Sony Planning To End Support For PS3 And PSP Soon

Earlier this March, Sony has officially announced that PlayStation Vita cards and most of the existing PlayStation Vita models’ production will be halted, marking the official death of the system. It had a good run, lasting from its original release back in late 2011, but that cannot compare to two earlier consoles from Sony, although it looks like their time is also up.

Sony Japan revealed yesterday that as of that day, they would no longer support repairs for the PSP-3000 or PlayStation 3 models. The reasoning behind the PlayStation Portable, it would seem, is that “repair parts are no longer in stock.” Sony has also advised the millions of owners of the handheld system to “ask [Sony] early” in case they need their PlayStation Portable repaired. It’s amazing, because the PlayStation Portable is seen as something of a legacy system for quite some time now, even years before, and yet you can still get official parts and services for it. Or course, now that it’s been halted, you might have to look for third-party services, which are fortunately in abundance, although one can’t speak for the authenticity and expertise of such service providers.

In any case, the PlayStation Portable had an amazing and memorable run. It was released back in 2004, which, hard as it may be to believe, is 15 years ago now. The console was sold officially by Sony until December of 2014 in Europe. Comparing that to the Vita’s 2011-2019 run and you see just how much players have really gone on to prefer the PlayStation Portable.

The PlayStation 3 has a lot more going on for it, in terms of celebration. This retirement is pretty well-earned, considering that it lasted from November 2006 to May 2017, matching the original PlayStation’s 11-year run. Nothing can still beat the PlayStation 2, though, which, as it stands, ran for 13 years, during 2000 to 2013. This speaks to the overall quality of the PlayStation brand, and how endearing it has become to players worldwide.

If you are an owner of any of the PlayStation 3 models below, you can send yours for repair up until May 31, 2019.

• CECH-3000A (160GB model) - Release date late June 2011
• CECH-3000B (320GB model) - Release date late June 2011
• CECH-3000ALW (160GB model) - Release date September 8, 2011
• CECH-3000ATX (160GB model) - Release date September 8, 2011
• CECH-3000ANK (320GB model) - Release date November 17, 2011
• CECH-3000BSB (320GB model) - Release date November 17, 2011
• CECH-3000 BSR (320GB model) - Release date November 17, 2011
• CECH-3000BFF (320GB model) - Release date December 15, 2011
• CECH-3000 BOP (320GB model) - Release date March 1, 2012

The target PlayStation Portable devices are as follows, and will continue until supplies last. Stock is limited, though, so if your unit needs repairs, now may be the time to send it to Sony.

• PSP-3000 Series Launch Date October 2008
• Peripheral devices of PSP (PlayStation Portable)

Sony’s next-generation console, tentatively called the PlayStation 5, is expected to hit markets sometime next year. You can learn more about it as part of Mark Cerny’s exclusive interview right here.

Source.