Sony PlayStation Network is still offline and will be so for quite some time, apparently to allow Sony to boost its security, but some angry and disappointed fans are already deserting Sony.

The past three weeks probably have been one of the most critical moments for Sony’s PlayStation business, after a hacking attack on April 20 stole millions of account information, forcing Sony to shut down its PlayStation Network and Qriocity music service completely.

Since the incident, Sony has been working to improve its security to prevent future hacking, but its decision to postpone the restoration of the services has left tens of thousands of PlayStation fans angry and disappointed.

It is a fair question to ponder whether Sony’s decision on perfecting the security before re-launching is right, especially since the security breach may have compromised some 100 million customers' information.

Regardless of Sony’s damage control efforts, fans are angry that they were not able to play online for three weeks and already are shifting to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3’s chief console rival.

Edge has reported that PlayStation 3 turn-in rate doubled after the incident, and half of the people who returned PlayStation 3 have asked for Xbox 360 in exchange.

Safety is important. However it is a time for Sony to also consider a hasty restoration of PlayStation Network services before it is too late as with Sony’s stock already down by 5% since the crisis, any further delay could create an irreparable damage to Sony’s brand image.

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