PS Vita owners are now unable to send messages via the console’s dedicated messaging app because, as it previously announced, Sony has shut down the feature on its handheld console.
A Sad Day for PS Vita Owners
In another move that further restricts the social aspects of its PlayStation ecosystem, Sony has finally closed the door on its PS Vita Messages app.
The app—an integral part of the PlayStation Vita’s feature set—no longer works as of June 28th, which Sony previously announced via a PlayStation.com Support notice.
So, if you fired up your Vita expecting to be able to send messages to your Vita-owning pals, you will find that you can’t. The notice stated:
As of 28th June 2021, users on PlayStation Vita will no longer be able to use the messaging service. Although messaging on PS Vita is going away, your messages will still be available to you by using the messaging service on PS5 consoles, PS4 consoles and via mobile on PlayStation App.
Erm… thanks, Sony. Great move.
Has Sony Ended Other PlayStation Services?
Yep. Quite a few in the past few months, actually. Sony confirmed that it would close the PSP, PS Vita, and PS3 stores. It later backtracked on the PS3 and PS Vita store closure, but closed the PSP store down as promised.
It also closed the MyPlayStation web feature as of the 28th of June, so you’ve probably noticed that no longer works if you’ve tried to access it today.
Back in April 2021, Sony closed the PS4 Communities feature on the past-gen console. This was following an announcement that it would be shutting the Communities services down. So, now that is gone, too.
PlayStation: Is it Really “For the Players”?
Up until 2020, Sony used the slogan “For the Players” to accompany its marketing across a wide range of media, from TV to billboards. But, with all of these services closing, is it really for the players? What about Vita Players? What about PS4 Communities users? What are their options?
Sony thought up a nice flashy new slogan for its marketing blurb in 2020; “Play Has No Limits”. Really? Seems it is full of limits to me. You can’t even send your own PS5 screenshots to non-PS devices easily, even if you use the PlayStation mobile app. It is just a massive pain.
So, for the players? Not all of them. Play Has No Limits? Erm… yes, it does. Sony really needs to work on making PlayStation the social experience it constantly claims it is.
Sorry, PS Vita Players
So, another day another disappointment for owners of the PS Vita. While the PS Vita store may still be open, the console’s social functionality has been taken away.
And who knows how long it’ll be before the Vita store sees closure, anyway? It is ten years old in 2022, so Sony won’t continue supporting the console for much longer.