Sony allegedly plans to finally close the digital stores on some of its older consoles later this summer, according to a new report. Specifically, it’ll shut down the digital stores on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation Vita. Supposedly the stores will be open until later in the summer.
The news comes from a report from TheGamer, which cites an inside source. According to the report, the stores will be open until August 27. There has yet to be an official confirmation from Sony, but the report also says the company is planning to announce it at the end of the month. Currently, these stores are the easiest way to buy games for these consoles, as they can’t be found on the PlayStation Store website.
The closure of the consoles’ stores would mean that you can no longer buy digital games for them. It’s a pity because the PS Vita currently offers a means of playing older PS1-era games that haven’t been released on newer consoles — I’ve used it to play the Parasite Eve games, for example. Likewise, the PS3 can play PS1 games, with certain models also able to play PS2 games. Naturally, physical game copies can still be sold, but it’ll be the only way to buy any games for the consoles soon, so any digital purchases should be made fairly soon.
It’s worth noting that all three of these Sony devices have been discontinued. The PS3 was discontinued everywhere in 2017 (it’d been discontinued in most regions by 2016, with Japan being the last holdout); the PSP in 2014, and the Vita in 2019. It makes sense that the company would be slowly withdrawing support for these consoles, as no one is buying them new anymore. The PS Vita may be a relatively recent discontinuation, but it also sold the fewest units out of the three consoles.
Source: TheGamer
