PlayStation 3 problem fixed, says red-faced Sony

2 Mar 2010

An embarrassed Sony has admitted that the problem with PlayStation 3 devices that made them practically unusable for offline, single-player games was due to the fact the machine thought 2010 was a leap year.

Yesterday, a strange glitch affected PlayStation 3 users around the world. The problem appeared to relate to the system’s internal clock and in particular affected older, non-slim gaming consoles.

Last night, Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications and social media, confirmed the problem was related to the console’s internal clock.

“We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognised the year 2010 as a leap year,” Seybold said.

“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.

“If the time displayed on the XMB is still incorrect, users are able to adjust time settings manually or via the internet. If we have new information, we will update you through the PlayStation.Blog or PlayStation.com. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused,” Seybold said.

By John Kennedy

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com