PlayStation Store shutting down for PSP / PS3 / PS Vita

[Bear78]

So there was a recent report that the PlayStation store is shutting down for PSP / PS3 / Vita. You can read more about it here: https://www.thegamer.com/...tores-permanently-closed/

Then last Saturday (3/27) Sony finally took down the "old" PlayStation store that you could access on the internet to purchase PSP / PS3 / Vita games.  Again, more here: https://delistedgames.com...ation-store-back-for-now/

While you can't access the store online anymore, you can still access the store though each console itself to purchase and download games / DLC / etc.

I have no idea if this means you will not be able to download anything after this date (purchased content, patches, etc.) but you might want to consider getting anything downloaded that you want to keep.


EDIT: here is the Official announcement: https://www.playstation.c...support/important-notice/

[Bear78]

As for myself, I spent last week before the online store was down purchasing any free DLC / Games / etc I could find for PSP and Vita.  It was a lot easier to do it on the online store.  Also made sure to download everything I wanted to my PSP (Haven't gone though my Vita yet).  

If you are wondering, yes you can still get online with your PSP, sign into the store, and download content.  You can't browse for games but you can access your download list and if you search for a specific title, you can purchase and download it. I loaded up all my physical PSP games and checked for updates (I didn't have a single one but don't regret it).

I've also been trying to track down and physical PSP games I still wanted before prices start to get crazy (some already are).

[douglie007]

Maybe too little to late, but any must have digital only stuck on these systems?

[Bear78]

Maybe too little to late, but any must have digital only stuck on these systems?

My Life in Gaming is supposedly working on a video to cover that.  Personally, I picked up some DLC for games I have, the third LoccoRocco game that was digital only, a few PS1 classics, and a 2 of the Ys games since they are selling for like $200 CIB now.

[MetalFRO]

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but this is just one more reason to continue to purchase & support physical media. Yes, as gaming generations go on, the more games will be buggy or broken on day 1, but unless you're only playing AAA titles, there will be a lot of games that should still be playable in the future. These kinds of things just strengthen my resolve to continue to invest in carts & discs. Not because I know they'll be worth something someday, but because I'll still have a perpetual license to use that item in the future.

[shaggy]

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but this is just one more reason to continue to purchase & support physical media. Yes, as gaming generations go on, the more games will be buggy or broken on day 1, but unless you're only playing AAA titles, there will be a lot of games that should still be playable in the future. These kinds of things just strengthen my resolve to continue to invest in carts & discs. Not because I know they'll be worth something someday, but because I'll still have a perpetual license to use that item in the future.

This is exactly the reason I don't buy digital.  You don't own it, it's a rental.  Unfortunately, you and I get it but the new generation do not.

[Bear78]

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but this is just one more reason to continue to purchase & support physical media. Yes, as gaming generations go on, the more games will be buggy or broken on day 1, but unless you're only playing AAA titles, there will be a lot of games that should still be playable in the future. These kinds of things just strengthen my resolve to continue to invest in carts & discs. Not because I know they'll be worth something someday, but because I'll still have a perpetual license to use that item in the future.

I 100% agree and always buy physical.  I very rarely buy digital.  I'll even wait it out to see if something gets released physically usually.  As stated, I've bought some digital only PSP stuff this last week and this is probably the most digital games I've ever bought lol

[Bear78]

Update, Sony reversed its decision.  PSP is still shutting down but PS3 / Vita is sticking around.

https://blog.playstation....will-continue-operations/

[MetalFRO]

You should still be able to buy PSP games via PS3, and then transfer them to the PSP via a USB cable. Not ideal, but for that 1 or 2 games you may have been on the fence about, it's at least a viable option.

