Is this the beginning of the very end for Sony's PlayStation 3 console? It could be. The Japanese giant has announced that from 30th June, the PS3 will no longer possess the ability to send messages to other platforms such as the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, nor will it be able to receive them. The last-gen platform can still trade messages between PS3 consoles, but its ability to connect with more advanced hardware is being taken away.
In the grand scheme of things, this is going to have minimal impact. The number of people actively using the PS3's online capabilities must surely register in the thousands at this point, and we doubt its messaging system is getting much attention. Still, what feature could be stripped from the console next? The removal of communication between other platforms joins the ranks of various PS3 titles whose multiplayer offerings have been taken offline. Let's hope Trophies aren't on the chopping block.
When was the last time you sent a message on a PS3? Try and remember in the comments below.
[source jp.playstation.com]
Comments 96
To be fair, the console is already almost 13 years old so not really surprised by this news.
PS3 was my Netflix machine until September 19. Then we got Disney+ in The Netherlands and it wouldn't get a Disney+ app, so I picked up a refurbished PS4 slim as the new VOD machine. To my own surprise I haven't played games as much in years as I do ever since I picked up the PS4!
I don't mind losing this particular function. But I still enjoy playing PS3 games, collecting trophies for those, as well as watching Netflix and other catch up TV, so hopefully it's only because people dont really use the messaging system much.
I still got my ps3.i l😍ve my ps3.god of war.gta.resistance.the pupeteer.dead space.max payne 3.ratchet and clank.last of us.assasin creed.borderlands.etc.it was a great system.top 5 console ever.word up son
I wish I could still find PS3 controllers ...
This is a good thing because every time I start up my PS3, I get bombarded with old messages from the PS4, the Vita or the app.
They can all use the app to do it anyway, I'm using my PS3 more than my PS4 at the moment catching up on many games I've missed and all for a couple of pounds each
I've never actually sent any messages from my PS3, it's still hooked up and used for both PS3 and original playstation games... Well... Tony Hawk's Skateboard games. I've deleted a few that were obviously pron or virus links right enough. Can't see it being an issue for me personally.
I still have the PS3 hooked up, mainly for video streaming and Daytona USA...
Ironically I reconnected by PS3 yesterday to use as a CD player for background working music.
Also is making me want to return to my PS3 backlog.
I have bought an Used PS3 Slim last 29 December 2019 ago.
Just using for playing games only, never sending any messages.
@elhozzo Loads on ebay bud
Our PS3 is basically a Singstar machine now.
It’s sad the ps3 support is slowly dying. It’s still my favourite platform. I have 240 games for it, I’m aiming for a full PAL set and I’m currently playing prince of persia 08 on it.
To be fair i think ps5 backwards could be coming with all the legacy consoles, whats going on right t now and after watching the lecture from mark cerny i think its coming as their are some hints pointing at it.
@Deljo ... cheers, took a look , do want an official one, and new ... might risk it, but know there are lots of unofficial ones flying around ...
I am actaully welcoming this. I disabled messsage notification on ps3 and with that i also unfortunatly don't see game invites. I hope everyone can get themselves the ps messages app. I love my ps3, but even I have to admit the message system hasn't aged well, let alone integrates itself well with the app, ps4 and vita.
I imangine a year after PS5 launches, PS3 online features may be shut down. but i hope they still retain the feature to sync trophies even after that.
@elhozzo yeah theres loads of fakes on there but in the proper packaging, I bought one and it seemed ok but only lasted a couple of months before the trigger buttons stopped working...
I still play my PS3 I really miss the years it was the console to have because all my friends were online, now even with my isolating I don't get the chance to play as much. I have finally started Metal Gear Solid 3 I never played it during the PS2 years again it was work work work and play sort ish games I know I can go back to. MGS games for me you need to play close to so I know what the hell is going on because I know the story is dam good.
I have a feeling the PS3 will be removed from the network next year to free up PS4 and 5 bandwidth etc. Nintendo did it with Wii I just feel maybe now's the right time next year though I wish they did. Resistance COLLECTION for PS4 it's one game I wish they brought back
@darkswabber Hope you get that collection I'm keeping my PS3 slim and I'm going to start looking for PS3 games disc based and start a collection. I just how trophies can be synced still as features in PS3 vanish
@Nakatomi_Uk now is the right time to collect ps3 physical. It’s one of the cheapest consoles to collect for. Weirdly enough great stuff like uncharted, cod, bioshock etc goes for +-€2 but shovelware like barbie and her sisters goes for €30.
