PSN going down for a day

The PlayStation Network is taking the day off tomorrow. In a post on the official PlayStation blog, Sony gave gamers a heads up that the PSN would be taken offline for "routine scheduled maintenance."

The downtime is scheduled to begin November 17 at 8 a.m. Pacific and last until 10 p.m. While some users "may be able to play online" during the maintenance, Sony has said that PlayStation 3 and PSP owners will not be able to log into the PSN website, access the PlayStation Store, or register new accounts.

Sony is using the maintenance time to introduce new game sharing restrictions. When the service is restored, users will only be able to download new game content purchased from the PlayStation Store to a maximum of two PlayStation 3 systems or two PSPs. Currently, a single user account can download games on up to five different systems. Once users hit the limit of systems, they will need to deactivate their profile on an existing system before activating it for use on another machine.

All game content purchased before tomorrow's downtime will only be subject to the previous five-system limit. Additionally, Sony plans to establish a website where customers can manage their PSN accounts and deactivate specific devices attached to their account. Currently, systems need to be deactivated through the device itself or by calling Sony's consumer services department.

The aforementioned restrictions apply only to game content. Video content purchased through the PSN can currently be moved to a single PS3 and up to three PSPs, and those limits will remain in place after the PSN service is restored.