When the PSN (PlayStation Network) entered it’s usual scheduled maintenance time, no one would have guessed that Sony was taking down the service to beef up the PS3 offering for PlayStation Plus users and giving them one of the holly grail features that people have been wanting, saving games to the cloud.

When PS3 firmware 3.6 goes live tomorrow, PlayStation Plus users will be able to back up game save data to the cloud. This new feature not only will ensure that your files are saved off location, in case your hard drive were to go south, but users will be able to access these files from any other PS3, simply by logging into their PSN account.

 The new online storage feature allows gamers to store up to 150MB of game save data and a maximum of 1000 data files per PSN account. 

Saves games to the cloud will happen automatically for PlayStation Plus users and while most games current available will work with this online storage method, all future games are required to have cloud saving compatibility. I’ve been a long time PlayStation Plus users, having written a piece why I  believe every PlayStation 3 user should have PlayStation Plus. Now, I can finally get another PS3. I’ve long wanted a secondary PlayStation 3, leaving the current one in the living room while having a machine in the bedroom as well. But the idea that I cannot continue my career in Gran Turismo 5 or the levels I’ve completed in LittleBigPlanet 2 always held me back and copying saved files back and forth from each machine via a USB drive seemed too tedious and bound for disaster. With Cloud Storage, I’m well on my way towards ordering another PlayStation 3. Press release after the jump.

 PLAYSTATION®NETWORK BRINGS ONLINE STORAGE FOR GAME SAVES EXCLUSIVELY TO PLAYSTATION®PLUS SUBSCRIBERS

March 9, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced that online storage for game saves will be available exclusively to PlayStation®Plus subscribers, allowing gamers to back up their save data to the cloud. Online storage for game saves will be available with system software update (v3.60) for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system, coming on March 10, 2011 and will be automatically enabled for PlayStation Plus subscribers once users install the update.

With the new feature, PlayStation Plus subscribers can store up to 150MB of PS3 game save data and a maximum of 1000 data files per PlayStation®Network account. “Copy-prohibited save data” is also supported, and all previously backed-up save data may be restored once per 24-hour period. When the new feature launches, most PS3 titles will be compatible with online storage for game saves, and moving forward new titles will have the capability to offer the storage option.

Online storage for game saves ensures that data stored by PlayStation Plus subscribers is more secure than ever and is an integral feature for gamers who wish to access their data on other PS3 systems. Users can check their available/total space at any time via the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar). Users who wish to utilize the feature immediately following the system software update (v3.60), can do so with these instructions:

To back-up:
1. Select [Game] > [Save Data Utility].
2. Focus on the save data you wish to back up.
3. Open up the option menu using “triangle” and select [Copy].
4. Select [Online Storage] as the destination of back up.

To copy:
1. Select [Game] > [Save Data Utility] > [Online Storage].
2. Focus on the save data you wish to copy.
3. Open up an option menu using “triangle” and select [Copy].

PlayStation Plus is available for a yearly fee of $49.99, and for a limited time, gamers will also receive 3 free bonus months when signing up for a one-year subscription. Gamers can also subscribe to the 3-month option for $17.99. 

[Via PlayStationBlog]