PlayStation will close the PS Store on PS3 and PS Vita in phases, starting in select markets this year before global closures arrive next year. New content purchases will stop on those devices, but players can still download games and add-ons they already bought for the foreseeable future.
PS3 and PS Vita timing
PlayStation said the PS3 store will begin closing in select markets this year. The broader shutdown for PS3 and PS Vita follows next year, which gives owners a short runway to decide whether they need to buy anything else before the storefront disappears.
The company said the store can no longer support updated payment processing standards at the level required by PS3 and PS Vita. That puts the issue on the commerce side of the systems, not on whether the consoles can still run the content people already own.
Nearly two decades of support
PlayStation said it has supported the PS3 console generation for nearly two decades. The company also said PS3 and PS Vita represent an important era in its PlayStation history. The practical result is that these machines are moving out of the active sales channel, even as their libraries remain accessible for downloads.
Phil Hornshaw and PlayStation Blog carried the announcement that set the timetable. The message leaves no ambiguity about new spending: once the PlayStation Store closes on these devices, new content purchases will no longer be possible.
What owners should do now
Owners who still use PS3 or PS Vita should treat this as a deadline for any last purchases tied to those systems. The safer move is to check your existing library now, because the company’s promise covers downloads of previously purchased content, not fresh purchases after the closure.
The unresolved point is the exact list of select markets that lose PS3 access first this year. That detail will determine who needs to act immediately and who has a little more time before the global closure next year.
