Playstation PlayStation Store for PS3, Vita, & PSP Shutting Down

[Daltonio]

Sony's Statement

It's offical. The PlayStation 3 and Vita stores will be shutting down on August 27, 2021, following the PSP's which will be done on July 2. You will still be able to download games you've already purchased and redeem voucher codes but you will not be able to buy anymore content from the stores following those dates, including games, DLC, microtransactions, avatars, themes, or anything else.

This really sucks from a game preservation standpoint, so many digital only games that will be lost after this, especially since Sony didn't have a backup plan like working on backwards compatibility or anything. And with such short notice too! At least Nintendo gave fans a year long heads up before they did something similar. They also made it even more difficult by getting rid of the web store for those platforms, so the only way to use it is to boot up the specific console. I'm a lifelong Sony fanboy but they've really disappointed me with how they went about this.

Also feel free to share game recommendations for people to pick up before we can't anymore!

(There might have been discussions in other threads but figured I'd give it one of it's own to spread the news.)

 

[psylockolussus]

I already said this in the other thread but Sony should work on making every ps game available in the ps5. These older games would be extra sales in the Ps store. Like imagine playing all GTA, Rockstar, God of War, Gran Turismo, Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear Solid games in the ps5? They could have 15,000 games accessible with the ps5. And people can no longer use the lack of backwards compatibility against Sony.

If they can't emulate ps3 games for the ps5, they should at least try with ps1/ps2/psp/vita games. I don't know if its going to bring bigger sales, but that would be a huge plus for Playstation players that owned the older consoles/games.

They should consider this as a big change for ps5 slim/pro.


EDIT:
I have read this before but I only remembered it when I googled ps5 bc. If true, this would be great news.

PS3, PS2 and PSOne backwards compatibility coming to PS5: Sony drops big new hint

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Push Square - PS3 Owners Facing Wide-Spread Problems Downloading Games Ahead of PS Store Closure

Analysis: 2,000 digital-only games will disappear when PlayStation closes its stores | VGC

Kotaku - Microsoft Is Supporting Old Games, While Sony And Nintendo Are Leaving Them Behind

This is why backwards compatibility matters. Without it, it will just be the hackers, custom firmware, and emulators on PCs of the future that are preserving games and systems, not Sony.

I’ve bought and played games released 20 years ago on Steam on Windows over the years. With all the money Sony has received from PlayStation Plus subscriptions a portion of that money should be keeping that store infrastructure alive but certainly they aren’t doing that anymore.

As for patents...You can’t count on patents being a sign of anything because companies often patent things to prevent other companies from doing the same innovation without licensing their patent for money or as a defensive measure in a court case.

 

[psylockolussus]

It will be interesting once the shut downs occured and if Sony decides to do something to preserve these games for the ps5.

 

[spiderman2]

This is part of why I dont like digital only. I only but digital when its the only option for a game. Not to surprised by this has over time company's shut down the older systems both in like stores, fixing the system and making the system. I know there has been some talk about bc with ps5 and also things about playstation now but unless you can just put a disc in the system and play its not really bc. Also if the system was going to be bc with all Sony systems I think it would have been like that on day 1 that the system came out other than maybe 3 because of its cell chip. That is also the one I would want the most has I never had a ps1 or 2 got into Sony with ps3 and I still have some games on ps3 in my backlog and there are still some games I like to replay on ps3 and my ps3 still works but my controllers some times dont want to charge dont know if its the controllers or if its the USB port on my ps3 going out or what and if it gets to the point where my ps3 stops working it may be harder to get a new one and I know anything older it is going to be hard to get a new one but the older the worse. I mean like 10 years from now its going to be easier to get a ps5 than a ps4 or easier to get a ps4 than a ps3.

 

[Iceman]

I already said this in the other thread but Sony should work on making every ps game available in the ps5. These older games would be extra sales in the Ps store. Like imagine playing all GTA, Rockstar, God of War, Gran Turismo, Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear Solid games in the ps5? They could have 15,000 games accessible with the ps5. And people can no longer use the lack of backwards compatibility against Sony.

If they can't emulate ps3 games for the ps5, they should at least try with ps1/ps2/psp/vita games. I don't know if its going to bring bigger sales, but that would be a huge plus for Playstation players that owned the older consoles/games.

They should consider this as a big change for ps5 slim/pro.


EDIT:
I have read this before but I only remembered it when I googled ps5 bc. If true, this would be great news.

PS3, PS2 and PSOne backwards compatibility coming to PS5: Sony drops big new hint

I really hope they manage to sort this out. I’ve got particular nostalgia for PS1 games.

 

[Daltonio]

I have read this before but I only remembered it when I googled ps5 bc. If true, this would be great news.

PS3, PS2 and PSOne backwards compatibility coming to PS5: Sony drops big new hint

The main reason I have doubts they're working on this right now or anytime soon is that they haven't said anything. It would be the smart thing to do to announce this alongside the closures, to kind of soften the blow and lead with some good news. Even if it's just a 'we're working on it' type of thing. I'll still keep my fingers crossed though.

 

[psylockolussus]

The main reason I have doubts they're working on this right now or anytime soon is that they haven't said anything. It would be the smart thing to do to announce this alongside the closures, to kind of soften the blow and lead with some good news. Even if it's just a 'we're working on it' type of thing. I'll still keep my fingers crossed though.

