Sony announced today that it will fully restore all PlayStation Network and Qriocity services in Japan on July 6 after a massive security breach forced the company to shut them down in April. As the result of a criminal cyber attack on the company's data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI shut down the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services on April 20, in order for the company to undergo an investigation and make enhancements to the overall security of the network infrastructure. Implementing new and additional security measures, the company started a phased restoration of services in Japan on May 28. Further, after conducting testing of the payment process and commerce functions, the company restored services in Hong Kong on June 14 and in South Korea on June 24, following full restoration in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and in some Asian countries and regions on June 2. With the full service restoration in Japan, PlayStation Network and Qriocity services will have been restored in all countries and regions where the services were operated before the system was shut down in April.

PS4 production to begin this year?

The lates rumor related to a next-generation entertainment console from Sony appeared online at Digitimes.com web site. Citing "Taiwan-based component makers," the web site claims that Sony will have Taiwan-based partners begin production of PlayStation 4 (PS4) featuring body movement-based control like Kinect at the end of 2011 for launch in 2012.

Foxconn and Pegatron Technology, assemblers of PS3, are listed among the companies responsible for the production of PS4 as well, the web site added.

Sony has recently released the NGP portable gaming device and new games for PS3, while it is focusing on the consumers' awarness around the "PlayStation Suite (PSS)," a service for providing games to Android-based devices, and basically smartphones.

Earlier this year, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) president CEO Kazuo Hirai had said that the company had no immediate plans to release the PlayStation 4 (PS4), adding that the PS3 was still in the middle of its 10-year lifecycle.