PSN suffering network issues, Sony asks for patience (update)

Following the midnight launch of Sony's PlayStation 4 across North America, users of the next-generation hardware are reporting difficulty in connecting their console to the PlayStation Network, prompting Sony Computer Entertainment to issue a statement asking for patience.

"The PlayStation Network is currently experiencing extremely high volume, some gamers may experience some difficulty connecting. We ask for your patience," a statement on the PlayStation Support site reads. PS4 users have taken to PlayStation's Facebook page, the official PS4 and PSN forums, Twitter and more, to share their PSN issues.

According to a post on the official PlayStation forums, Sony is aware of issues where some PS4 users are receiving an error message while attempting to login to PSN. Users are reporting error codes E-80E80034 and NW-31453-6.

Earlier this week, Sony Computer Entertainment posted the system's day-one software update (version 1.50) to PlayStation.com, offering early adopters the opportunity to update their systems ahead of the launch rush. The 308 MB day one patch introduces features such as Remote Play with PlayStation Vita, party chat, online multiplayer, the ability to play games as they download and more.

Polygon has reached out to Sony for comment.

Update: Some PlayStation Network users are still reporting problems connecting to the service. Sony's support page says PlayStation Network is currently "offline." A system alert posted by Sony Computer Entertainment follows.

"The PlayStation Network is currently experiencing extrememely [sic] high volume. As a result, some gamers may experience some difficulty connecting to the network or downloading content. We are actively working to resolve the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience."

While many PSN users are reporting issues, Polygon staffers have not experienced similar problems accessing the network from PlayStation Vita, PS3 and PS4.