PlayStation Network conveniently down for maintenance during Sony's press conference

There's something very peculiar about Sony bringing down the PlayStation Network for "maintenance" today from noon until 2:00PM ET. Not only is that timeframe somewhat prime gaming hours for North America and Europe -- and arguably Asia, too -- but it also happens to coincide perfectly with the company's press conference at the gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany, the rumored site for the PS3 Slim's official debut and a price cut for the original. We've no doubt that Sony's got a handful of major announcements lined up for the event, revised console or no, and we wouldn't be surprised if the online store played into that somehow. Of course, the timing of the maintenance could all be some big coincidence, but if you ask us, the chances of that are pretty, well, slim. If we're really lucky, maybe Sir Howard Stringer will come out and explain that laughter-tracking patent.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/p...ce-during-son/