Sony’s been busy adjusting its online marketplace ecosystem of late, including the decision to wind down video purchases and rentals through its PlayStation Store. Other recent announcements, however, have apparently led to enough consumer backlash to warrant a change in plans. Case in point: After announcing the closure of the PlayStation Store on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita consoles, Sony has officially reversed its decision.
Sony had initially planned to close the PlayStation Store for the PS3, PS Vita, and PSP consoles later this year, but a new blog post published this week suggests the company’s had a change of heart.
“Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here. So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices,” Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO, wrote in the blog post. “PSP commerce functionality will retire on July 2, 2021, as planned.”
Ryan went on to explain the original decision to close the PlayStation Store on those older consoles was, in part, to refocus resources on newer hardware, like the recently released PlayStation 5 and its announced, but so far unnamed, next-generation virtual reality headset. The company cited a fanbase that’s still “passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games” for those older consoles in announcing its course correction.
And in case you’re wondering, it’s significantly less likely the company will change its mind about shutting down video purchases and rentals through its PlayStation Store. For one thing, the company is clearly focusing its PlayStation 5 efforts on the console’s gaming capabilities. And besides, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy streaming video, purchases, and rentals through the console’s gradually expanding collection of media apps.