Sony has admitted that it is considering some form of "goodwill gesture" for PlayStation Network gamers, raising hopes that compensation will be awarded.

Speaking via the PlayStation Blog Nick Caplin, head of communications at SCEE said: "We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online."

Sony also admitted that it is in discussions with the police with regards to the security hack that has led to 77 million users' details being compromised, and that it is working hard to ensure that a major balls-up like this never happens again.

"We’ve taken several immediate steps to add protections for your personal data," said Caplin.

"First, we temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and, second, we are enhancing security and strengthening our network infrastructure.

"Moving forward, we are initiating several measures that will significantly enhance all aspects of PlayStation Network’s security and your personal data, including moving our network infrastructure and data center to a new, more secure location, which is already underway. We will provide additional information on these measures shortly."

The PSN has been down since 20 April and is not expected to be back online until 3 May at the earliest.

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