Reversal: PS3, Vita, And PSP Stores To No Longer Close Permanently

[KingSkovald]

28 minutes ago, Sendai-Horatio said:

You're complaining about things related to having an all digital ecosystem but PC is an all digital storefront and could suffer the same fate.

 

Steam doesn't even provide for windows XP anymore.

PC is a device which belongs to you and is not owned by any company, you are free to use discs, digital stores or even download them illegally if there is no other way to purchase them. Not sure what was the point about Windows XP dude, if you are tech-savvy enough you'll be able to run whatever you want on Windows 10, PS3 emulation included.

 

23 minutes ago, DEI2EK said:

People like the trophy ecosystem or have put too much money into the playstation eco system to jump ship. Myself I have both Nintendo and Sony consoles but i have hundreds of games for PS1-5 on my shelf. To drop all that and go with Microsoft is too much to ask.

Your point is completely valid, I understand that it's panful to leave large library. My PSN profiles show 105 games played, that's only about 15% of games I own for PS3-PS5 and vita in total.
But I won't be just throwing my consoles away, will be using my PSN account as my gaming legacy and play casually (finally!) over all those games and will just enjoy them. Time is changing, I must reflect. No way I'm giving more money to Sony.
I love my PS3/PS4/Vita and will be keeping my PS5 which I purchased just few weeks ago and have only few games for it, but damn. If you love it, let it go lol

Edited March 30, 2021 by KingSkovald

[aishsha]

6 minutes ago, BGriff1986 said:

They sent out an email confirming it yesterday, and the details are live on their support page. How is that not an announcement?

My bad, they did add the support page in the last couple of hours since that's when I last checked. No email received for any of my 5 accounts. And no, support page is not an announcement.

[KingSkovald]

22 minutes ago, awf9495 said:

Have you forgotten Microsoft's initial plan for the Xbox One? Today's hero is next gen's villain. Microsoft Will make a ton of money off of the goodwill they generate combined with Sony's awful decisions, get cocky and greedy and come up with some boneheaded plan to make more money, and then Sony will swoop in with some pro consumer moves and the tables will turn once again.

Situation is always changing, obviously after all the mess Ryan is going to do with this company they will try to recover and play a nice guy. Microsoft was winning Xbox 360/PS3 gen and then relaxed too much, Sony took over. If Sony will recover this time that's also good, maybe their new head will be smarter and rectify the mess Ryan is doing. I'll only be glad if it happens and come back but for now I'm just not going to pay them anymore, can't pay for screwing me over and over again, it was last straw for me

And I'm not going to sell my ass to Microsoft, my personal pick is PC + Switch

Edited March 30, 2021 by KingSkovald

[aishsha]

18 minutes ago, KingSkovald said:

and will be keeping my PS5 which I purchased just few weeks ago and have only few games for it, but damn. If you love it, let it go lol

The only game I can think of right now for me is FF14, which is also absolutely the same well... on PC.

[Sir_TyroneOBE]

Sony out here acting with Disney levels of decision-making.

[Darghel]

Right, considering now it's gonna be closing, i should make an US psn account to get some of those games now (especially the JRPGs, since we Euros weren't blessed enough to grab the classics like Xenogears)...which begs the question: does it give you problems if you make an US account if you're EU? Don't wanna risk getting banned or anything. Last thing I need is that!

[MidnightDragon]

Just now, Darghel said:

Right, considering now it's gonna be closing, i should make an US psn account to get some of those games now (especially the JRPGs, since we Euros weren't blessed enough to grab the classics like Xenogears)...which begs the question: does it give you problems if you make an US account if you're EU? Don't wanna risk getting banned or anything. Last thing I need is that!

Lots of people do it. Don't worry. 

[shaunsheep677]

15 hours ago, SuperSmexy500 said:

 

I've beaten this horse to death at this point, but the stores closing in just 3-5 months is the thing that really confuses me, and pisses me off the most. I doubt the stores are a drain on their profits, if anything, they are almost definitely still seeing small profits from them, so I don't get the rush. Also still don't understand why they didn't announce this when they announced the new webstore redesign.

 

I feel sorry for devs still developing for Vita that had to learn the news like we did. Someone even got a Vita devkit recently. No idea why they weren't informed, probably just incompetence on Sony's part but it's honestly inexcusable for such a large company to do this.

 

It's incredibly disheartening how little Sony seems to care not only about their customers still using their legacy consoles, but also for those developing games for their platforms. Not to mention that they're unlikely to ever have any kind of PS3 or Vita emulator, or bring back PS1/PS2 or PSP games, so that's a lot of history and a lot of games that are essentially going to be lost soon, on such short notice. Sure, PS3s are Vitas are still going to exist, but anyone getting those consoles after the stores close are going to be locked out of a lot of content legally.

