All good things must come to an end, and for the PlayStation Vita’s messaging functionality, that end unfortunately comes today, according to reporting from Push Square. While the Vita’s store got a stay of execution from Sony’s original plan to shut it down on August 27th – as did the PS3’s store, which was scheduled to go offline as the still-closing PSP store on July 2nd – the message functionality did not receive the same reprieve.
As of today, all message functionality for the Vita is disabled, meaning users will no longer be able to message friends or potentially even invite them to games. In addition, any messages that users has save on the Vita will be deleted from the hardware, though users will still be able to access them on the PS4, PS5, or via a smartphone.
The shutdown isn’t unexpected – Sony announced it in March, back when they announced that the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita stores would initially be closing – but it is a blow to the platform. The move is part of a larger plan to effectively phase out the Vita. Sony will also stop accepting submissions for new games on the platform this summer.
