I know I've been a bit distracted in the last 6 weeks what with my life collapsing and all but I think I'd have heard about this.
A while ago I made myself a PSN account on the theory that I might use it on my mate's then new PS3 but I never got around to it. Since I'm planning to buy one soon I thought I might browse the online store and also check out the PSP games to see if there's enough to justify buying one but when I signed in, its trying to transfer my account to the EU playstation store
"If you previously signed up to au.playstation.com, enter your existing user name (email address) and password below and we'll transfer your details to your new account. You must do this to activate your new profile."
Did the sites merge or is this just some weird activationny test thing?

Ooh yeah, I've heard that whole collapsing life thing can be such a drag.
Probably it's a merge like how two sites from different locales are merged because the company doesn't want to make a whole new copy of a site just to rename the country name or something. I wouldn't really know since I use the HK PSN which is near-bliss (dude, Catan is exclusive!), but that's what I think about your PSN issue. And besides, it doesn't matter that much as long as it works. Even if it doesn't, you didn't lose anything. Except self-esteem.

Maybe it's handled by Sony Corporation of America?

HA! Give me a precise link to working playstation store. I was going crazy trying to reach my account and I'm trying to find out if the error is on my side completely

Yup, exclusive to the HK PSN and the worldwide xbox 360 marketplace. Whilst this would normally be an advantage, its still Catan...
The interesting thing is that when I'm trying to do the transfer saying my username or password (the ones I signed in with to get the redirect to transfer the account) are invalid. I used the forgot password link and after 15 minutes, no email.
I can't browse the content available to buy without an account either.
The first impressions are NOT good here
http://marketplace.xbox.com
Oh sorry, thought you just meant working store... may be clunky, fugly and have an emphasis on pretties over rapid information delivery but at least its functional and you can find shit

I love Catan. Whoever says otherwise must be shot.

Well if you start walking now, you'll probably still beat the new password coming from the PSN server
Okaaay. Still no replacement password email BUT my old password works
BUT I basically can't DO anything until I finish setting up my account on the PS3.
These people managed to get sophisticated interoperability between a handheld and static machine but can't manage basic website integration?

The JPN, US and UK stores were working okay when I accessed them about an hour ago =/

and now after all that, I can't browse the fucking store because I need a USB connected PSP...
Fucking morons, this really smells of a desperate bootstrap lashup held together with gaffa tape, blutak and hope
I think its spitting the dummy because I haven't registered a PS3. About the only thing I can think that makes this good design (apart from the lack of explanation forcing me to speculate) is that I don't have an associated hardware ID and its blocked me from the store completely so I don't buy any PSP games and then bitch that that don't run on my PC