Yeah basically if they were 'considering' shutting them down they should have notified about the closures way, way sooner. Like last year sooner. Since they didn't notify us, not even when the webstore was redesigned, the honest and decent thing to do was give everyone a years notice. 'Considering' means they've been thinking on this, possibly for awhile. Funny how they've had time to consider it, but they're giving us hardly any time to make purchases in the middle of a bloody pandemic, and lots of people are in financial difficulties. 

As for the Vita, I mean they never had any love for it. EVER. It's like a disowned child. They made it, promised us 'PS3 quality' games, then abandoned about a year or so after. Never seen a company disown a piece of hardware so quick. Then it turned into something else. While it does have some PS3 quality games on it (Killzone Mercenary is the best looking game on there) it became this portable indie machine (which could also play PS1 and PSP games), and I really liked that direction it went in. Even more so than what it was originally intended for.  I really liked the indies I've played on it like Gunhouse for example. The PS3 closure is bad, I get that games/DLC will still be lost but quite a lot of PS3 games have been remastered/ported to PS4, and there's also PS Now (which isn't that great but at least it's something). With the Vita I think there's far more on there which is going to be lost.

Yeah I feel sorry for the Vita developers, especially since they're indie developers, and not big developers with triple A budgets.

People will probably be put off buying a Vita now. However there are still options, buy physical Vita games. I know a lot of indie games on the Vita have had Limited Run physical releases. The only problem here is you've got to have pretty deep pockets, especially with the Limited Run games which will skyrocket in value after this. The other option is to hack the Vita with custom firmware, which I'm definitely considering now.

I am wondering about the cross-buy games with PS4 though. If you buy a PS4 game which could also be played on the Vita, will you be able to download it to the Vita or not after the closure? I don't know, since the email isn't even clear about how redownloading games will work on the Vita, since the Download List is in the Store.

[KingSkovald]

2 minutes ago, aishsha said:

The only game I can think of right now for me is FF14, which is also absolutely the same well... on PC.

 

Even Sony exclusives are getting released on PC now, and in better quality. Horizon runs at 60 fps on PC (if not more) while on PS5 it still has 30 fps cap because it's just a locked PS4 version.
PlayStation looks like a joke to me now. I still have RE8 pre-order which I'm not able to cancel, will be my last game on PS4/PS5

[Sir_TyroneOBE]

1 minute ago, Darghel said:

Right, considering now it's gonna be closing, i should make an US psn account to get some of those games now (especially the JRPGs, since we Euros weren't blessed enough to grab the classics like Xenogears)...which begs the question: does it give you problems if you make an US account if you're EU? Don't wanna risk getting banned or anything. Last thing I need is that!

No just change your location when making an account or changing your name.

[LoveInHell]

Question: can we still use Netflix and Youtube on the PS3?

[aishsha]

6 minutes ago, KingSkovald said:

 

Even Sony exclusives are getting released on PC now, and in better quality. Horizon runs at 60 fps on PC (if not more) while on PS5 it still has 30 fps cap because it's just a locked PS4 version.
PlayStation looks like a joke to me now. I still have RE8 pre-order which I'm not able to cancel, will be my last game on PS4/PS5

I wouldn't count on this "you can STILL download the games you purchased..." for too long, btw. With the way they've been spitting into our mouths for the last year - it's more likely "you can still until we say otherwise". I say you'd have to download them to stay on the safe side. Which is a no-go for me considering the perspective storage volume.

[Pottercito_]

20 hours ago, blue_blur_98 said:

I know, right? Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is ungodly rare for a late PS3 game. There are very few physical copies available at any given time, and the ones that do pop up are usually at ludicrous prices. Usually $100+, which is way more than I'd be willing to pay. The Ratchet & Clank Collection is pretty expensive too, usually $60 or more, and doesn't include Deadlocked, which you can only get digitally on PS3.

I have the trilogy physycal, I don't know why it is hard to find xD, I have seen several copies in my city of this Ratchet, but nexus just once in my life.

[Dark771]

1 hour ago, SnowxSakura said:

Probably because there's nothing anyone can do about it. They're going to close the store no matter how much people shout and scream. It is resignation at this point

 

True. While I am very disappointed with the current leadership doing all the asinine decisions, I at least understand why they are shutting down PS3 and the remaining purchase options for the PSP, considering how they were up for two generations. Saddest thing about it all is that nobody could do anything about it, same with taking preservation about as seriously as movies. You may choose to move on or not, but the truth still remains: it's hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

 

Farewell, PS3, PSP and Vita. You may be gone, but not forgotten.

 

P.S. The Vita deserved better...

