The biggest issue, according to a lot of people, has been the discontinuation of sales for a lot of this legacy software. This is a valid concern – there are quite literally almost ten thousand games spread across these three storefronts, spanning the PS1, PS3, PS3, PSP, and PS Vita. A lot of incredible classics were released digitally only (particularly for the Vita, the market failure of which made retail releases untenable very early on). Multiple PS1 and PS2 classics were sold for affordable and cheap prices on these stores, rather than the literally hundreds of dollars physical copies of them command on auction sites such as eBay. There are great PlayStation exclusives, and titles that were defining for the platform and its legacy, such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Suikoden, Xenogears, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Resistance 3, inFamous 2, Persona 3, and many, many, more, that are now going to be lost in the ether. Your option is either to splurge obscene amounts of money on getting physical copies of these, or just never play these games. They will be lost.

Contrast this approach, for a second, to the competition’s. Xbox’s legacy with games is not even a fraction of PlayStation’s, and yet Microsoft is more respectful of it by literally magnitudes upon magnitudes. Microsoft has made a concerted effort to not only maintain compatibility across now four generations of Xbox consoles, but to honor your purchases across all of them (so the user never has to rebuy their games), and most impressively, give these games enhancements and boosts when played on new systems – free of charge. Where Sony is unwilling to let you even play Persona 3 on your PS5, Microsoft will not just let you play Fallout 3 on your Series X, they will also give it enhanced performance, so that it looks and runs substantially better than it did originally – and this is done without charging the user a dime. Can you imagine Sony, the company that made you buy PS2 classics on PS4 again even after you had already purchased them on PS3, charging a premium for minor “enhancements” such as Trophy support, doing something like that? The contrast in the two approaches is severe and stark, and Sony’s efforts look particularly disdainful of their legacy, and of their users’ investment, in light of how Microsoft has been handling compatibility.

Sony has claimed it approaches video games as a medium for storytelling, a legitimate avenue for human creation and expression. Art like that is not meant to be ephemeral and disposable, it’s not something that is made obsolete because something newer came along, it’s something that is meant to be treated with respect and made accessible to as many people as possible. Can you imagine if Steven Spielberg had never allowed any distribution of Schindler’s List after 1994 because Jurassic Park was here, and it was newer and shinier? Can you imagine J.R.R. Tolkein and his publishers deciding to never give any reprint runs to The Hobbit because The Lord of the Rings was now out, and it was newer and better anyway? If games are actually art, then why are they not being treated as such?

The issue with Sony’s announcement goes even further than just the loss of these games (which is in and of itself an intangible profound loss) too. The PS3 and PSP are extremely old – they are 15 and 17 years old respectively, and honestly, their stores being shut down makes at least some sense. It still hurts, because Sony has made no attempts to ensure compatibility with or access for those games on newer platforms, which is what makes the situation spectacularly terrible – but you can at least understand that decision, even if you don’t like it. But then there’s the Vita.

The Vita is less than ten years old right now from its original release (less than nine for western territories). Shutting down the store for a platform not even ten years old is horrific, and sets an awful precedent for the rest of the industry. Yes, the Vita didn’t do too well in terms of hardware sales, but it has a dedicated community of owners and developers (we’ll get to this one in a bit), and software routinely overperformed on the platform. In spite of Sony’s best efforts to bury the Vita alive, the platform continued to chug along. It continues to get routine releases every month even into 2021 (which makes sense, given that the Vita is less than ten years old). Shutting down the store for a system that isn’t even that old is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable for a bunch of reasons.

One part of that is the notice given. The PS3, PSP, and Vita stores are not the first console online stores to be shut down – the DSi and Wii stores were. However, in spite of how legendarily bad Nintendo tends to be with online services, they had the foresight and the consideration to make the announcement quite literally years ahead of time, giving everyone involved plenty of time to get prepared for when it happened. Nintendo also made the process a phased one – they announced the stores would be shutting down a couple of years down the line, but that balance purchases for the stores would be suspended a year down the line. Again, this approach, while not ideal – those games are still lost to time, and they’re not compatible with Nintendo’s newest platform either – at least exhibited a level of consideration for those ecosystems, and the users and developers who may still be invested in them, however few they may be. Sony’s notice period is… four months for the PS3 and PSP, five months for the PS Vita. That’s all we get. And rather than do everything in properly laid out staggered phases, Sony has taken the webstore that users used to make purchases for these systems (because the stores on the consoles themselves are, let’s face it, terrible) down without any notice or warning at all. This reveals how little they care for not just the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita, and the legacy associated with those systems and the games they had, but also for the users who may still be invested in those platforms, and the developers who may still be invested in those platforms.

