I’m beginning to believe that Hitler parody videos are the supreme way to deliver news. But in case you want more details, GameSpot is reporting that an internal clock bug in all old (pre-Slim model) PS3s is not only preventing users from logging into the PlayStation Network, but in many cases preventing offline play as well. Sony has stated that they are working on a solution, but has urged owners of the old “fat” models not to turn their console on until the fix is applied because doing so “may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained trophies, and not being able to restore certain data.”

What’s unclear is how Sony plans to apply whatever solution is reached, considering the error prevents users from signing into the PSN, which would seem to make a firmware update impossible. Sony has said they hope to resolve the situation within 24 hours. In the meantime, Sony has provided a list of messages that indicate a console has been stricken by the glitch.
–The date of the PS3 system may be reset to Jan 1, 2000.
–When the user tries to sign-in to the PlayStation Network, the following message appears on the screen; “An error has occurred. You have been signed out of PlayStation Network (8001050F).”
–When the user tries to launch a game, the following error message appears on the screen and the trophy data may disappear; “Failed to install trophies. Please exit your game.”
–When the user tries to set the time and date of the system via the Internet, the following message appears on the screen; “The current date and time could not be obtained. (8001050F)”
–Users are not able to playback certain rental video downloaded from the PlayStation Store before the expiration date.

UPDATE: The problem appears to have been remedied by Sony. This is their official explanation.
“We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognized the year 2010 as a leap year…Having the internal clock date change from February 29 to March 1 (both GMT), we have verified that the symptoms are now resolved and that users are able to use their PS3 normally.”

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