In another blow to PS3, PS Vita and PSP owners, Sony has now quietly removed access to the web version of the PS Store. This means if you own one of the consoles, you’ll have to make do with the clunky console-native option, for now.
Sony Kills PS3, PS Vita, and PSP Web Store Access
We’ve been hearing rumors about Sony and its intentions to close the PS3, Vita, and PSP stores in July, three months after it will also close PS4 Communities for good.
Previously, owners of the aforementioned consoles could access digital content via either the unusable device-native version of the store, or a web page accessed using a region-specific URL.
Now, without so much as an announcement, Sony has pulled the URLs, meaning that you can no longer access and download games or DLC for the above consoles via the web.
Why Has Sony Removed Web Access to PS3, PSP, and PS Vita Games?
Sony updated its Store back in October. Part of this overhaul involved removing PS3, PSP, and PS Vita games from the web store, along with themes and avatars for all three consoles.
As mentioned above, the stores native to each console will also close, soon. So, it would seem Sony has removed web access downloads for the devices as a part of that process. It certainly seems to confirm the rumors that Sony is closing the three consoles’ stores for good.
Can You Still Access the PS3, PSP, and Vita Stores?
You can, but you can only do it via the PS3 console (Sony closed the PSP store back in 2014, but you can still get PSP games via the PS3 and add them to the handheld via a memory card).
This isn’t without its problems, as the old store is not a pleasant experience to deal with. It is slow and, should you actually manage to scroll through some games, it is prone to crashing too. In all, it is a mess.
So, while you can still access the store via the PS3, you probably don’t want to; it can be a frustrating experience, to say the least.
Are You a PSP, PS Vita, or PS3 Owner?
If you are, then this news is probably not what you want to hear. However, aside from that, how does Sony plan to preserve legacy titles that will no longer be available once it removes access to PSP, Vita, and PS3 games?
This isn’t just a question of upsetting more of your user base, it also raises questions, not only about game preservation but also how Sony will treat the current owners of the PS5 when that console has seen its day.
However, all may not be lost. Sony hasn’t confirmed or denied anything, yet. So, maybe these legacy titles will move to another service so we can all access them, no matter what Sony console we own. We’ll have to wait and see.
Until then, you can always play PS3 games via PlayStation Now, or PS4 games on your PS5 with Game Boost to make them look and play even better!