Sony Kills Way To Buy PS3, PSP And Vita Games Amid Store Closure Rumors

Sony has shut down a browser version of PlayStation Store that allowed gamers to purchase PS3, PSP, and PlayStation Vita games – fueling rumors that Sony will be closing stores for these older platforms this summer. an always-accessible version of the PS Store that allowed customers to buy PS3, PSP and Vita games online, was withdrawn without warning over the weekend.

Sony updated its main online store in October of last year, which only sold PS4 and PS5 games. However, region-specific links still allowed players to access the previous version of the store, with over-the-air purchases of older games. These links now lead to an error page.

For now, gamers can still access the PS Store on PS3, PSP, and Vita and make purchases. However, rumors suggest that may not be the case for long, with The Gamer reporting that stores for all three consoles will be permanently closed in July. Sony has not commented on this issue and has not responded to IGN’s requests for comment on several occasions.

Our own podcast Beyond! explained why these closures would be so important, and fans are also concerned about the online store shutdown and what it might mean for the future of older PlayStation games. On ResetEra, FinalArcadia wrote: “Store links are not working […] makes the rumor of the PS3 store shutdown as a whole much more likely, unfortunately. “

The Turbanator pointed out the potential ripple effects of such a move: “I know the PS3 has entered [end of service] but damn it, what better way to encourage piracy and emulation (from people who don’t own a console) than to take away the ability to legitimately access content and pay developers. “

Scallywag was more optimistic: “The fact that they haven’t announced the shutdown yet hopefully means they have some sort of other solution coming up.” This solution could potentially come from the console or cloud emulation of these older games. Sony has already patented the ability to stream PS1, PS2, and PS3 games, as well as the technology to add PlayStation trophies to games that never had them. While the patents don’t necessarily point to upcoming announcements, they do indicate that Sony has played around with ideas for its legacy games.

Sony may be closing its past, but it’s clearly making big plans for the future too. We saw the company buy EVO, the world’s largest fighting games tournament, and reveal a follow-up to the PSVR, which features very different controllers.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s News Editor. Follow him on Twitter. Any advice to give us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].