You might have seen our earlier report that, thanks to 2010 being mislabeled as a leap year in the code of some PlayStation 3s, some gamers were experiencing crashes and errors, and were unable to access the PlayStation Network. Well, things just got a lot more interesting — and scary. The word, direct from Sony, is that owners of non-slim model PS3s should refrain from turning on their consoles until the bug has been fixed. Apparently, there is a very good chance that attempting to operate the PS3 while experiencing such errors could lead to data loss and corruption.

Sony says it hopes to have the bug fixed in the next 24 hours. So, sorry if you were planning a marathon ‘Gods of War III’ session tonight. Take this as an opportunity to spend time with your children or significant other. Or, just sit and stare longingly at your PS3 until it’s safe to turn on. It’s your call. [From: Sony, via: Engadget and Joystiq]