Sony: 'We advise you do not use your PS3'

Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) went into meltdown this weekend, logging users out of the service and preventing them from playing online games.

That alone would be inconvenient, but users are reporting that previously downloaded games -- including Heavy Rain -- cannot be played offline, and that trophies won in games have disappeared from the console.

Sony is aware of the problem, posting updates on both its PS3 blog and Twitter stream. Oddly, the issue is confined to the original big PS3s: The PS3 Slim remains unaffected by the problem.

Sony has posted an update, explaining that “this problem is being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.” The company said it is hoping to resolve the issue in the next 24 hours. Sony advises owners of the non-slim PS3 to avoid using their systems until the bug is fixed.

Affected units have their system date set to Dec. 31, 1999 (something impossible to do manually, apparently) or Jan. 1, 2000, and the consoles are only able to play non-protected games.

We’ll keep an eye on this, and we’re sure that Sony’s PSN engineers aren’t getting much sleep tonight. If any readers are experiencing the same issues, let us know in the comments.