Late last week, we heard a report that claimed some major changes were on the way to the PlayStation Store. According to that report, Sony planned to stop selling PS3, PS Vita, and PSP games through the mobile and web implementations of the Store. Just as well, Sony would also stop PS4 apps, themes, and avatars through those channels as well.
Ahead of the PlayStation 5's launch next month, Sony is reportedly making some big changes to the way the PlayStation Store works. Apparently, the company has been sending out emails to developers saying that later this month, games for the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PlayStation Vita will be inaccessible through the PlayStation Store for web and mobile. Just as well, it seems PlayStation 4 apps, themes, and avatars are leaving the web and mobile implementations of the store as well.
It's no secret that Sony has officially pulled the plug on its last gaming handheld but that was really only as far as production of the PlayStation Vita and its cartridges go. One would expect the console to continue working with existing games though some Vita-related servers to eventually fold. Unfortunately for players of Killzone: Mercenary, that happened without warning even when those official servers were actually run by Sony itself.
It might be doing terribly on smartphones but Sony is, fortunately, doing well in most of its other businesses. Its PlayStation, under the Sony Interactive Entertainment company, remains one of the top two (or three) gaming systems in the world and it could get an infusion of new interest and profits with the expected launch of the PlayStation 5. That may not be the only thing that Sony is preparing for, however, as hints of a new gaming device may be on the way thanks to a patent for a gaming cartridge.
If you've been following the gaming world, you've probably already heard the bad news: the PlayStation Vita has officially been discontinued. We first caught wind of Sony's plans a couple of weeks ago, when it updated the listings for the two remaining PS Vita models to say that production would be ending soon. Then, over the weekend - only a short time after those updated listings were discovered - Sony finally pulled the plug.
The writing has been on the wall for months but the ax has finally fallen. PS Vita mortuus est! Sony has officially ceased the production of its remaining gaming handheld console after months of winding down everything connected to it. And with no plans for a successor of any kind, Sony has practically surrendered that market to Nintendo as the Switch continues to outsell, or at least out-hype, both Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.
Sony has revealed the free PlayStation Plus games for March and the list of free games is a fair bit shorter than we're used to seeing. That's because Sony has ended support for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita beginning in March. Though PS3 and PS Vita users can still subscribe to PlayStation Plus and receive other benefits, they'll no longer receive free games each month.
It's time to pour one out for the PlayStation Vita, because its days are officially numbered. Sony of Japan has updated its listings for the two remaining PS Vita models to say that shipments of both will be ending soon. It appears, then, that Sony is preparing to pull the plug on production at some point in the next couple of months.
Although the Nintendo Switch was long rumored, just like a new smartphone, its wild success was still a pleasant surprise, even to Nintendo itself. But no one was perhaps more surprised than Sony's PlayStation division, which didn't see a market for portable gaming. At least according to former PS chief Andrew House. Now the tables have turned and heads have changed and new chief John Kodera is singing a different tune, one that's more open to the possibility of yet another portable PlayStation to challenge the Switch's dominance.
Earlier this week, Sony dealt a blow that we all knew was coming. The company revealed to developers that it will stop producing physical game cartridges for the PS Vita, a move that marks the beginning of the end for the handheld in a lot of ways. While Sony might be ready sunset the PS Vita in the US and Europe, it looks like the handheld is being saved from a similar fate in Japan.
The Nintendo Switch may have revolutionized portable consoles but it wasn't the first in that category. That same promise of "console gaming on the go" was made by the Sony PlayStation Vita around 6 years ago. Unlike the Switch, however, the PS Vita failed to woo gamers and developers alike, particularly in Western markets. Now it seems that the writing on the wall has appeared for the PS Vita with Sony confirming that the production of physical games for the portable console is being laid to rest.
As alarming as it may be to realize that we've arrived at the end of April, the fact that May is right around the corner means that it's time for Sony to reveal a new slate of PlayStation Plus games. Those who are planning to pick up Detroit: Become Human when it launches later on in May might want to have a look at this new batch of PlayStation Plus games, as one of them comes from Detroit's director, David Cage.