Some problems I have with Sony

I am a proud Playstation fan. I own a PS1, PS2, PS3, and 2 versions of a PSP. Been gaming on Playstation consoles for a long time and am pretty satisfied with my experiences for the most part. However, there are some things that Sony does that really frustrate me.

Omitting moments where it is crucial to have the most accurate and up to date information possible; my first problem is with Sony notifying PS users of things like maintenance schedules and the like. Oftentimes when Sony is going to do maintenance, the ONLY way to know about it is through the blog or on sites like this one. Sony SHOULD be notifying users through their PSN accounts and emails, but I have yet to ever receive such notification. One user here stated that Sony do not send messages to PSN accounts because it would be impossible to tell if it was an official Sony message or some spammer/hacker trying to work one over on you. But I say that, considering Sony has complete control over PSN, they could easily implement a way to let people know if they are sending an official message. It's incredibly frustrating to try and do something on PSN, only to be met with vague error codes or a message stating the service is under maintenance AFTER you tried doing something.

That brings me to my next point. Sony should be training its support staff to know what the frickin' error codes are all about. 80% of the time, Sony customer service don't even know what the error codes mean, nor do they acknowledge there is even a problem. For example, error code 80010514. That code means the Blu-Ray diode is done and you need a new one. But the only way to find that out is through the forums, not through official Sony channels because they don't know anything or don't acknowledge the problem. You'd think since it's their system, Sony should know about the error codes since they programmed the codes into the system to begin with. Sony needs to have better communication within the company so as to facilitate the resolution of consumer issues more quickly and efficiently.

My next problem with them is their sloth like speed at fixing their PSN site on the internet, if they are even bothering to fix it at all. There is an Account Management site where you can make PSN account changes on your PC without needing to use your PS3 or PSP. Changes such as adding funds, changing Billing information, that kind of thing. But ever since the PSN hack of April, that site has been down with a message saying the servers are down for maintenance. It's been almost 5 months. How long does it take to do whatever the hell they are doing with those servers?

My final issue with Sony is their lack of support for WPA2 on the PSP. I'm not sure about the PSP Go, but both of my PSP's do not support my security settings for my wireless network, thus I can't connect to my own internet connection because it uses a WPA2 AES security function. So even if I have a problem with PSN on my PS3, I can't fix it on PC because the site is down and I can't fix it on PSP because I can't connect thanks to the use of a wireless b card in my version of the PSP.

Like I said, I love the Playstation brand and applaud Sony for the monumental "right" moves they made with the brand. But some of the wrong moves they've made are VERY frustrating to solve on your own, and a waste of time to try and solve through customer service. I think that Kaz needs to light a fire underneath his employees to get these problems resolved quickly, but I doubt that will happen any time soon.

[iamnsuperman]

"But the only way to find that out is through the forums, not through official Sony channels because they don't know anything or don't acknowledge the problem"

http://faq.en.playstation.c... That should help a lot. It was in the support section

[DragonKnight]

Thanks for the link, but I when I looked for the code that I provided in this blog, the description was dead wrong. That code has nothing to do with the disks and everything to do with the Blu-Ray diode. I already had on PS3 with that exact problem, so I have experience with it.

Also, error code 80023120 is one I get now when trying to add funds to my account. The forums say it has to do with the adding funds aspect of PSN, while Sony's official answer is that you can't connect to the network. Seeing as how I can play online with no problem, I'm inclined to go with the forum users instead of Sony. I appreciate your help, but Sony needs to do A LOT of research into their own problems and update their Knowledge Base accordingly. Still, +Bubs for being helpful.

[gamingdroid]

This is why I don't think PS3 user experience is equivalent to the Xbox 360. It's about the ease of use and Sony is still far behind MS in this regard.

Implementing user friendly features. MS still got a long way to go (and Metro UI is one step in the right direction), but Sony is still stuck with error codes and lack of notification....

Apple is the only one that seem to get this from the very start.

[SilentNegotiator]

Sweet. +1 Helpful
This will help a lot when the unfortunate does happen.

I gotta say, this isn't at all what I was expecting out of a blog complaining about Sony. I was expecting a mad rant about Credit Card data being "stolen" (in useless encrypted form), Sony demolishing your "constitutional rights" by not giving you access to PSN if you're suing them, etc. It's nice to see some legitimate complaints about legitimate issues for once.

Early warning via PSN for maintenance would be great.

And Sony staff should of course be trained to know these error codes. How simple would it be for the call support line staff to have a few pieces of paper with the error codes and their meaning on them?

Has the PSN site really been down for 5 months? Continuously?

