Error Code 80023017 caused by PS3 Firmware Update 3.50 prevents users for logging in

Playstation 3 owners that upgraded to the latest 3.50 Firmware yesterday are experiencing a serious login problem.

Instead of being able to experience 3D movies and 3D games attached to their 3D television owners are now having problems logging in! It seems their passwords no longer work! However, requesting a forgotten password results in the Playstation 3 Error Code 80023017.

The solution? Sit tight and wait for Sony to fix the issue...

Here is the official message from Sony:

The PlayStation Network will be taken offline for maintenance on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, for approximately 9 hours during the following maintenance window:

Down Time (Start): Tuesday, September 21, 8:05 AM, Pacific Time
Down Time (End): Tuesday, September 21, 5:00 PM, Pacific Time

During this time you may:

• Not be able to access the PlayStation®Store
• Have difficulty signing in to the PlayStation®Network
• Not be able to play online games
• See a maintenance page when attempting to access the PlayStation®Network
  

Note: When you log into the PlayStation Network, a message may appear which states, 'the PlayStation Network has been suspended'. This does not mean that your account has been suspended; it simply means the PlayStation Network has been taken offline. Please wait until the maintenance window has passed before attempting to connect to the PlayStation Network again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The good news is that once Sony has fixed this issue the 3.5 firmware update will add support for the following:

• Stereoscopic 3D Blu-ray movie playback
• PlayStation Move Motion Controller can be used to interact with web pages
• Grief report function added. You can now report spam messages directly from the XMB
• A 3D ‘notice’ screen for games that your 3DTV supports
• Improved Facebook integration and functionality
• Improved descriptions of the 14 most common PS3 errors.
• Updated interface for the PlayStation Plus section of the PS Store.
• Qriocity icon will appear on the music section of the PS Store, (service will remain unavailable – Europe only)

Have fun!