Sony Aware Of PS3 Issues, “Looking Into It” Now

Update: We've been looking into this as well, and here's what we know right now:

The issue does NOT affect the PS3 Slim; it only affects the older "fat" models.  Some fat models will be fine; others – possibly older ones, like the original 60GB – are more susceptible to this bug.  Basically, the clock gets messed up; it's NOT related to the OS or the PSN.  If the clock is bonked, you won't be able to access the PSN, use any DLC, and Trophies won't sync correctly.

Manually resetting the date won't do anything right now.  Once the "affected" day passes, however, everything could revert to normal; this often happens with other electronics.  If it doesn't, we need a firmware update from Sony to restore things but remember that your saved data, DLC, themes, etc. are all FINE.  They are not gone forever.  Same goes for the Trophies, unless you tried to sync them while the system was bugged.  We'll let you know more when Sony makes an official announcement.

Original Story:

If you've been experiencing problems with the PlayStation Network over the past 24 hours or so, you're not alone.

The Network appears to be down just about everywhere, as most people still can't log on to the Store, download any new content, or play games on the PSN servers. We honestly have no idea what the problem is and we also don't know when the issues will be resolved, so please don't send us e-mails asking those questions. Those are questions best directed towards Sony, and they're already aware of the issues. As they posted up on their Twitter page :

"We're aware that many of you are having problems connecting to PSN, and yes, we're looking into it. Stay tuned for updates."

In the meantime, you'll just have to wait to download the God of War III demo if you didn't leap on top of it last week, and if you've been into the likes of MAG or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 lately, you'll just have to spend some single-player time with another title. Heavy Rain is certainly a good option, but don't forget that Bioshock 2 has an excellent campaign, too. Oh, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 hits this week, although we're assuming Sony will have these PSN problems resolved by then.