[Cryogenicide_X]

Maybe Sony have done this for a specific reason? Maybe they are going to add PS1,PS2, PS3 backwards compatibility or something. Or maybe they are going to add as many of those games onto PlayStation Now to boost it which makes sense. I'd imagine a hell of a lot more people would subscribe to it knowing that all those games have gone on there or are going to. I mean let's face it, Sony do need to compete better with PS Now because compared to Game Pass, not even in the same league. Surely Sony know how much of a success it is for Microsoft Xbox. 

 

All these things happening at around the same time seems to coincidental. The offer of PS Now for $1. The patent to add trophies to games that haven't got them. The closure of the PS Stores, it must be setting something up for something bigger later on down the line. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Cryogenicide_X

[awf9495]

7 minutes ago, aishsha said:

I wouldn't count on this "you can STILL download the games you purchased..." for too long, btw. With the way they've been spitting into our mouths for the last year - it's more likely "you can still until we say otherwise". I say you'd have to download them to stay on the safe side. Which is a no-go for me considering the perspective storage volume.

 

I agree. I would be hesitant to buy more digital games than you can play in the next year or save to storage. If you are a try-hard trophy hunter, I would be wary of stocking up too much in case Sony permanently pulls the plug on the PS3 and Vita.

 

I have neglected my Vita in 2021 so far, but plan on working on all of my digital backlog so that I can figure out what I want to keep on my memory card so that I can install and update everything that I will want to play/replay...just in case.

[aishsha]

4 minutes ago, awf9495 said:

 

I agree. I would be hesitant to buy more digital games than you can play in the next year or save to storage. If you are a try-hard trophy hunter, I would be wary of stocking up too much in case Sony permanently pulls the plug on the PS3 and Vita.

 

I have neglected my Vita in 2021 so far, but plan on working on all of my digital backlog so that I can figure out what I want to keep on my memory card so that I can install and update everything that I will want to play/replay...just in case.

Well, the only good thing here is that Vita games are relatively small in size and can be stored on PS3. The latter's products, on the contrary...

[Darghel]

32 minutes ago, MidnightDragon said:

Lots of people do it. Don't worry. 

Right, hopefully it should be easy. I heard paying for the games might be problematic cause it needs a registered card, but me and my sister will have to find a way around. There's just too much jrpg gold in the US store to pass up.

[Raidou Kuzunoha XIV]

16 minutes ago, Darghel said:

Right, considering now it's gonna be closing, i should make an US psn account to get some of those games now (especially the JRPGs, since we Euros weren't blessed enough to grab the classics like Xenogears)...which begs the question: does it give you problems if you make an US account if you're EU? Don't wanna risk getting banned or anything. Last thing I need is that!

 

I think you aren't "allowed" to make accounts with fake addresses according to Sony's TOS, but I don't see what's stopping you from putting in the White House address or something, it's a real address after all. Maybe just don't use your real name for good measure, but I doubt it matters.

 

Plenty of people have alt accounts in different regions and I've yet to hear anyone being banned for it, even though it "technically" may be a ban-able offense, maybe? I doubt Sony really cares enough, as long as you're giving them money.

 

15 minutes ago, shaunsheep677 said:

Yeah basically if they were 'considering' shutting them down they should have notified about the closures way, way sooner. Like last year sooner. Since they didn't notify us, not even when the webstore was redesigned, the honest and decent thing to do was give everyone a years notice. 'Considering' means they've been thinking on this, possibly for awhile. Funny how they've had time to consider it, but they're giving us hardly any time to make purchases in the middle of a bloody pandemic, and lots of people are in financial difficulties. 

As for the Vita, I mean they never had any love for it. EVER. It's like a disowned child. They made it, promised us 'PS3 quality' games, then abandoned about a year or so after. Never seen a company disown a piece of hardware so quick. Then it turned into something else. While it does have some PS3 quality games on it (Killzone Mercenary is the best looking game on there) it became this portable indie machine (which could also play PS1 and PSP games), and I really liked that direction it went in. Even more so than what it was originally intended for.  I really liked the indies I've played on it like Gunhouse for example. The PS3 closure is bad, I get that games/DLC will still be lost but quite a lot of PS3 games have been remastered/ported to PS4, and there's also PS Now (which isn't that great but at least it's something). With the Vita I think there's far more on there which is going to be lost.

Yeah I feel sorry for the Vita developers, especially since they're indie developers, and not big developers with triple A budgets.

People will probably be put off buying a Vita now. However there are still options, buy physical Vita games. I know a lot of indie games on the Vita have had Limited Run physical releases. The only problem here is you've got to have pretty deep pockets, especially with the Limited Run games which will skyrocket in value after this. The other option is to hack the Vita with custom firmware, which I'm definitely considering now.

I am wondering about the cross-buy games with PS4 though. If you buy a PS4 game which could also be played on the Vita, will you be able to download it to the Vita or not after the closure? I don't know, since the email isn't even clear about how redownloading games will work on the Vita, since the Download List is in the Store.

