Depreciating technology has been a controversial topic in gaming for some time now. As time moves on, the continuous need for newer hardware will always be present, yet many fans are stuck on a previous generation. For a long time, the plan was simple, keep online services running until it becomes financially unsuitable to support both marketplaces. Yet, it seems Sony is taking that philosophy much further and stopping their PSN store services a lot earlier than one might expect. As many have predicted for a long time, the PlayStation 3, PSP, and Vita network stores are being brought offline and so will digital purchases on these consoles. While the move to close PS3 and PSP stores seemed inevitable, the Vita closure has come as a shock to many. The recent news has even caused many Vita developers to stop the development of future PlayStation Vita endeavors.
Salutations Quantumers and Community!
TLDR:
Good news – I am alive and well~
Bad news – PlayStation Vita is not T.T#QuantumSuicide #indiegame #indiedev #vndev #gamedev #PSVita #VitaIsland #CCCN pic.twitter.com/tqsCP2cRy4— Cotton Candy Cyanide (@CottonCandyCN) April 3, 2021
With the announcement coming after many years of embarrassing results in the handheld market; Sony has always wanted to continue maintaining its presence in whatever form that may be. As the fight over custom firmware and piracy has been long and arduous on these consoles, it seems that Sony is finally putting in the towel and giving up support for the PSN store on legacy hardware. Developers like Lillymo games took to Twitter expressing their disdain with the decision to bring the PlayStation Vita fully offline.
Whilst the PS3 library of content continues to exist on both perpetuating PlayStation systems and PS Now, the way to play these games legally is now becoming less of an option. With Sony in the hot seat over online safeguards reducing the lifespan of digital console purchases, the outrage is clear. Fans want to continue to have opportunities to play legal copies of games as publishers continue to try their hardest to combat emulation as a legitimate competitor when no alternative exists. As the games for the system are subsequently delisted later this year, so do more titles that could have released to great success.
So what do you think about the Vita store closing causing the cancellation of upcoming games? Let us know in the comments down below!
