It is suggested that Sony intends to close the PSP and PS3 stores on July 2 and the Vita store on August 27.
Long-term access to digital and even physical video games is one of those concerns that may not necessarily matter on a day-to-day basis for an average person, but without intervention (without ongoing preservation efforts), it is likely to ‘take advantage of many people. What happens when a digital shop window is removed? In the case of PlayStation, we may find out earlier than expected.
According to a report by TheGamer, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 stores will close in 2021. After this move, people would no longer be able to buy digital copies of PSP, Vita and PS3 Games and content: they would be inaccessible to new players.
It’s not official yet (TheGamer source believes Sony will make an announcement later this month), but the closing dates are expected to be July 2nd (PSP and PS3) i August 27th (Vita).
This is so soon! To some extent, the support is understandable finally they are fading (or at least shrinking), but I don’t think we’re ready to be ready for this day for these platforms.
The current web-based version of PlayStation Store does not officially support the sale of PSP, Vita, or PS3 games, so if you want to buy legacy titles, you must do so using your original systems. That said, there is still an alternative to accessing the “old” PlayStation Store in a browser right here.
On a related note, today is a well-researched Reddit post that again sums up a bunch of notable PlayStation 3 exclusives that would be hit hard by this type of store closure. Do you know how I’m always going? Tokyo Jungle Do I have a chance? It’s on the list. Many great PS3-only digital games have been brought to PS4, but many more have never been.
It is unclear if users could still do this re– Download the digital PSP, Vita and PS3 games that have stores once closed, but I’m sure I expect it with the slightest requirement. Either way, I don’t see any long-term path that isn’t based on hackers, hackers, and conservationists who care about these things. It’s also a lot trickier than just keeping games: think about DLC, post-release patches, and rights.
This is an upward battle even with all hands on deck. We have a lot of them, don’t we?
Report: The PS3, Vita and PSP stores will be permanently closed in a few months [TheGamer]
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