Well, it was bound to happen at some point, but one comes far sooner than the other.
On March 31st, the Playstation Store will no longer be accessible from a PSP. While the dedicated store (app?) will no longer function, you can still use the browser to make purchases on the Playstation Store. Youll also be able to download any previously purchased content (including anything you purchase from the browser) from the PSP’s download list. If for whatever reason that doesn’t work for you, you can download whatever you need to a PS3 that has the same account as the PSP and transfer content that way. There’s also the option to do that via PC, as long as you have Sony’s MediaGo software. Both the PC and PS3 options require you to have the PSP hooked up through a USB cable to which ever your transferring content from.
Sony officially stopped production on the system back in mid 2014, just shy of ten years of it’s tenth anniversary. That’s a hell of an impressive run for Sony’s first portable console, especially considering it was up against Nintendo’s juggernaut, the DS. Nintendo went largely unopposed in the portable market for years and Sony definitely gave them some solid competition. There are more than six times as many PSP’s out there than Wii U’s (around 12.5 million). Not too shabby for playing second banana to the DS.
With a much less impressive run, Sony is discounting the Playstation Vita TV in Japan, which is known (just barely) as the Playstation TV in the rest of the world. That includes the standalone version and the one that comes bundled with a Dualshock 3 and memory card. This definitely is a bit more a definite farewell than the PSP’s. While Sony hasn’t said anything, it’s safe to assume we’ll likely see the discontinuation of the Playstation TV in North America and Europe fairly soon as well.
The PSTV never really found its footing with consumers. At last report, which was January 3rd, the PSTV has sold 185,452 units in its lifetime. A rather fate considering the PSP sold over 82 million units in its lifetime. Hell, the Vita itself has sold around 4 million units. Oh well, if you have one, good for you. It was a cool idea that just never really took off very well. If nothing else, it’s a great way to play PSP and PS1 games on your TV, which was the main reason I purchased one. My cohost on my podcast Anthony Villanueva and regular guest Luke Maxwell have them too, although Luke is less fond of it than Anthony and I are.
If you’re at all interested in one, now might be a good time to scoop one up.
I like video games. Talk to me about video games and I'll never shut up. Anything else? Yeah, you're probably on your own.