Yes, developers. As it turns out, Sony’s spectacularly bad communication and lack of transparency isn’t just for their users, it’s also for their developers. Multiple developers who were still working on Vita games that were due to release this year did not know that Sony would be pulling support for that platform’s store (because, I remind you, the Vita is less than a decade old). In fact, Sony was selling dev kits – presumably worth thousands of dollars, judging by how much dev kits are typically known to cost – to developers as recently as a few months ago with no warning associated. Meaning Sony was willing to take developers’ money for games that they were just going to be starting development on for the Vita, without letting them know that they would soon have no way whatsoever  of actually selling those Vita games, because the Store was about to close soon, and Sony had stopped manufacturing cartridges for the Vita years ago anyway (plus as mentioned already, physical Vita releases haven’t been tenable for a long time).

This basically throws these developers – and these developers are typically smaller indie outfits, not the big developers (whom, reportedly, Sony did give notice to) – under the bus. They are out of the money they used on the dev kits, and they have no way to recoup those games they spent time, money, and resources on unless they can get them out in the next five months and hope to recoup all costs in that truncated period. How will they get the games out by then? They may have to crunch, they may have to enlist help they can’t afford, or they’re just going to be losing a lot of money.

PlayStation became as huge as it did on the back of amazing developer relations. Before the PlayStation came along, the market was dominated by Nintendo and Sega, and both platform holders were known to be, to put it bluntly, bullies to third party developers for their consoles. Sony managed to make the PlayStation such a rousing success because developers of all kinds – the big blockbuster publishing houses, and western ones, yes, but also smaller ones with few credentials, and Japanese ones working on niche titles not guaranteed to be blockbusters – felt welcome in the fold. Sony took decades to build this reputation for developer relations, and it’s why, for so long, the PlayStation was almost a default platform for console developers. 

In the last few years, Sony has done its best to destroy this confidence and longstanding relationship with developers. Sony still rolls out the red carpet for you if you’re a western publisher, or if you’re a Japanese one who puts out huge blockbuster hits like Final Fantasy and Resident Evil – but otherwise, as we have seen, Japanese developers are increasingly being marginalized and alienated by PlayStation, and smaller indie developers from across the world have felt jilted by the console too – no wonder, by the way, if Sony will do things like take their money and then discontinue the store they could have sold their games on without warning or notice just weeks later.

This slow erosion of developer relations is not something they should expect to get away with forever. PlayStation is doing great right now, off the back of well earned and deserved goodwill from audiences and developers alike accrued over decades. But if Sony continues to be hostile to smaller pockets of developers it deems as being so small that they won’t have a choice but to support PlayStation, then it may soon start losing out on their support (among indie developers, PlayStation is already now taking a backseat to Steam and Switch, and several huge indie hits either come to PlayStation late (such as Hollow Knight), or don’t come to PlayStation at all (such as, as of right now, the award winning Hades). Among Japanese developers, we are already seeing multiple smaller developers and games going to the Switch exclusively (such as Shin Megami Tensei V), or coming to PlayStation later, or not at all.

And that kind of loss of support from smaller developers will matter. None of those games may sell millions of software copies or hardware units by themselves, but collectively, they add depth and dimension to the console’s library, which has helped PlayStation stand out and have a more exhaustive and comprehensive library than the competition for 20 years now. Losing those games, and only getting the big Japanese blockbusters and western multiplats, gives the PlayStation the kind of library that Xbox consoles were known to have until very recently – and that kind of library is sorely lacking in the character and texture that helps consoles appeal to all demographics.

This only exacerbates the broader problems that Sony’s discontinuation of these stores, and utter lack of compatibility and continuity efforts, will have. Yes, PS5 is selling great right now, and it’s well deserved – but customers who are burned repeatedly on their purchases by Sony will eventually learn not to trust the company. The fact that probably hundreds of dollars’ worth of digital purchases will now be lost to the ether will probably give a lot of pause to many before they spend money on Sony’s digital stores again (and this company has the audacity to sell a digital only console right now). This kind of loss of confidence is already something Nintendo struggled with with the Switch for years, and digital adoption for their consoles only started to pick up recently, after almost a decade of Nintendo trying. 

Yes, one might make the argument that the broader public doesn’t care – which in and of itself is a stupid and unfalsifiable statement, since there is no way to actually prove that – but the enthusiasts and engaged fans of PlayStation do, and they’re the ones who will be most jilted by this move, and will be the loudest in expressing their displeasure. And as we have seen previously, the enthusiasts making noise about something does leak into the broader public and color perception, affecting sales. The enthusiasts were the ones most opposed to the Xbox One when it was revealed – and that ended up influencing that console’s fortunes for the rest of its life cycle, as well as the brand’s up to now. If Sony continues to burn bridges with its development partners, and its most engaged fans, then the goodwill and success PlayStation enjoys right now could find itself be punctured severely – and they would do well to remember that. It feels like they take their success for granted right now.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Tomorrow will see the official release of the PS5. If you got a pre-order, it seems as if there’s a good chance you’ll may get it in the mail, and good damn luck to those who are going to try and brave this thing on launch day. By and large, we’ve seen most of what there is to see with the system with one piece missing: the PS Store. We know they have integrated it into the system and it’s no longer an app, and now we know something that will probably make at least some pretty happy.

