Both online and offline gameplay is affected for some titles, Sony is looking into it

The bad news is that owners of older Playstation 3 units may find themselves unable to play a variety of games due to a bug in the console firmware or software. The good news is that Sony is on top of the problem and working towards a solution.

Jeff Rubenstein, Sony's Social Media Manager posted an official blog yesterday night, stating:

We’re aware that many of you are having difficulty connecting to the PlayStation Network this evening.

Scarily determined to live up to the PlayStation 3's new "It Only Does Everything" slogan, Sony is touting the ability to order Papa John's pizza direct from the console, complete with a dedicated Papa John's button on the system's internet browser homepage. "Hungry? Need something to eat?" asks a mass mailing to members of the PlayStation Network, explaining that at long last "you can jump over to your PlayStation 3 browser between epic battles and high-speed races to get a hot delicious pizza delivered to your door... all this while never having to leave the comfort of your PS3 system."

On it's U.S. PlayStation Blog, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has confirmed that it is aware and is actively investigation isolated reports of PS3s behaving badly after the latest firmware, v3.0, has been installed. PS3 3.0 included a lot of aesthetic changes to the XMB as well as the addition of "What's New, Status Indicator, Friends List, PlayStation Store Shortcuts, Personalization and improved Trophies." However, since it was released, there has been numerous reports made on forums about the console acting badly after the latest firmware update has been installed.

"Not wanting to go into a video rental store to try out the latest games? Now the movie rental kiosk Redbox is testing out game rentals. According to InsideRedbox, rental kiosks are now being tested in western U.S. markets such as Reno, NV and Salt Lake City, UT. Selection thus far appears to be slim, but it is spread across games for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii."