PS3 Returns... Sort Of

This was a 180 today. A few weeks ago, Sony announced the shutdown of the PlayStation 3 store along with the Vita and PSP. If I'm judging it, I wasn't surprised. My thought was around this period of time where it would be shutting down. In a blog from CEO Jim Ryan, they have reversed course. For now, PS3 and Vita stores will still be open. However, the PSP one will be shut in July.

Just because they will stick around for longer, doesn't mean others' worry and a couple of my blogs will be wrong.  It will happen one day. Same with the 360, 3DS, Wii U, what have you. I'm still a little confused about the PSP storefront shutting down. I thought it closed in 2016. Unless I read something wrong, maybe there was something that allowed you to still buy games on its store. Whatever the case, it's a 16 year old system and wouldn't get hurt too much. A very good chunk of its library can by found physically and a number of the digital stuff are games that most will not care much about. Not all, but a decent amount.

The Vita not getting the shaft is a win. Out of the three, this one was what was going to suffer the most due to a huge part of its library being digital only. To go along with the system being a failure, it isn't easy to amass games for it. Of course, that and PS3 have games that garner attention a lot more than PSP from a digital only standpoint. Still, I'd save up a bit to get titles, but not in a panic type of mind now. Look for the ones that are digital only first and keep an eye on prices of physical copies versus the digital ones. Makes a difference in spending six to ten dollars and spending 50 or more.

Enjoy while it lasts.

Tips for PS3, PSP and Vita Digital

This should go without saying, but this topic will have meaning until July 2nd for PlayStation 3 and PSP. Vita on August 27th. If you still like this blog piece after that, feel free to keep clicking as this will apply to other competitors as well. Let's begin.

People are going to want games digitally for PS3, PSP, and Vita. I got a few tips on what to do. 

1. Look for digital only first. I'm not saying you should ignore the physical stuff that were also digital first, but the ones that were digital only should be looked into. These are what you lose for good when a store shuts down. Getting stuff like a Life is Strange and House of the Dead 4 should be a priority. Find what you may like and get it while you can. 

2. Go digital if a physical copy is impossible or expensive. This will apply to PS1 and PS2 games digitally as well. It would be easier to get Silent Hill on PSN because it's not a 70 dollar game. For six dollars, hell yeah. You can easily get into some Turbografx stuff due to it flopping back in the 90s and games not being easy to find for both availability and price. Even some of the Sega stuff can be easily gotten like Sonic CD and Nights into Dreams. For PS3, PSP, and Vita, keep eye on where the prices are for physical releases. It's up to you to determine whether or not you go the physical or digital route for a specific game.

3. Is DLC and online relevant to a game? If it's stuff like costumes and microtransactions, I would hold on to your cash. If you think it's a priority to get additional content such as extra levels, side games, that's what I would focus on. Be weary of online as both PS3 and Xbox 360 have been shutting down servers of games and will continue to do so. Buy at your own risk, especially for stuff like this.

4. Use the Search feature. There is a misconception that games are deleted off of PS1 Classics and other sections. While true in some cases, people do not want to search. When using that feature, you can look for the game that was supposedly deleted. Don't assume quickly a game was taken off.

If you think there's other tips that should be said about shopping digitally for PS3, PSP, and Vita, leave a comment. Making the experience easier and smoother should be something we should aim for. 

Supposed PS Store Shutdown

I've never heard of this website called TheGamer. Looking at responses of people who asked about their credibility, it seems like they don't. A lot of clickbait from the sounds of it, and this one might be like that, but I'm not sure. An unnamed source talked to the site and said Sony is looking to shut down their PlayStation Stores on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. PS3 and PSP supposedly in July and Vita in August. It's not the first to be like that. Nintendo shut down their DS store in 2017 and the Wii Shop Channel two years later.

A lot of people are upset. Unfortunately, a lot are taking it as if it is fact without knowing there isn't any source or the clickbait nature of TheGamer. There is reason for concern, though. Along with the Xbox 360, there were many games on PS3 that you weren't getting on disc. Whatever legion of games that are still there are lost for good if it were be shut down. Same with DLC's. With PS3, if this is to be true, this was to be expected. I'm not sure what the deal is with PSP since its storefront was shut in 2016. You can get games for it via PS3 and Vita, but you have to dig deep and do a search, something I don't think most will use. Vita I can't really discuss, but it's been dead for a long time. That would probably be the worst thing to happen since you can't find many titles physically and a ton over the last five years or so have been digital.

The unnamed source said the announcement would be made at the end of the month. Take it with a grain of salt since it is a clickbait situation. If it were to be true, get what you can, but wait to hear what a legitimate group has to say. How you play games for systems DS and up will definitely be different as the online capabilities get closer to death. Preservation is a much bigger deal in recent memory since 2016, 17. Emulation is not great for these systems and won't for a good while. If to what is alleged is true, I'll definitely target some stuff you should get. But let's see what occurs and if Sony says if they have plans for it or not. Xbox could be in this situation in the next year or two as well.

Investing in Last Generation Consoles

No doubt, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are about finished. There might still be a couple titles coming out for each of those systems, but when, I don't know. Most stores will try to get whatever remaining stock they have of the older systems software, so with that in mind, let's get into the main discussion. Should you be going after the last generation consoles?

Personally, I would get into it now. There are a lot of titles that you can find for relatively low prices, especially for some of the base games. One of these examples is Grand Theft Auto IV. Not every store will be like this, but I saw it at GameStop for practically nothing. You can find a lot for PS3 and 360 for 20 dollars and under. There are exceptions like Ghostbusters from Atari and even kids games like Toy Story 3. For the most part however, the local stores and some GameStops should be fair enough with these two systems, both hardware and software.

What about Nintendo systems? To be honest, it's hard to discuss this company. The systems they have are the hardest to deal with due to expensive prices. No average person is going to waste 60 dollars on an N64 Mario Kart or a GameCube Smash Bros. Melee. For the Wii, it might be an exception for now. If you're dead set on getting that system, invest now on those games that are coveted. Odds are most of the shovelware and certain ports will stay very low, while something like a Zack and Wiki or Metroid Prime Trilogy will get higher prices. I wish I would recommend getting the system purely on the Virtual Console and its physical library, but with Nintendo shutting down the ability to add Wii Points in March, I can't put it high on the must buy list.

With handhelds, it shouldn't be too bad. The problem is finding all sorts of licensed junk. That is one of my gripes with the Game Boy Advance. It seemed like the later half of its life was littered with just about every Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network show getting a game adaptation if it weren't a 16-bit port. The DS still has that problem, but there's still a rich library that you can have. Outside of some Nintendo games, it shouldn't be cost prohibitive. Try finding them at the local used stores. Finding them in the cases is critical.

In regards to the PSP, it's going to be very tough. Despite 70 million in hardware sold, it's library had a tough time finding audiences. Your best bet is seeing if the local used stores have them. Even then, it could be slim pickings with some baseball titles, a Syphon Filter game, and maybe some UMD movies typically seen in a small section. I'm not sure if price will be a huge problem as much as finding any games. You can still download some games, but not on a PSP. More so with a Vita or maybe PS3 if you can find anything or if they are compatible such as PS1 Classics.