PS3, Vita, And PSP Stores To Be Permanently Closed

[emailking]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

Some more issues have been cropping up this time PS3 games are no longer able to be updated because the files are no longer on the servers.

Only ones I have are flOw (but I have the PS4 version too), Journey (same thing), and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (but it says only some versions, I guess it means regions).

It sounds like some that were problematic are patchable again.

This is discouraging though. Many have raised this worry before, but I assumed it would not happen for a long time to come.

[jimidini]

https://games.slashdot.org/story/21/...ation-hardware

Unless something changes, an issue lurking in older PlayStations' internal timing systems threatens to eventually make every PS4 game and all downloaded PS3 games unplayable on current hardware. Right now, it's not a matter of if but when this problem will occur. [...] The root of the coming issue has to do with the CMOS battery inside every PS3 and PS4, which the systems use to keep track of the current time (even when they're unplugged). If that battery dies or is removed for any reason, it raises an internal flag in the system's firmware indicating the clock may be out of sync with reality. After that flag is raised, the system in question has to check in with PSN the next time it needs to confirm the correct time. On the PS3, this online check happens when you play a game downloaded from the PlayStation Store. On the PS4, this also happens when you try to play retail games installed from a disc. This check has to be performed at least once even if the CMOS battery is replaced with a fresh one so the system can reconfirm clock consistency.

Why does the PlayStation firmware care so much about having the correct time? On the PS3, the timer check is used to enforce any "time limits" that might have been placed on your digital purchase (as confirmed by the error message: "This content has a time limit. To perform this operation go to settings date and time settings set via internet"). That check seems to be required even for downloads that don't have any actual set expiration date, adding a de facto one-time online check-in requirement for systems after their internal batteries fail. On the PS4, though, the timing check is apparently intended to make sure PSN trophy data is registered accurately and to prevent players from pretending to get trophies earlier than they actually had. You'd think this check could be segregated from the ability to load the non-trophy portions of the game, but player testing has shown that this seems to be a requirement to get PS4 games to load at all.
Last month, Sony shut down PlayStation Store access for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Portable. Sony will eventually shut off the PSN servers that power the timing check for hardware it no longer considers important. "After that, it's only a matter of time before failing CMOS batteries slowly reduce all PS3 and PS4 hardware to semi-functional curios," adds Ars.

Sony could release a firmware update that limits the system functions tied to this timing check, but Sony hasn't publicly indicated it has any such plans.

[khalbrae]

Sony thankfully backtracked on PS3 and Vita store shutdowns. But not PSP.

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by khalbrae

Sony thankfully backtracked on PS3 and Vita store shutdowns. But not PSP.

While sucks for people who only have a PSP. But if I can continue to buy the PSP stuff through my PS3 or Vita, I am okay with the PSP store being gone.

[khalbrae]

Originally Posted by MOONPHASE

While sucks for people who only have a PSP. But if I can continue to buy the PSP stuff through my PS3 or Vita, I am okay with the PSP store being gone.

The Vita store didn't allow you to buy every PSP game, but yes it's nice that most will still be available.

[Musashi]

Is a thread title change in order?

[emailking]

Never bought something from the PSP store and can't imagine I would ever want to so that doesn't affect me. Glad the other stores are staying open.

I had been trying to think of what I might want to buy before the store closed. At first I thought of Grounded DLC for Last of Us in case I want to fill in those trophies someday (I did play Grounded on the remaster though), Turns out that DLC has been removed from the store for unknown reasons! Then, as I'm working on Doom 3 PSVR right now, I thought maybe I should get the PS3 doom standalone games (for Doom 1 and Doom 2), as though have easier trophies than the PS4 counterparts, and the Doom 2 one includes Final Doom which the PS4 counterpart doesn't. Turns out they removed those from the store so people wouldn't accidentally buy the PS3 versions when they wanted the PS4 versions. Then I remembered there were some Teenage Mutant Turtles remasters that I never got around too. And all of those have been removed from the store for licensing issues.

Strike 3 and I'm out! haha. Well at least the store isn't coming down now. But I guess the lesson is don't wait to buy stuff you might want someday, because eventually it gets delisted anyways.