Same here but I think even if it happens,its going to take quite some time. I don't see a complete backwards compatibility happening this year.

Sony really should have implied with the ps5 from the get go.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Ars Technica - The looming software kill-switch lurking in aging PlayStation hardware
Dying internal batteries and online timer checks make a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Sony - PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita Will Continue Operations

Jim Ryan, PlayStation President: Recently, we notified players that PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita devices was planned to end this summer.

Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here. So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices. PSP commerce functionality will retire on July 2, 2021 as planned.

When we initially came to the decision to end purchasing support for PS3 and PS Vita, it was born out of a number of factors, including commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on. We see now that many of you are incredibly passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games on PS3 and PS Vita for the foreseeable future, so I’m glad we were able to find a solution to continue operations.

I’m glad that we can keep this piece of our history alive for gamers to enjoy, while we continue to create cutting-edge new game worlds for PS4, PS5, and the next generation of VR.

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us – we’re always listening and appreciate the support from our PlayStation community.

A reprieve. For now.

 

[Teelie]

Still no word on the bigger issue: CMOS batteries dying and bricking the console.

 

[psylockolussus]

I personally feel like this wouldn't have been a big issue IF only Sony implemented backwards compability to ps1, ps2, ps3 and even psp/vita games to the ps4/5.

Consoles that have been out in the stores a decade ago wouldn't just continue to work after two to three decades. There aren't a lot of people that knows how to fiX gadgets and replace tools in it to keep them running for eternity. What needs to be done is to preserve the games that should be accessible to newer consoles. XboX did that. And I don't see why how a big tech company Sony can't do that.

At some point, Sony would have to pull the plug on the ps3/vita online store as a day would come that less than a thousand would open the digital store for those two, as most ps3/vita consoles are probably no longer functional due to old age. And they would have to cut costs as it probably be won't beneficial to keep the servers open for consoles with low traffic.

 

[Mani-Man]

I personally feel like this wouldn't have been a big issue IF only Sony implemented backwards compability to ps1, ps2, ps3 and even psp/vita games to the ps4/5.

Likely, but the problem is that Sony doesnt see the value in this.
They see the value of the history, but not why someone would want to play it nowadays.

Which of the Sony bosses was the one who said that nobody would want backwards compatibility or play old games because of how they look?

They just dont get Retro gaming...not as they should.

 

[psylockolussus]

I don't know if they're lazy or just stubborn that they just want people to buy newer games and remasters.

Ps5/ps6 owners having access to ps1/2/3 games because they are compatible would be extra $ for Sony in the long run, as players would have a bigger library to choose from and buy.

Everytime there's a new God of War/Ratchet/Re game, the older games in the franchise would get a boost from downloads/sales. The games that could be played on ps5 would increase to at least 10,000 games. People are still playing the older GTA games like San Andreas and IV and imagine if ps5 owners can play those again without booting up a ps3 or xbox or pc.

if Sony already did this with the ps5. They could shut down the servers/support for the ps3 console later this year, as Sony players already have access to the older games through ps5. Its just a matter of time before Sony announces once again that they're closing ps3/vita servers, and the doom/gloom comments would start again.

 

[Iceman]

Sony have backtracked on this now, great news!

 

[metaphysician]

Likely, but the problem is that Sony doesnt see the value in this.
They see the value of the history, but not why someone would want to play it nowadays.

Which of the Sony bosses was the one who said that nobody would want backwards compatibility or play old games because of how they look?

They just dont get Retro gaming...not as they should.

Actually, I kind of understand why they don't value it: its not actually *their* history. The PS1 and PS2 have an enormous library of retro games, beloved or cult. . . but by and large they aren't *Sony* games, they are games made and owned by *other* studios. When Nintendo encourages retro gaming it increases engagement with their own IPs, whereas if Sony were to encourage PS1/2 retro gaming, it would mainly increase engagement with Square-Enix, Capcom, Konami, and various other companies Not-Sony. All Sony would get is a retail cut on sales, *if* those sales are through a Sony platform, which they don't need to be.

Mind, what Sony *should* realize is that retro gaming and retro libraries are a way to tie hardcore users to their ecosystem. If digital PS Classic titles were always forward compatible, than it creates a strong incentive for players to continue buying newer PS platforms, and while it might not be the biggest number of players, these would be more fervent than average users, meaning its good for PR and word of mouth. It would be an investment in advocacy and a defense against drifting away. Of course, this would require valuing something other than bleeding edge graphics and cinematics, and Sony seems averse to doing so today.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Present-era Sony is primarily concerned with huge budget movie-narrative games like Last of Us and Uncharted and Horizon. Not coincidentally Sony is also a movie and television studio that’s trying to redo their movie-style games in those mediums too.

That’s why Ryan said who would dare play old games in that interview years ago. They don’t fit the mindset for what they think sells for Sony now. Retro games and low fidelity indie games don’t fit the agenda.

 

[psylockolussus]

PS Vita Received its Last New Games Ever Today

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Everybody’s years of store purchases are expiring (!) and rendered unplayable (‘hooray digital distribution!’) . No word on a fix from Sony yet.



The future doesn’t look any better, as streaming supplants digital which supplanted physical just like the TV and movie industry (harder to find new content exclusive to streaming on digital and physical platforms.)

 

[Teelie]

What's that? Those games you "bought" digitally aren't really yours and are going to expire?