And since you’re based in the UK, CEX is your best friend. But rememberer, never order online, always visit them so you can see the state of the cases and discs for yourself.
@darkswabber Agreed once everything is over and I hope it's soon and safe to go out I'll be looking into it. Considering the Xbox 360 as well because I have played some great games in that system like Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon etc
@Nakatomi_Uk Actually the reason the Wii and DS were taken offline was because of the GameSpy server closures. Nintendo just didn't bother hosting their own servers.
@Link41x I forgot that the Wii servers where hosted by GameSpy I actually forgot about GameSpy lol
It'll be interesting what will happen though regarding psn support in the future though...have some ps plus games like Beyond Good & Evil HD,Scott Pilgrim,& a few others that are tied into plus-if they pull the plug at some point presumably they'll become unplayable offline as they need a licence check.
Last time I sent a ps3 message? Gta online a few years back, idk the exact date, some idiot got out of his car in the middle of the mission and wouldn't get back in and made my friends and I fail the mission so i called him a ummmmm friendly neighbor yeah that's what i called him
I hope trophies will still be ok as i have a load of games lined up to play on my beloved ps3. What a great system and a great era the ps3 was.
Would be nice if they enforce or allow us to completely disable messaging on PS3. Everytime I log into mine (like once or twice a year) I get a thousand notifications of messages from PS4.
try to remember? ok. 15 minutes ago. Ps4 is trash. Who tf is gonna pay to play online? Sony has become a bunch of greedy money hungry people. They always were before but when they dropped ps4 it got so much worse. They cut features from ps3 versions of games to persuade people into getting their money taken away from their pay to play bs. Black ops 3. Ps3 version had campaign stripped off, no emblem editor, and only one map pack dlc.
Wwe games saw similar cuts. It is ridiculous.
I miss the real gaming community. The diverse one. The one where everyone was unique. From budget gamers to high class gamers everyone played together on one place. But now with ps4 people are so snobby and stuckup. Probably because snobs and rich folks are the only ones able to afford the system let alone the games and the online subscription..
I got my ps3 in 2012. I still am gaming on the same one. I bought black ops 2 when it released in 2012. Guess what? IM STILL PLAYING IT. it IS the best call of duty game to exist. tired of the next gen nonsense. sony copied off of xbox360s gold membership for online access pay to play. The controllers suck. It is completely flawed. And i only know from playing on a friends ps4 about twice before i refused to get on it anymore due to the weird controller and control layouts. I still play ps2 as well. Times were better back then. Before the world turned entirely greedy and everyone that games ended up having to be rich to do it... console gaming existed for the main reason that pc gaming was too expensive but nowadays pc and console equal out to similiar price. It is ridiculous. And the day sony drops ps3 servers is the day i quit online gaming.
Sony absolutely needs to continue to support the PS3 especially until they can offer full backwards compatibility on the PS5. I have a lot of great PS3 titles I regularly play in spite of owning a PS4. My PS3 won't be going anywhere until there's another way for me to play the systems many great games.
@Robocod Good point. Sony need to figure out how to support PS3 games on future consoles. I have loads of digital PS3 games and will be very pissed off if I can't play them again. Until you offer backwards compatibility PS3 support must be offered Sony
@LieutenantFatman I do the same. I play my PS3 still every week. I have a PS4 Pro and I still go back to it once or twice a week to clean up old trophy lists. Long as that's the only feature they strip I wont flip out.
I got a PS3 last year and don't play it much but do like having it. Hope trophies don't go yet!
The only thing online I usually do is to sync my trophies. Accessing the PS Store on PS3 it's a painful task and, since we can use the message app on smartphones, the message function became useless.
@LieutenantFatman I was playing Kingdom Hearts 1.5 on my PS3 until late February and I still have a considerable backlog to finish.
To be fair you could never see a ps4/psvita friend online on your ps3 anyway. also the ps4/psvita owner had to send you a message first if you was gonna be able to send a message to a ps4/psvita player. so that they now remove this half arsed connection between the ps3 and ps4/psvita i dont think will be missed much. you can still send messages to other ps3 owners and they get that message on their ps3. anyway most of us use the ps app now days.
