Sony has finally solved a PS3 bug halting play on older versions of the PlayStation 3.

The problem was firt reported on Feb 28, with millions of PS3 owners to have difficulty connecting to the PlayStation Network. The affected PS3 systems were all but the "slim" PS3s (the 120/250 GB models), Sony said.

Sony identified the problem one day later. It was caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.

"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," Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media wrote on the Playstation blog.

The players suspected the problem was related to the transition from February 28 to March 1 and deluged the PlayStation blog with hundreds of comments and complaints. However, it is possible that some users who used their PS3 system before the problem had been resolved, might have lost some gaming data such as gaming achievements and trophies.