Well, that?s? rather annoying.
And no, even if the console isn?t plugged in today, and even if you don?t go online at all, it?s a firmware bug (they?ll have to push out a firmware update and make sure you don?t have to authenticate to get it) so it will happen anyway.
It will very probably also happen tomorrow (when it will be 02/03/2010 and it will think it is either 01/03/2010 or 01/01/2000, I?d have to disassemble to know which but as it is going back in time, either will probably trip it).
There is a good (and unfortunate) possibility that every PS3 made before about December 2008 will have to have a firmware update to function again. The only reason they?re saying ?don?t turn it on now? is because any saves or trophies you have earned since midnight 01/03/2010 will be lost when it re-syncs (maybe, assuming you were able to play anything at all).
I can play Blu-rays, but I can?t play any PS3 game with online content of any kind (including trophies). Manually resetting the clock won?t work, because it will have tripped the time?protection part of DNAS, and deauthenticated the console?s keys (given that no working ?chip? has yet been constructed for the PS3, they may well have to bite the bullet and sign a security module update to blindly reauthenticate everyone and resync, which is probably what the patch will do, on top of fixing the underlying firmware update and resetting the clock via internet or manually). 31/12/1999 00:00:00 is used as a sentinel (it?s timecode 0 to the secure booter, I think?).
Memo to Sony: Years indivisible by 4 are never leap years. You fail chronology forever. And this is what happens when you make DRM too sensitive. Now gief kernel update, give something away to compensate, and grovel like the snivelling muppets you are--and if it isn?t fixed by the time FF13 comes out, I will be? most displeased.
On the up side, I have a backup of everything on there.
