonder if I can use my Euro and Japan PSN accounts to get the free games offered in those regions. They might have something I haven't already purchased.

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      June 3, 2011 12:45 PM

      If I haven't played any of these games what's my best bet?

      • reply
        June 3, 2011 12:52 PM

        [deleted]

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        June 3, 2011 12:54 PM

        [deleted]

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          June 3, 2011 12:57 PM

          I think I'll do the same. I know LBP got great reviews but after playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 recently I don't think it'd compare.

          • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            June 3, 2011 1:03 PM

            Why would it compare? They're completely different games.

            Also, LBP wasn't much fun for me. I played it SP and 4 player and the floaty controls bugged the hell out of me the whole time. And the gameplay just felt hollow. But it is a popular game so YMMV.

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      June 3, 2011 12:53 PM

      I'll pass... I dont want my information hacked again :) (sony attacks are still on-going)

      • reply
        June 3, 2011 12:55 PM

        oh fuck off.

        • reply
          June 3, 2011 12:58 PM

          To elaborate. These games are free and don't require you to input any kind of CC information. So what exactly is there to be afraid about?

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        June 3, 2011 12:55 PM

        I feel like giving my CC/info to Sony would be like eating at a restaurant that just got nailed by the health inspector. Sure they probably fixed things up, but I'd prefer to eat some place else.

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          June 3, 2011 1:01 PM

          [deleted]

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            June 3, 2011 1:04 PM

            Yes except after the way they treated my brother then the damn card was defective I'll pass. I'd rather just, you know, live without it. Nothing on the PSN I need anyway

        • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          June 3, 2011 1:04 PM

          Protip: they still have your CC info. It's still there.

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            June 3, 2011 1:17 PM

            What if you changed your CC? Any protips?

            • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              June 3, 2011 2:27 PM

              You'll probably have to give them the new one. Or just buy some P$N cards.

          • reply
            June 3, 2011 1:24 PM

            I'm aware, doesn't mean I'm going to keep plugging it in.

      • reply
        June 3, 2011 12:55 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 3, 2011 12:56 PM

        lololol

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        June 3, 2011 12:59 PM

        Wait what info do you have to give them to get these games?

        • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          June 3, 2011 1:05 PM

          You pay for the games (full retail MSRP) and they'll mail you a check for the refund.

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        June 3, 2011 1:05 PM

        people are so dumb. your "information" was likely never "hacked" to begin with, the games are free and since you already have or had a PSN account, you shouldn't have to provide any more information to access the store than you already have.

        i am guessing though that you don't have a PSN account, or even a PS3 at all, you just made a shit post to be funny. you fail.

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          June 3, 2011 1:18 PM

          i thought it was confirmed that they stole your password for PSN, email address as well as name, address, secret questions and answers... everything but your CC#

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            June 3, 2011 1:28 PM

            Oh they didn't get the CC#'s? I thought they got that too.

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              June 3, 2011 1:34 PM

              I thought they got the CC database as well, but it was supposedly encrypted.

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                June 3, 2011 1:39 PM

                All I know is that I had my CC changed when this went down so I wouldn't have to worry about it and I'm in no hurry to give my new one to Sony again. If I have to do that to get these games then I won't be getting these games.

                Honestly I might feel different if it wasn't for this latest attack on Sony Pictures. They had ages since the original PS3 hack to make Sony Pictures secure. I don't trust them with any of my personal info any more.

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              June 3, 2011 1:36 PM

              [deleted]

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              June 3, 2011 3:07 PM

              Encrypted CC info was exposed. Whether or not it was "accessed" was never confirmed as far as I know.

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          June 3, 2011 2:36 PM

          Do you research bro

        • reply
          June 4, 2011 5:05 AM

          See how wrong you are?

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      June 3, 2011 1:07 PM

      I would definitely wait a couple days. I was able to get into the store without a problem, and got into the Welcome Back tab. Once there i tried downloading the PS3 free game 1, and got my error. Now that game choice is completely gone, and i am worried i just got screwed out of my game.
      PS, when trying to go to the playstation official forums to try to get support, i found out the site is down as well......

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        June 3, 2011 1:15 PM

        Agreed.

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        June 3, 2011 1:15 PM

        LOL --- there's a workaround, and it's been posted above, and in the comments on the PSN blog notice that shack article links to.

        Read more, cry less bitte.

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          June 3, 2011 1:18 PM

          Seriously? god fan boys are sad....

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            June 3, 2011 1:33 PM

            Perhaps you should troll more. You cried foul, and it's been posted several times how get around the foulness you're crying about. That's not being a fanboi or an apologist, that's how you get shit done. Instead you want to sit back and wait till it's more "convenient" for you to not have to "worry" over free shit that Sony doesn't have to give you. When in fact the only thing that you risk by sitting back, is forgetting to claim your free shit.

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              June 3, 2011 1:38 PM

              Or, its having the PS service completely gone for weeks, and then limited for about 6 weeks, just to see sony botch it up again once they finally bring it back. Did they seriously think a fair amount of their users wouldnt take advantage of their offer the first day?
              And like i said, even their web site is down....so IMO that does deserve a bitch post and a heads up to others who would have the same problem.
              Either way, obviously we have different opinions and i am just going to leave it at that. so go troll someone else.

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              June 3, 2011 1:54 PM

              Dude, fucking relax...

            • reply
              June 3, 2011 2:30 PM

              [deleted]

              • reply
                June 3, 2011 2:38 PM

                Unfortunately the biggest mistake made here was commenting on a FPA.

                • reply
                  June 3, 2011 3:39 PM

                  You seem to be fitting in fine honestly.

