UPDATE 2: SCEA's Patrick Seybold has now stated that the problem has been fixed. You may feel free to once again use your PS3. "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," he said. "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 apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."
UPDATE: Sony has issued a statement to Kotaku confirming that the error is the result of a bug in the system's internal clock functionality. The company hopes to have a fix up "within the next 24 hours" but in the meantime, the company advises all users of non-slim PS3's to not use their system.
Original Story: As February turned to March, millions of PS3 users connected to PSN started experiencing this error: "8001050F – Hardware failure. Cannot update Firmware or connect to internet.” Users were unable to connect to the Internet, and certain titles with dynamic trophies (like Heavy Rain) did not function at all and data loss and corruption was also reported.
“We’re aware that many of you are having difficulty connecting to the PlayStation Network this evening. Those of you with 'slim' PS3s (the 120/250 GB models) appear to be unaffected,” wrote SCEA Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein in the PlayStation Blog. “Know that we have narrowed down the issue and have engineers working to restore service even as you read this. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, and genuinely appreciate your patience while we work to resolve this.”
We'll post more updates as they become available on this story.
7 Comments
March 1, 2010
The three stages of finding out that you can't play a game you own on hard media because your console has network failure...1) befuddlement 2) frustration 3) pangs of anarchy
March 1, 2010
As it turns out, Y2k happened tens years later and was isolated to old PS3s.
March 1, 2010
I have a slim PS3, however, I conducted a little experiment. I unplugged the ethernet cable so that my PS3 had no access to PSN. I then put in my copy of Heavy Rain and it still launched and played perfectly fine without the access to PSN or the internet.
March 1, 2010
Good point. A lot of people have wifi so the PS3 automatically attempts to log into your PSN account. But if you're just doing wired, that's a good way of handling it.
March 1, 2010
@ David, who would have ever thought that the Y2k bug would affect a gaming system of all things. Does this mean that in 2012 PS3's will start to mysteriously break and fall into the ocean?
March 2, 2010
so it was isolated to fat PS3s i have the coveted 60gb model with all the features in the guts, my trophies were erased, and i couldnt play games i owned offline unplugged my ps3 from the internet and still couldnt access my games on DISCS. it sucked two days later here i am and now i can play. just shows how a simple psn or glitch can brick your consoles...Also shows how fragile it is having cloud based consoles with your games dependant on a network so u can play them...I know the industry is headed towards the DLC format in the future exclusively, but WHEN not if This happens to those consoles and you dant have physical media to fall back on its going to be pandemonium.
March 5, 2010
What you say is not untrue, Anthony, though the issue was actually unrelated to PSN - it was internal to the old consoles. This more reflects the problem in having consoles that are as complex internally as a PC - more to go wrong.