The open beta for Sony Computer Entertainment and Zipper Interactive's ambitious PS3 exclusive first person shooter, that will host up to 256 players, has hit problems on the opening day of the beta phase.

MAG has been in closed beta for some time, but the servers were open to the public yesterday and has been plagued with connection problems.

Sony describes the problems as "growing pains," but with a launch date of January 29th approaching rapidly (according to retail sources) it's certainly going to be a cause of concern for those hoping for a smooth game playing experience.

Sony say it is working hard to fix the issues:

"We have seen a few connection issues today, which the team are working to resolve, so it's possible you may experience some issues connecting to games for the time being," SCEE's Elliott Martin wrote on the European PlayStation blog. He goes on to reassure players that connection issues should be ironed out by launch.

We're firmly expecting MAG to be delayed and the open beta to run for a bit longer while Sony sort out the connectivity issues.