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        June 3, 2011 1:17 PM

        If this happens to anyone else, go to Account Management, then choose the Services option towards the bottom. From there click "SCEA Promotion..." and it should say Eligibility 1, and bring you back to the store to select your game.
        Keep in mind, you will need to keep retrying every time you get an error. (or wait a few days, and it should still be available)

        • reply
          June 3, 2011 1:28 PM

          Hey this worked, thanks for the tip!

      • reply
        June 4, 2011 1:10 AM

        Same thing just happened on my PSP.

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      June 3, 2011 1:13 PM

      It's dishing out tons of errors. Needs more fixing.

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      June 3, 2011 1:22 PM

      Well, once again, the PSN Store is unresponsive. Damn Sony! If you brag about having 77M users, you might want to add a few servers to handle the load...

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        June 3, 2011 1:26 PM

        more like 40M physical ps3's, 77M is accounts. Anyway yeah if your transaction gets screwed, for example the download game 1 options disappears... "Make sure to complete the download of each title all the way otherwise you’ll have to go into account management>transaction management>services list>SCEA Promotions to download the games. "

        So far i haven't tried it but i did see game 1 and game 2 option, didn't try it because game 1 was still being downloaded.

        • reply
          June 3, 2011 3:54 PM

          h mate, I thaught they had already screwed e out of my free stuff since I have that EXACT pb.

          • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            June 3, 2011 5:57 PM

            What's wrong with your keyboard, man?

        • reply
          June 3, 2011 3:54 PM

          h mate, I thaught they had already screwed e out of my free stuff since I have that EXACT pb.

    • reply
      June 3, 2011 1:38 PM

      PlayStation Home is giving away more than 100 virtual items as a part of the Welcome Back program. Go to the store kiosk in Central Plaza to check them out. Make sure to check out the Hellfire Games section in there- I'm giving away the three items in that category!

    • reply
      June 3, 2011 1:54 PM

      Why the hell did they make the cut off April 20th. Those of use who bought systems after that date were still affected (if not more affected). I convinced my wife that I could buy a system, based on the fact that she could use the hulu + feature. Even when the rest of the online system went up, I could not use hulu+ because I could not download the app. Furthermore I had saved up enough money to buy one game... Mass Effect 2. And because the freaking interactive comic was tied to the PSN store, I could not start the one game I had the money to buy. Even when the rest of the network went up, I spent the two weeks before the store went up running around Play station home like an jerk.

      This decision is wholly baffling to me. If they made the cutoff when all features went live instead of when they all went down, the extra money they would pay out (the people who bought systems in the month it was down) would be a tiny fraction of there overall loss (the total number of PSN accounts). Even if a few people bought systems in order to take advantage of the welcome back program, this would do nothing but offset the sales lost to those who decided not to buy the system because it the online was down.

      Those of use who bought systems after the system went down fall basically into two categories. 1) those who do not follow gaming press closely, or 2) those (like me) who trusted that Sony would do right by their customer base when everyone else was craping on them. I bought my system at the end of April because I had literally saved up for it for 3 years. I am talking pennies in a jar style. I am not a big online guy, and I figured I could spend the next month playing a great single player experience. Huge mistake.

      Way to kick a loyal customer in the nuts Sony

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        June 3, 2011 3:05 PM

        I agree with you.

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        June 3, 2011 3:40 PM

        Wow, shitty predicament. I agree - when "making things right" a company needs to consider all their stakeholders. In this case, they're basically saying fuck you to the new folks.

        Welcome to Playstation.

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        June 4, 2011 5:16 AM

        Jesus, here too? Joystiq wasn't enough for you to bitch?

        If you had an account before that date, your data was at risk; if you bought a PS3 after that, it wasn't. So I'm not terribly sympathetic, especially since you were aware the network was down when you bought a PS3.

    • reply
      June 3, 2011 2:03 PM

      [deleted]

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      June 3, 2011 2:04 PM

      "An Error Has Occurred"

      I don't think they really tested this before they launched it.

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        June 3, 2011 2:13 PM

        I'm guessing this was rushed to get it out of the way in time for E3 announcements and PR.

      • reply
        June 4, 2011 12:43 AM

        Same. And bonus Japanese error text.

    • reply
      June 3, 2011 2:07 PM

      [deleted]

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      June 3, 2011 2:14 PM

      If my wife and I each have an account on a PS3, does each account get 2 game downloads? And would each account be able to play all the games? I'm wondering if I'd get locked out of the games I downloaded using her account.

      • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        June 3, 2011 2:28 PM

        The PS3 is very lenient on activations. I think you'll be fine.

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      June 3, 2011 3:40 PM

      I take it that this will only work on people that had PSN account before all this horseshit went down right?

    • reply
      June 4, 2011 12:39 AM

      Maybe I am a dick for trying this, but if you have accounts from different territories, say one in the US, one in Europe, and one in Japan, it appears that you can get welcome back rewards on each of them.

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        June 4, 2011 1:11 AM

        Awesome! My HAPPY JAPAN MAN account gets happy freebies!

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        June 4, 2011 2:33 AM

        My false US account got offered identity fraud protection. My real EU one didn't.

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          June 4, 2011 4:35 AM

          Haha. Get identity protection on a stolen identity.

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      June 4, 2011 12:52 AM

      So, what's the quickest way to get the games onto my PSP? Can I download them to the PS3 and transfer or is it just as fast to just download to the PSP?

    • reply
      June 5, 2011 11:45 AM

      The movie choices are pretty weak. There's only 3, and they're all about 5years old =/

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