Push Square managed to get their hands on the machine, and they noted that the PS Store is pretty easy to navigate due to the new integration even if they didn’t seem to be huge fans of the new layout. They also say that the Store will now have Wishlist, a feature many have been wanting. That feature was on the webstore at one point, but was taken out for no specified reason. You’ll be able to wishlist any game or DLC that you want. You can even set it send you notifications about it over time as well. It’s unclear if this feature will come back to the webstore or be added to the PS4 store as well.

The PlayStation 5 launches in select regions on November 12th with a full scale worldwide release on November 19th. Sony also released a large scale FAQ on the system, that you can read about through here.

There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to the upcoming generation of consoles. For one, well, new games are coming, of course. But one of the separating factors from this gen from the last is the upcoming consoles will have full backward compatibility with the current machines (and even beyond if you’re going with the Xbox Series systems). And as we’re seeing now, things are being prepped.

As reported earlier today, the new PS Store layout is rolling out in select regions now. As first noted by Twisted Voxel, it seems that all PS4 listings now have something of a warning for being backward compatible with the PS5, even those that haven’t been updated yet. It’s nothing too serious, and I imagine is largely there to cover any potential issues

“To play this game on PS5, your system may need to be updated to the latest system software. Although this game is playable on PS5, some features available on PS4 may be absent. See PlayStation.com/bc for more details.”

We already know the extent of the PS5’s backward compatibility, as well as a few PS4 games that are known not to work, and you can read all about that through here. You’ll be able to play these games on the PS5 when it launches on November 12th.

Sony’s PS5 is almost here. In just under a month, you’ll be able to get your hands on the system (in theory anyway, but good luck if you couldn’t manage to get a pre-order in). With a new system comes lots of other new things, such as a revamp of the PlayStation Store.

We’ve known for a while that the Store was planned to be redone. As noted by the fine folks at the video game forum ResetERA, it seems the new Store is now rolling out in select regions, but it most likely will be live everywhere relatively soon. The store has a far more minimalistic look to it than what we’re used to, and maybe a bit too minimalistic. Several features are said to be missing now, such as the axing of the wishlist, lack of file size information and seemingly no more screenshots on game pages. It’s also glaringly white.

As of now, Sony hasn’t said anything official about this yet, so it could be that the missing features will slowly be added as the store update becomes more widely available. Sony has said the PS5 will be able to access the store quickly now since it will be integrated into the system as opposed to a separate app.

Sony are in the process of making some big changes to several fronts of PlayStation as they gear up for the looming launch of the PS5- and that goes for everything to do with the console’s online and user experience as well. A completely overhauled UI is yet to be revealed, while recently, Sony overhauled Trophies and their leveling system. 

Soon, it seems, they’ll be launching a new PlayStation Store as well. Planète Vita, recently got hold of a document that had reportedly been sent to developers. In the document, Sony explains that a new version of the PlayStation Store will be launching for web on October 19 and for mobile devices on October 28. 

Interestingly enough, it also seems like the web and mobile-based PS Store will become restricted to the PS4 and PS5. The document states that PS3, PSP, and PS Vita games will not be listed, neither will PS4 themes, apps, or avatars. Those who’ve already purchased such games will, of course, keep those games in their library, while you will still continue to be able to make these purchases on the PS4’s PS Store.

Recently, datamining of the web-based PS Store had several mentions of the PS5 and its features, so it’s entirely likely that Sony is planning on overhauling the storefront in preparation of the PS5’s launch. 

Either way, we’ll find out soon enough, so stay tuned. 

Given that Kingdom Hearts 3 and Resident Evil 2 have already shipped 5 million and 3 million units worldwide (respectively), and that they’ve both also been topping sales charts, it’d be fair to say that they’re doing very well, as far as sales are concerned. Their success, predictably enough, can be seen on other fronts as well. Sony recently released the download and sales figures for the PlayStation Store in the month of January, and as far as paid games are concerned, Kingdom Hearts 3 and Resident Evil 2 topped the charts.

Following behind in third place was Grand Theft Auto 5 – a game whose persistent success should no longer surprise anyone – while the much more recent Rockstar title, Red Dead Redemption 2 was in seventh place. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was fourth placed, followed by Madden NFL 19 in the fifth position.