[DragonKnight]

It's like I said in my blog, my overall experience with Sony and the Playstation brand has been great. Many people think of me as a Sony fanboy, but the truth is that I'm a Sony fan. For me, they've offered a lot more for my money than Nintendo or MS have, but that's just me. Still, I'm not blind to the things they need to improve.

I would even accept a notification on the scrolling info board about any approaching maintenance they may be doing. The fact is, they don't do enough to let people know when they are going to be fixing crucial services. And so you'll get people who try to do something and are met with error codes and a lack of info. And no one likes to talk to CS or have to go looking for solutions to problems that don't really exist, but are a result of just not being informed that "we have taken PSN offline to fix an issue with ____" or something. Except in those instances where they must have all the information they need before saying anything, it takes no time at all to just post that stuff on the info board.

The funny thing about the staff is that they all have computers with all the info they need, and yet from all the CS stories I've heard about error codes, it's like they put everyone who's just been hired on the CS staff and they don't know anything about the codes. If you look at the list of codes, many of the descriptions are repeated for multiple codes. It's very non-specific. Like the code I mentioned in my blog, the 80010514. They describe it as the PS3 being unable to read the disk, but the solution they give is to clean the disc or check for scratches. The problem however was traced to the Blu-Ray diode dying out, but do you see that description anywhere?

And yes, the site has been down for a continuous 5 months with that same page that says it's under maintenance. Here, check the link for yourself to see it's not just me.

https://store.playstation.c...

[xX-StolenSoul-Xx]

"Sony SHOULD be notifying users through their PSN accounts and emails, but I have yet to ever receive such notification. One user here stated that Sony do not send messages to PSN accounts because it would be impossible to tell if it was an official Sony message or some spammer/hacker trying to work one over on you."

I got some news for you on this one, sony does actually have an official psn account that you would know it's legit.

Heres a pic.

http://www.psu.com/media/ar...

Thats the legit psn account, i gotten a few messages from them, just beta invites for the most part but they can notify us through that since it is legit and looks legit.

[MrBeatdown]

Basically, any name in brackets is an official account. I got one from Gameloft telling me I could get their crappy Modern Combat game for $3.

[xX-StolenSoul-Xx]

yeha i've got that to and bought it ^_^

[plmkoh]

" Sony should be training its support staff to know what the frickin' error codes are all about."

You are probably asking the wrong department or are asking general services. Besides who calls about errors codes, google it up, it's quicker and it'll save you the call cost.

" thus I can't connect to my own internet connection because it uses a WPA2 AES security function"

Why don't you just use WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES], I have lots of legacy equipment at home and this works great.

[DragonKnight]

"You are probably asking the wrong department or are asking general services. Besides who calls about errors codes, google it up, it's quicker and it'll save you the call cost"

I actually very RARELY ever call any kind of customer service. I only do it as a final resort and thus have never called Sony CS for any reason. I look for official solutions online if they are there first. When I first got error 80010514, Sony had nothing anywhere about it. I had to find out from forum users that it was about the Blu-Ray diode. Besides, good CS would transfer you to the proper department for your problem anyway, so there should be someone in CS who knows about error codes.

"Why don't you just use WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES], I have lots of legacy equipment at home and this works great."

Well, the PSP does support TKIP, it's just a huge hassle to reconfigure the network settings of all the devices on my network just so that I can use one PSP's online function. I don't understand how it can support everything but AES.

[plmkoh]

Well you should really switch to WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES] anyway, so all your devices work, there is no need to reconfigure all your devices that are currently locked onto WPA2 as they will still pick up your wireless as the same unless of course you change your key.

[e-p-ayeaH]

WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES] doesnt work on my PSP.

[plmkoh]

Sorry, but that's just you.

"The access point must be set for and support WPA-PSK (TKIP) or WPA-PSK (AES)."

http://us.playstation.com/s...

WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES] has what the PSP uses.

[Christopher]

I have one primary issue with Sony: they don't know how to code for an OS. They've got some of the top coders for their studios, but they screw up a lot on the OS side. Trophy synching is half-arsed. Notification system could be a lot more robust. They could integrate a lot more third-party services natively through a proper PSN API (if facebook can do it...), which opens this up for easy x-chat gaming and tons of other features. Almost complete reliance on third-parties for new apps. And they need to turn off customization elements during gameplay to improve speed (this is why if you're playing certain games, XMB takes a long time to open). It's just really shoddy and things a programmer will think of right out of the box.

Fire developers who don't aim to make it the best and get some in there that really care about maximizing each element of the XMB. Or get rid of the manager(s) that is holding back the developers.

[DragonKnight]

"Trophy synching is half-arsed."

COMPLETELY AGREE! I hate clicking on my own profile on my PS3 because it always has to trophy sync and takes forever. It's annoying as hell.

