If you plan your budget around weeklyPSN releases on the PS3, good news - you're about to get rewarded for all your loyalty. However, at least for now, the "rewards" you'll be getting for those purchases are pretty weaksauce.

If you're a PlayStation Plus and/or Gamer Advisory Panel member, be on the lookout for an e-mail tomorrow. "Eligible" users from those groups will be given the opportunity to enroll in PlayStation Rewards several months before it goes live to all PlayStation Network users.

There are three tiers: Select, Pro, and Legendary. Every time you buy something from the PlayStation Store - DLC, movies, TV shows, games, themes, etc - you'll earn credit toward the next Rewards tier. Players also earn credits each time they pop in a new disc-based game. Sony will then roll out special offers, giveaways, and contests that only people in certain tier levels are eligible for.

The success of PlayStation Rewards as a marketing tool will obviously depend on how tantalizing the special offers are. So far, here's what Sony is promising: "exclusive PlayStation Network avatars, dynamic themes, and PlayStation Home content." In other words, the cheapest things for Sony to create.

Although, there is one worthwhile thing Rewards members will be able to nab right from the beginning. Sony will let one lucky member get an all expenses paid trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Supposedly, anyone who was a PS Plus or GAP member before October 25 and currently opts into marketing e-mails will get their invitation to join a beta version of the program tomorrow.

The service iscurrently only tied into gamer activity on the PS3, but will later be included to incorporate PSP users as well.

[Source:PlayStation Blog]

Oct 27, 2010