Report: PS3, Vita, and PSP stores to be permanently closed in a few months

The PS3, PS Vita, and PlayStation Portable stores aren’t long for this world. According to a source familiar with the situation (verified by TheGamer), the stores are due to be closed down from July. The announcement is planned for the end of this month.
 
PSP’s and PS3’s stores are to be closed on July 2, while the PS Vita store will stay open until August 27. After those dates, you will no longer be able to purchase digital copies of games or DLC for any of the Sony consoles mentioned above.
 
The PS3 released in November 2006 and sold a total of 87 million units during its lifetime. The console officially ended production four years ago after 11 successful years on the market and three model redesigns. The PSP enjoyed similar success, selling around 81 million units since its release in March 2005.
 
Notoriously, the PS Vita was a bit of a flop. Sony’s second handheld released in December 2011 and sold between 10-15 million units across its lifetime, despite being an excellent little machine. The handheld recently saw some resurgence in popularity, thanks to how easy it is to turn into a portable emulator.
 
If you own any of the three consoles and you’ve always wanted to download a specific game, now is the time. No doubt the price of physical games will jump up once the stores cease to exist.
 
The success of the Nintendo Switch proves that there's a market for portable consoles these days, so perhaps one day we'll see Sony have another shot at a handheld. We might get a Doom game where you talk to the monsters first, but you never know.
 

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