In the free-to-play charts, Fortnite, surprisingly enough, was not in the pole position. It was placed second, trailing behind Realm Royale. Beat Saber, meanwhile, was the bestselling PlayStation VR title, followed by Job Simulator and PlayStation VR Worlds in the next two positions. On the PS Vita, God of War Collection, Jak and Daxter Collection, and Persona 4 Golden topped the charts.

Check out the full charts for all four categories below:

FULL-PRICED PS4 TITLES:

1. Kingdom Hearts 3
2. Resident Evil 2
3. Grand Theft Auto 5
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 
5. Madden NFL 19
6. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
8. FIFA 19
9. Minecraft
10. Battlefield 5

FREE-TO-PLAY:

1. Realm Royale
2. Fortnite
3. Warface
4. H1Z1 Battle Royale
5. Brawlhalla
6. Warframe
7. Paladins
8. 3on3 FreeStyle
9. DC Universe Online
10. Trove

PS VR:

1. Beat Saber
2. Job Simulator
3. PlayStation VR Worlds
4. Superhot VR
5. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
6. Farpoint
7. Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
8. Arizona Sunshine
9. Firewall Zero Hour
10. Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality

PS VITA:

1. God of War Collection
2. Jak and Daxter Collector
3. Persona 4 Golden
4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – HD Edition
5. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty – HD Edition
6. Minecraft
7. Bastion
8. Jet Set Radio
9. Stardew Valley
10. Trillion: God of Destruction

If you have ever used the PS Store on the PS4, you have probably encountered the terrible, awful, absolutely horrendous UI the store uses for its search function at some point or the other. It makes you scroll through a list of letters, one at a time, to enter a game name, and then just dumps a list on you with no organization, and very poorly indexed to begin with.

You can’t even use publisher names to search for games- it’s game name or nothing. It’s absolutely horrendous is what I am trying to say, and how it lasted this long continually baffles me. You’d think it would be the first thing they would look at addressing. But hey, better late than never- ResetEra’s Kyoufu has noted that the search UI has finally been overhauled in the beta for firmware update 6.00, suggesting that a change is finally inbound. Now, you can type the name of the game using the actual proper PS4 keyboard, you get better organized search results, and you can also search by publisher and genre names! Look at Sony actually providing a competent search function for a change.

You can see screenshots for the new interface below, and hope that Sony releases FW 6.00 to everyone soon, so this current search interface is put out of its misery as soon as possible.

The PlayStation Store will be getting a much needed redesign- the face list is planned to be part of the upcoming PS4 update, and moves the Store into a ‘hub’ based paradigm. As reported earlier, this involves each game getting a ‘hub’ page for itself, which automatically displays media and plays trailers for the game in question, and in turn has several pages for expansions, bundles, media, additional details, themes, and more.

The entire setup looks classy- and if you don’t believe me, you can confirm that for yourself in these screenshots that been published online by Reddit user SuperJoho, who is apparently a part of the beta for the next PS4 firmware update.

This redesign was much needed, and it’s nice to see Sony take the initiative on a major UI change for once- my only disappointment is that the awful PS Store clients on the PS Vita and PS3 did not get revamped as part of this process, too.

The Last of Us: Remastered has released in North America for the PlayStation 4 and has been showered with praise from nearly every quarter, despite being a remastered version of a one year old game. Along with releasing on retail, it’s also available to download on PlayStation Network in North America.

It will require roughly 45 GB of hard disk space and will take a good long while to download thanks to those high resolution textures. You can opt to download the multiplayer first which is only 8 GB. You can find the game on the PS Store or in the What’s New section on your PS4.

Currently, The Last of Us: Remastered is available in a few regions though you can expect greater availability in the coming hours. The game will be out tomorrow in Europe and on August 1st for the United Kingdom, so you can count on it being available for download there within a few days of its retail release date.

The new PlayStation Store update is out, and the games in the spotlight this week are… well, they’re a mixed bag.

On the one hand, we have episodes 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead: Season 2 for the PS Vita, which you can buy for the regular price, or for a discounted price if you buy the Season Pass as well. “Watch Clementine’s story unfold as she struggles for survival after the events of Season One,” says Sony’s blog update on the European PS Blog. So, yeah, that’s a good deal indeed. People would want to purchase that.

On the other hand, we have Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Bizarre indeed. “Tons of characters spanning various arcs of the popular series are thrown into the mix, with gorgeous, colourful visuals and of course, over the top special moves and fabulous battle poses to top it all off,” says Sony. It could be worth a purchase anyway, to see just what the hell it is.

Also on offer this week is Octodad. “Being an octopus while hiding your identity as one from your family can be very tough,” the post says. Even tougher than being a father, in fact.

Any of those games interest you? Tell us in your comments!