Sony has re-embraced backward compatibility with the PlayStation 5, although unlike their rivals at Microsoft, their support only goes back a single generation. You can play the large majority of PS4 games on your PS5 without trouble, but most games from the PS3 era and earlier are still out in the cold. And that goes double for games released for Sony’s oft-neglected portable systems the PS Vita and PSP. Well, according to a new rumor, Sony is about to make games released on systems other than the PS4 and PS5 even harder to acquire soon.
According to TheGamer, which has become an increasingly-prolific source of insider info recently, Sony is planning to shut down their PS3, PS Vita, and PSP digital stores this summer. Word is, the PS3 and PS Vita stores will be officially retired in July and the PS Vita’s store will be wound down in August. Take this info with a grain of salt for now, although we may not have long to wait for confirmation, as TheGamer claims Sony will likely announce the move before the end of the month.
Of course, we can’t reasonably expect Sony to support digital stores on largely dead platforms forever, but given their spotty support for backward compatibility, this means a lot of good games that are still only available to play on PS3, PS Vita, or PSP are going to fall through the cracks. I’d love to see Sony pair their announcement that they’re shutting down older storefronts with an expansion of backward compatibility, but my hopes aren’t particularly high.
Assuming this rumor turns out to be true, Sony will be closing the PS3 and PSP stores on July 2 and the PS Vita store on August 27, so make sure to download whatever you might want before then! What do you think? Are there any specific games you’ll be grabbing?
