The PS3, PS Vita and PlayStation Portable stores don’t last long in this world. According to a source familiar with the situation (verified by TheGamer), the stores are expected to close in July. The announcement is expected later this month.
The PSP and PS3 stores will be closed on July 2, while the PS Vita store will be open until August 27. After these dates, you will no longer be able to purchase digital copies of games or DLC for any of the Sony consoles mentioned above.
The PS3 was launched in November 2006 and sold a total of 87 million units during its lifetime. The console officially ended production four years ago, after 11 years of success on the market and three model redesigns. The PSP has had similar success, selling about 81 million units since its launch in March 2005.
Notoriously, PS Vita was a bit of a failure. Sony’s second handheld was launched in December 2011 and sold between 10-15 million units over its lifetime, despite being an excellent small machine. The handheld has recently seen a certain resurgence in popularity, thanks to the ease of turning into a portable emulator.
If you own any of the three consoles and have always wanted to download a specific game, now is the time. Undoubtedly, the price of physical games will rise when stores cease to exist.
The success of the Nintendo Switch proves that there is a market for handheld consoles today, so maybe one day we will see Sony have another chance at a handheld. We can get a Doom game where you talk to the monsters first, but you never know.
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