In March, Sony announced that the stores for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 would be closing on July 2nd, and that the PlayStation Vita store would be closing up shop on August 27th. The news was met with a large amount of backlash for a variety of reasons – concerns about game availability and preservation, the short notice period given by Sony, and regarding what would happen to developers still working on PS Vita games (yes, Vita games are still being made). The backlash caused Sony to change their minds on the PS3 and Vita stores, which will remain open for the foreseeable future, but the PSP would still be closed on July 2nd. The decision would mean that some PSP games would simply become impossible to legally access or play.
Well, July 2nd is here, and the PSP store is no more, but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy digital games for the platform anymore, or that any games are now inaccessible. You can still buy them; you just can’t do it on the PSP. The news comes from Sony themselves, who have updated their website to confirm that the games will still be available for purchase on the PS3 and PS VIta, and can be downloaded and played on the PSP via the handheld’s Download List.
“You’ll still be able to purchase and play PSP content that is available on the PS3 and PS Vita stores,” reads the message on the PlayStation website. “However, you’ll no longer be able to make purchases via the in-game store for PSP content.”
It’s great news all around, and while it’s a shame to see the PSP’s digital storefront go, it’s good that players will still be able to access and play the system’s games, even if they won’t be able to make purchases in the in-game store. Game preservation is important; several of the titles exclusive to the PSP are classics, and it’s good that players will still be able to buy, play, and enjoy them. Even if doing so won’t be as easy or convenient as it used to be, this is still an unqualified win for game preservation and anyone who cares about the medium.
