PS Store
Most of the gamers devoted to the PlayStation brand now play on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 and it is unlikely that there is still someone who uses one of the portable consoles (PlayStation Portable or P layStation Vita) or PlayStation 3 as the main platform.In this regard, it would seem that Sony wants to shut down the servers of all the old consoles mentioned above, namely PS3, PSP and PS Vita. The news is far from official and was reported by the online portal TheGamer, which claims to have received it from a reliable source. According to the information reported, the announcement should arrive from the Japanese giant over the next few weeks and the closure of the PlayStation Store of these three platforms should take place during the summer: specifically, the PSP and PS3 stores should be shut down. starting from 2 July 2021 and those of PS Vita on 27 August 2021. If the news is true, starting from these dates it will no longer be possible to make purchases of digital products on the three platforms, although the possibility of downloading any previously purchased game or DLC will continue to be guaranteed.
Waiting to find out more details on the matter, we remind you that it is now possible to buy numerous PS4 games for less than 4 euros on the PS Store, among which we also find Tomb Raider, Saints Row IV and the classic SNK.
Sony reportedly closing PlayStation Store on PS3 and PSP this July, with Vita to follow in August
Sony will reportedly shut down the PlayStation Stores for PS3, Vita, and PSP this summer.
That's according to The Gamer, which cites a 'source familiar with the situation' in a new story on the closures. The PS3 and PSP stores will apparently remain online until July 2, 2021, with the Vita store a little way behind them with an August 27 deadline.
Sony hasn't confirmed these store closures, so don't run out and buy a bunch of external hard drives or SD cards just yet. The Gamer reports that Sony plans to announce the end of its legacy stores at the end of this month, so at most, you might want to think about what digital games you're still missing from the libraries of these systems. If there's anything you always wanted to play but never got around to, you may need to download it sometime soon.
All three consoles are home to many legacy PlayStation games, many of which aren't currently available on PS4 and PS5, so they're still reasonably valuable platforms. The PS3 offers a solid collection of PS2 and PS1 games, and the Vita has a nice PS1 lineup of its own plus a top-shelf selection of indie games.
Historically, once console storefronts close, users are no longer able to download digital games or game updates on those consoles, so if true, this news could affect much more than just digital ownership. Again, the specifics and timeline are still unofficial, so for now just hope for the best while preparing for the worst. We've reached out to Sony for comment and will update our reporting if we hear back.
Sony is moving wholesale into the new console generation: last December, the company discontinued direct PS4 Pro sales, and earlier this year, it halted production of several PS4 models in Japan.