[Link41]

Fun fact: Any digital PSP game on the Vita gets button mapping and also a resolution boost

[bombatomba]

Update, Sony reversed its decision.  PSP is still shutting down but PS3 / Vita is sticking around.

https://blog.playstation....will-continue-operations/

I was pretty stoked too until I learned that there are publishers who have still decided to delist some of their games anyway!  Luckily for me nothing I am interested in is gone, but I am sure there are people ticked they can no longer get any of the five PSX Namco Museum games anymore (even though those game are pretty cheap).

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but this is just one more reason to continue to purchase & support physical media. Yes, as gaming generations go on, the more games will be buggy or broken on day 1, but unless you're only playing AAA titles, there will be a lot of games that should still be playable in the future. These kinds of things just strengthen my resolve to continue to invest in carts & discs. Not because I know they'll be worth something someday, but because I'll still have a perpetual license to use that item in the future.

Given the recent experiments some gamers have had with the PS4, hedging on physical in these modern times (at least in the Sony camp) will not save your games, at least if you want to stay with original hardware (https://wccftech.com/ps4-no-offline-games-cmos/).  If need be I'll just hack my PS3 to save my games, but I think outside of Nintendo I'm tapping out of the console arms race. It's only going to get worse from here on.

[MetalFRO]

Given the recent experiments some gamers have had with the PS4, hedging on physical in these modern times (at least in the Sony camp) will not save your games, at least if you want to stay with original hardware (https://wccftech.com/ps4-no-offline-games-cmos/).  If need be I'll just hack my PS3 to save my games, but I think outside of Nintendo I'm tapping out of the console arms race. It's only going to get worse from here on.

That's kind of where I'm at, as well. I have a spare PS3 I need to replace a PSU in, and it's been years since I booted it up, so it's on a low enough system version to hack, which is what I'll probably do with that model. And though the Xbox Series is somewhat attractive due to the backwards compatibility, it's still spotty. If it was more all-encompassing, I'd be on board right away. As it stands, I still don't even have an Xbox One, and there's little incentive to do so now, unless I find one dirt cheap. I expect Nintendo to continue with the Switch line/ecosystem, and despite their digital sales going up, they have to know they have a very strong contingent of physical buyers of Nintendo products, so I suspect they'll continue to provide that for players for at least another generation, possibly 2, until doing so is no longer incentivized by the buying populace, at which point they'll probably jump on the all-digital bandwagon. At that point, I'd have a Nintendo console for the few exclusives I want to play, and the convenience of their offering, but would likely do everything else on PC, unless Sony has enough good exclusives to warrant keeping them around, or something like the Amico offers enough of a compelling experience to make it viable.

[bombatomba]

@MetalFRO

Yeah man, I think that is the way to go.  I've only installed CFW on my Vita (primarily to test and see if Ilike it, and also to play my PSP and PSX games) and have no regrets.  For the most part all of my PSP games play on the Vita (though the GTA Stories games are a little weird), and that also goes for the games I've purchased in the PSN store and had to transfer via my PS3. Also, like Link41 said they tend to look better and also benefit from a nicer analog stick.

Personally, I'm kind of hoping the Switch takes on Nintendo's previous upgrade path their dedicated handhelds went down, so that we should get a large amount of longevity that is often missing from consoles (but is mostly present on PCs).  In fact that is my biggest gripe about most consoles; their constant need to kill the old ion favor of the new.  Sure some of them will offer up a bone every now and then (like backwards compatibility) but nothing really of substance unless it is so easy it does nothing for their bottom line, and it doesn't help that some of these companies are just too eccentric. Take Konami. Sure, their T-16 Mini wasn't the most popular, but I know that is they entrusted a company to make curated compilations (perhaps a series of them) of the T-16/PC Engine properties they own Konami could make a killing in the console/handheld/PC market with only a minimal effort and cost.  To make it even cheaper they could just release them digitally and license a company like Limited Run Games to provide physical copies to those that would extra. Then I could finally get my hands on Neutopia II and YS Book 1 and 2 without paying a massive premium!  Um yeah. I guess that was just a rant about getting T16/CD games.  Sorry.