PlayStation Network PSN Destiny PS4

And breathe again. By penning this article we’re all too aware that we’re foreshadowing the kind of outage that would rival 2011’s widely publicised hack attack, but at the time of writing we can say with confidence that the PlayStation Network is fine. For websites such as this – the kind that break traffic records when the Japanese giant’s servers crumble like Cheshire cheese – we’d be lying if we said that the sturdiness of Sony’s online architecture has thrilled us to the core, but as gamers, like the rest of you, we were hoping that we’d actually be able to play Destiny this week.

Fortunately, play the Activision published giga shooter is exactly what we’ve done, as the PlayStation maker’s backend has proved sturdier than a Jenga tower with all of its bricks still very much in place. There were nervous glances around Push Square HQ when the reptilian band of Internet bandits Lizard Squad brought the PSN to its knees a few weeks ago. “What if this happens during the launch of Bungie’s next big thing?” we asked each other with exaggerated anxiety, sensing the almost inevitable undoing of the firm’s impressive marketing efforts – and the page views that our article on the matter would subsequently receive.

Destiny PlayStation 4 Bungie

And we weren’t alone. A quick look at all of gaming’s biggest message boards painted a similar picture, with many concerned that Sony’s server farm would be ablaze by the early hours of 9th September, and a smouldering pile of debris some time later in the day. In reality, the exact opposite has occurred, with the manufacturer’s premium network being so sturdy during release week that we almost didn’t think to jot down this post in the first place. And that’s despite the first-person shooter itself setting sales records on fire, making a ridiculous $500 million within its first few hours on sale, with the lion’s share of those figures almost certainly stemming from the PlayStation 4.

The PSN has proved sturdier than a Jenga tower with all of its bricks still very much in place

Bungie deserves credit, too, of course, as recent high-profile releases like Grand Theft Auto Online and Diablo III have proven that smooth launches are almost impossible to do. During our several hours with Destiny so far, though, we’re yet to experience a single hiccup, and while we’re sure that there’s someone out there that’s cursed a never-ending line of animal identified error messages, the wider response so far suggests that these are likely to be isolated incidents, and little more. We suppose that the stability from the developer’s end isn’t especially surprising considering its extensive beta tests, but that highlights why more studios should actually challenge their network infrastructure prior to release.

And while we appreciate that slapping both Sony and Bungie on the back for allowing us to play a product that we’ve paid for is a little bit like thanking a taxi driver for successfully dropping you off at your desired destination, we reckon that this does need saying. We’re all too eager to jump on the negatives when something bad happens, so why not show a bit of public support when things go well? The weekend will prove another test for the PSN as player numbers inevitably ramp up again, so the Japanese giant’s not out of the woods by any stretch. Right now, though, it’s at least nice to know that its online architecture isn’t in fact tied together with old rope and straggly string.

Are you quietly impressed with the PSN’s performance this week, or did you expect it to be fine all along? Should we even be praising the stability of a paid service, or do positive stories like this deserve acknowledging from time to time? Log in without a hitch in the comments section below.

Did you expect the PSN to go down at some point this week? (42 votes)

  1. Yes, I never thought it would survive the Destiny launch55%
  2. Hmm, I didn’t really think about it29%
  3. No, I knew Sony would sort things out for such a big game17%

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