PSN Store Adds PayPal

Coming only two weeks after the last network update, Sony has revealed that PayPal can now be used to purchase digital content online through the PlayStation Network Store (now renamed the Sony Entertainment Network Store). Gamers over in Europe have enjoyed this option since October 2012, and now customers with US-based accounts can now join in on the sweet, sweet fun of spending money.

Sony has come a long way since the major PSN Hacking Spree of 2011, where a mass of customers' credit card information was stolen from an out-of-date security system. The functionality of PayPal should address those still concerned with giving Sony their credit card information, as introducing PayPal as a middleman between transactions removes such information from the equation entirely (or at least from Sony's end).

Currently, you can only add funds through PayPal when online through a browser, as opposed to directly through the PSN Store. Those interested in adding money through PayPal can go here and proceed to the "Add Funds to Wallet" page, where the new option for purchasing wallet funds through PayPal now appears. This is the first time US-based PSN Store users can use the service, but many European countries have had it added over the recent months as well.

Since most countries in South America still aren't supported by the PlayStation Store, many of those gamers end up registering as a North American account. Unfortunately, they soon discover they can't make purchases with international credit cards. Now that PayPal is a viable option, these international gamers finally have a good workaround. Sony is aiming to have local PSN Stores in Chile, Peru, Columbia and Argentina by early 2013 - a full 7 years after the launch of the PS3.

Using PayPal is an idea that will only broaden sales for Sony, as youngsters without credit cards can now join into the mix. While console-rivals Microsoft already support Paypal in a variety of countries, we can only hope that eventually they ditch a points spending system and adopt something more like Sony's real-currency wallet - we're pretty sure that there's nobody left in the world who still likes Microsoft Points.

What do you think, Ranters? Will you be using PayPal when purchasing goods from the Sony Entertainment Network Store? Does having this option make a difference to you?

-

Follow me on Twitter @Makelevi.

Source: IGN