Sony reportedly shutting down PS3, Vita, and PSP stores permanently - Android

Pour one out for all those digital games that can't be downloaded again. RIP.

What you need to know

• A new report indicates that Sony will permanently close the PS3, Vita, and PSP digital storefronts in a few months.
• There will be no way to purchase digital-only games that released on these platforms and have not been made available for PS4 or PS5.
• The report states that an official announcement from Sony is apparently planned for the end of March.

You'll no longer be able to buy digital games or DLC from the PS3, Vita, and PSP storefronts in the coming months according to a report from TheGamer. Sources speaking to the outlet have indicated that the aforementioned stores are set to shut down permanently in July and August, with an official announcement regarding the matter supposedly coming from Sony in the coming days.

The PS3 and PSP stores are set to be closed on July 2 while the Vita store will remain open until the end of August. It's unclear what is causing the apparent disparity between the closing dates.

While a lot of older titles are available on PS4 and PS5 through the PlayStation Network and through its Classics program, this closure will mean that a ton of games will no longer be available to purchase at all as they were only released digitally with no physical copies in circulation.

PlayStation Now also includes dozens of PS3 and PS2 games for players to download or stream, and it's unclear what this announcement could mean for the service.

This is another blow to game conservationists and archivists, and another reason that players were hoping the PS5 would be backward compatible with all previous PlayStation generations, as some unfound rumors had indicated. As it stands, only PS4 games are backward compatible on the PlayStation 5, with a handful of exceptions that don't perform up to standards.