 

Yeah, it's completely unreasonable to give such short notice during a pandemic. We'll never know just how long they were "considering" this decision for, but I'm sure it's something they've been contemplating for quite some time now. Why they didn't inform us last year that the stores would be closing this summer, or why they didn't at least give a year's notice with this announcement, we'll never know.

 

I still remember some people at Sony blaming the Vita's failure on mobile games, nevermind its direct competitor, the 3DS, was doing pretty well for itself. Its over priced propriety memory cards and them dropping first party support so quickly are some of the main reasons it flopped in sales. I think the Vita's stores closing are definitely the biggest loss to come from this as well, due to the fact games were still being developed for it (and have now been cancelled as a result), and it's still just a little less than a decade old. Not to mention there's zero emulators for Vita right now, whereas at least the PS3 has one. It's going to be a lot harder playing Vita games in the future than PS3 due to how many of them were digital, the expensive memory cards and their failure rate, and Vita consoles in general being rarer and more expensive than PS3s. Yeah, CFW is an option but it does carry risks (even if you don't plan to use it online, there's always a small chance of bricking the console), and of course not everyone is going to feel comfortable doing that.

 

There seems to be some mixed messages about that. I've bought games that are crossbuy between Vita/PS3 and/or PS4 before, only downloaded one of the versions for the console I intended to play it on, but usually the other versions do appear for me on the other consoles' download lists. But according to the email, you need to download these games to both/all systems before the stores go offline? I'd think if they at least appear in the download list, they're safe, but who knows. As for the download list being in the store, I imagine we probably will be able to still access the store to get to the list after the closure, the store will likely just be blank like the PSP and Wii shops are nowadays. But there isn't really any confirmation from Sony about this, so it's just speculation.

[Darghel]

3 minutes ago, SuperSmexy500 said:

 

I think you aren't "allowed" to make accounts with fake addresses according to Sony's TOS, but I don't see what's stopping you from putting in the White House address or something, it's a real address after all. Maybe just don't use your real name for good measure, but I doubt it matters.

 

Plenty of people have alt accounts in different regions and I've yet to hear anyone being banned for it, even though it "technically" may be a ban-able offense, maybe? I doubt Sony really cares enough, as long as you're giving them money.

I'll be doing some research first but considering that the US store has some games that we EU players never got (mostly jrpgs really) I REALLY need to do this now. I was hoping they would get ported or something but nope, so stuff like Legend of Dragoon (which we have but not on the store) Legend of Mana (yeah it's coming NOW after 20 years), apparently even Xenogears (which wasn't released because of censorship) or the Raidou Kazunoha games are simply too hard to ignore for me who love jrpgs. And there's probably more!

Edited March 30, 2021 by Darghel

[aishsha]

14 minutes ago, Cryogenicide_X said:

Maybe Sony have done this for a specific reason? Maybe they are going to add PS1,PS2, PS3 backwards compatibility or something. Or maybe they are going to add as many of those games onto PlayStation Now to boost it which makes sense. I'd imagine a hell of a lot more people would subscribe to it knowing that all those games have gone on there or are going to. I mean let's face it, Sony do need to compete better with PS Now because compared to Game Pass, not even in the same league. Surely Sony know how much of a success it is for Microsoft Xbox. 

 

All these things happening at around the same time seems to coincidental. The offer of PS Now for $1. The patent to add trophies to games that haven't got them. The closure of the PS Stores, it must be setting something up for something bigger later on down the line. 

PS Now is only available in a handful of countries (as if I could change my region, lol) so I wouldn't count on that.

[MidnightDragon]

1 minute ago, SuperSmexy500 said:

 

I think you aren't "allowed" to make accounts with fake addresses according to Sony's TOS, but I don't see what's stopping you from putting in the White House address or something, it's a real address after all. Maybe just don't use your real name for good measure, but I doubt it matters.

My address is “my house”. They haven’t had a problem yet.

[Lance_87]

1 hour ago, Sendai-Horatio said:

Steam stops selling games all the time, it's why GOG is a thing and their compatibility for many older titles on Steam is greatly in question.

 

There's a "little" difference between delisting some games and mass-removing entire generations of games from sale.

 

Do you seriously think Valve will wake up some day and say "sorry buds, no more games from before 200X"?

Edited March 30, 2021 by Lance_87

[me_is_caveman]

Of all the days for Sony to announce the store closure, they picked a day suspiciously close to April 1...

[Darghel]

1 minute ago, aishsha said:

PS Now is only available in a handful of countries (as if I could change my region, lol) so I wouldn't count on that.

True but there are still games that don't exist in some areas, so if they actually ported all the games on psn now, as much as it's a shitty deal, I would at least give it some thought.