A report from last week alleged Sony would soon remove the ability to buy games and content for the PS3, PSP, PS Vita, and more on web and mobile versions of the PS Store. Sony has recently confirmed that such changes will indeed take effect imminently.
From October 21st to October 26th, the company plans to roll out a “brand-new PlayStation Store” for desktop. The update is scheduled to hit mobile devices a couple of days thereafter on October 28th. In an email sent to PlayStation users, Sony explained,
You will no longer be able to buy:
- PlayStation 3 games and add-ons
- PSP (PlayStation®Portable) games and add-ons
- PlayStation Vita games and add-ons
- Apps
- Themes
- Avatars
As previously reported, the email further confirms the discontinuation of PS Store’s Wishlist feature. Thus, items currently sitting in “Your Wishlist” will be removed once the store’s forthcoming update launches.
This is unfortunate news across the board. There does exist somewhat of a silver lining, though. Players will still be able to buy PS3, PSP, and PS Vita content by making purchases directly through each platform’s respective storefront. Meanwhile, PS4 Apps, Avatars, and Themes, will remain accessible via the PS4’s version of PS Store. Players need not worry about previously purchased content on these platforms, either. According to the email, “you will still be able to access all your previously purchased PS3, PSP or PS Vita content as before.”
The PS Store overhaul is undoubtedly Sony’s way of preparing for PlayStation 5’s imminent arrival. After all, we just learned today that PlayStation 5 won’t house a specific app for the storefront. PS Store is instead baked into the next-gen system. Since the hardware manufacturer has yet to show the new PS Store in action, there exists no way of knowing what the future holds in terms of purchasing digital content through PlayStation.