"Notification system could be a lot more robust."

And more simplified. If you're in game and get a message, you have to click the PS Button, then find the person who messaged you, and the QUICKEST way to reply is to either press Triangle and view the message then reply, or just go to your inbox and do it that way. Takes too much time. I also hate it when a friend gets online and you're playing a game where there is a mini-map in the top right corner that gets covered by any notification. You have to sit there and wait for it to go away.

"And they need to turn off customization elements during gameplay to improve speed (this is why if you're playing certain games, XMB takes a long time to open)."

Also agree. The only things that should appear on in-game XMB are game specific options. I can't change the date and time while in a game, so it shouldn't show up.

@HCG Below: I don't think that's a Sony or PSN problem. The updates are up to the developers, not Sony. It could be that because Sony doesn't place such restrictions on patch sizes, the devs want to include everything at once, whereas they have to put it on XBL Marketplace with the 360 since they have no choice. I don't really know, but I do know that there are times the downloads on PSN are ridiculously slow no matter what your speed is.

[-Alpha]

This is what I hate too! It's the one thing holding them back in the U.S when it comes to offering a polished software service and its because of this that I dont see them ever taking the lead in U.S with XBL being so much more up to the curb with their OS.

A lot of this I hear is RAM, but the OS really needs finetuning and I feel that Sony needs to reinvent the PSN image for PS4.

[ThatHappyGamer]

My (and most of my friend's) Main issues with the PS3 is the game updates.

Games like BFBC2 need to download 1.6GB of update. The patch consists of only 50MB but the rest of the data are VIP maps.

Sometimes the update fails to download completely and sometimes it shows error while installing it.

I know a friend who successfully updated BFBC2 on the 17th time. :/

Why are they bundling the DLC with the patch ?

They should change it and make the DLC in such a way that we can download it from Store.

MS has a rule that patch size should be of some finite size. I'm Not sure of the size. But a game update in 360 takes a few minutes.

Sony should fix this issue.

[SilentNegotiator]

Restricting the devs/pubs is never a good idea. That Bad Company 2 patch was a pain in the rear, though, but you can thank DICE for being bone-headed.

[ThatHappyGamer]

I'm Not asking Sony to restrict the developers.

I just want DICE to split the "patch" and the "dlc".

If you see COD, patch & DLC comes in different modes. You need to update the patch to play the game. But you can download the DLC from the Store.

BFBC2 Patch consisted of even Vietnam Maps. And if you buy the Vietnam DLC, you just get a Activation key of a few KB's size. I say that the VIP Maps & the DLC should be made available in Store and the Patch size should be limited to 100MB.

PS : People who disagreed with me in the OP have Never played BFBC2 nor updated BFBC2 in PS3.

[news4geeks]

My issue with Sony is with their complete lack of support for playstation move. I wish Microsoft had the move tech because then we would see games like Portal2, Skyrim and MGS Rising having some amazing move support instead of this just this tacked on shooter nonsense.

I bet you could do some pretty awesome things with move in Skyrim and MGS. Microsoft know how to get third partys involved, Sony sitting high in their baby chair don't have a clue.

[Godmars290]

MGS Rising *IS* getting Move support last I heard. LBP2 has it. The Infamous 2DLC is getting. Sony's been integrating ove support into anything they can think of. Nevermind that MS already has Kinect and aren't doing what Sony is, not because they haven't thought along those lines, but because Kinect can't do it. Not w/o a physical controller.

Talk about not having a clue.

[smashcrashbash]

Not to mention Sorcery, Medevil Moves and GOW developr making a AAA Move game.

[Christopher]

I think they're supporting Move perfectly fine in regards to making it an alternative. I think they are greatly faltering on Move-exclusive titles. Sorcery was two E3s ago. Where did it go? Where are similar titles? That one dungeon exploring move title we saw a bit of at last E3 was such a shallow version of Sorcery, which should have released by now.

[Tony P]

"I bet you could do some pretty awesome things with move in Skyrim and MGS. Microsoft know how to get third partys involved, Sony sitting high in their baby chair don't have a clue."

This kind of thing has to be handled by the developers. And if they didn't plan for Move support from the jump, all we'd get is tacked on nonsense like Bioshock Infinite or Kinect voice commands in ME3. Let the third parties do what they want.

Besides, Sony usually does a fair job supporting its peripherals with their wealth of talented first-party studios.

[zero_gamer]

SONY sure did hype up the PS Move talking it's the most amazing thing ever but one year passed and all we have seen is a small number of exclusives and standard PS3 titles with support. It's going the way of the PS Eye Toy. Once I play Sorcery and finish it, I am done with the Move. I haven't played a single game besides the included Sports Champions and the demo disk. It's a shame.