Well, folks, it’s official: Sony is shutting down the PS3, PSP and PS Vita’s legacy storefront this summer.
The announcement was made via the official PlayStation website and confirms previous reports about the store’s closure.
“We are closing PlayStation™Store on PlayStation®3 consoles on 2nd July 2021 and on PlayStation®Vita devices on 27th August 2021. Additionally, the remaining purchase functionality for PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) will also retire on 2nd July 2021,” says the Sony website.
The notice also specifies which features will remain available on the consoles, alongside those that will be discontinued alongside the store:
“Features you will still be able to access:
- You will still be able to re-download and play previously purchased game titles.
- You will still be able to access previously purchased video/media content.
- You will still be able to redeem game and PlayStation®Plus vouchers.
- You will still be able to re-download and play claimed game titles through PlayStation®Plus as long as you remain a member of the service.
“Features you will lose access to:
- You will no longer be able to purchase PS3, PS Vita and PSP digital content, including games and video content.
- You will no longer be able to make in-game purchases through games on PS3, PS Vita and PSP.
- You will no longer be able to redeem PSN wallet fund vouchers (e.g. gift cards) on PS3, PS Vita or PSP devices once PlayStation™Store and purchase functionality for these devices close. Your PSN wallet funds will remain in your PSN account, but you will only be able to use your wallet funds to purchase PS4 and PS5 products on PlayStation™Store on the web, PlayStation®App or on PS4 and PS5 consoles.”
While being able to access existing purchases will provide comfort to some players, the store’s closure is a detriment to video game preservation. Hopefully, the company will look at migrating its old store into the PS5’s ecosystem, which currently lacks PSone, PSP, PSvita and PSminis titles.
Earlier this month, Sony re-filed a patent related to emulation on the PS5, which could mean that the company is considering some sort of backwards compatibility for the system beyond the PS4.
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Featured Image Credit: Sony