PSP, Vita and PS3 stores shutting down later this year

Sony is officially shutting down the store functionality on the PS3, PSP and Vita this year. The first ones to go are PS3 and PSP which will shut down on July 2nd, while Vita hangs around a little while longer until its demise on August 27th.

What does it mean in practical terms? You will no longer be able to purchase games through those consoles. Sony has outlined some finer points:
– You can download your already purchased games after the shutdown
– This also goes for video/media content
– You can still redeem game and Plus codes
– You can still download your already claimed Plus games (as long as you subscribe of course)

When this is done you will no longer be able to purchase any digital content on these platforms, and won’t be able to do in-game purchases in games on these platforms as well.

Existing games on the PS4/PS5 store with cross-buy content will still be supported, meaning that if you have games or purchase existing games with cross-buy you get access to PSP/Vita/PS3 version as well.

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, but I still find it peculiar that they are throwing the Vita store into the trash already, considering there are still developers out there making games for it. The quantity is perhaps not enough to warrant its continued support, but for developers like Lillymo Games, this is obviously a bitter blow. It’s also a reminder of the fragility of digital purchases if Sony ever decides to yank the option to re-download your archive.

Better jump on those stores and get whatever it is you’ve been on the fence about.