To be fair, messaging between systems was gimped sort of on PS3 but hopefully that's were the cut features end for now. I still use mine every now and then
@Pichuka97 exactly, it looks like many here have forgotten it was gimped from the start of the psvita release, and continued to be gimped when the ps4 arrived, and was never fixed by sony. i didnt have a ps4 before 2016 and had to deal with this gimped message system for 3 years when my psfriends got a ps4.
When I purchased an old CECH C model for backwards compatibility about 5 months ago I had a look who had been online on ps3. Everyone was a year and a half ago or more apart from 1 guy I hadn't seen in ages, so I messaged him. Had a bit of a chat on there. No idea why we didn't move it ti facebook, but we didn't. That was a rare case, though. It's really not convenient without a keyboard and the amount of people have one handy and want to talk to people they ONLY have on ps3 must be limited.
Hookup a ps4 controller via bluetooth.
@elhozzo you can you just have to go on either Amazon or eBay...I just got one in this week and it works great
There is no logical reason for this other than to strong arm people into getting a more recent system...
Yet I guarantee you're all finding excuses for Sony in here.
I still have my PS3 but I haven't turned it on in 5/6yrs. I will keep it, just in case I ever want to play any of my PS3 games but I expect my PS4 Pro to take its place in the bedroom....
@ash2ash2000 I say this with as much kindness as possible: Get a job. Four dollars a month. That's all it would've taken you. For $9 a month, you'd have been able to to get a ps4 and banked hundreds of games across the vita, ps3 and ps4. Almost all of the vita games are playable on either the ps3 or ps4.
For less than a Netflix subscription, you'd have endless hours of entertainment. It's not about being rich or elitest. I'd be willing to bet you have no less than one addiction you could simply slightly cut back on and been able to afford that. It doesn't matter if you're a single parent of 10 or a college student. It's time you learn to adult to the simplest degree.
Honestly no one should even be on the ps3 anymore it’s kind of pathetic considering we’re in the last year of the generation AFTER it. You’re telling me in 7 years you couldn’t get yourself a ps4 or find enough to do on it where you’d never go back to the ps3?
“The number of people actively using the PS3's online capabilities must surely be in the thousands at this point”
What an ignorant article, Liam. Hope you weren’t paid to write this garbage. Even BO2 has thousands, maybe close to 10K daily players. I’m sure that there’s probably close to 100K online players on PS3 on a daily basis. Do some research.
@ash2ash2000 you’re completely wrong about this last gen being for the rich only. The ps5 generation on the other hand will be like that and you’ll really have something to complain about. I’ve already read that you’ll have to buy a brand new tv just to get the most out of it, my tv is only 2 years old and it’s already going to be too obsolete, that’s bull. It also seems like to have to be tech savvy to game in the future
@LiamHatesPS3 those games are unplayable with hackers and lag. Yes it was the last great cod but it’s not worth it
@GetALife Not every generation is better than the last. Stupid comment, especially calling people pathetic because they choose to enjoy different things from you. My PS4 collects dust, while I regularly play PS3 and GameCube. Sorry for being pathetic.
@GetALife How do you know? You basically said it’s pathetic to even use the console. BO2, BO1 and MW2 do not lag for me. There’s hackers, but you just leave and join a different server if you run into them.
@Nayyab I don’t think it will happen. PS3 games are really hard to develop for because of the CELL processor.
Once I am still able to play and update a game and download anything I've previously bought on the console I'll remain happy. PS3 is an amazing console and home to a lot of classic games.
@elhozzo I have many spare ones! Would you be interested in purchasing one? They all work great and hold a charge! They can be found all over eBay/Amazon if not!
@GetAlife How 'bout you Get A Life and quit showing your ignorance by insulting vintage gaming.
@Leej07 amen. I'd take a retro game over a new blockbuster game any day
I don't use the messaging system on any console, I use my phone. I also don't have anyone on my console who I don't personally know and wouldn't give my phone number to or at least connect with via social media. Game systems with texting functions are wasted resources.
@elhozzo They have them at most pawn shops. Or try www.gameovervideogames.com
I still play Minecraft on PS3, but that is just because all on my friends are sitii on it, and Minecraft PS4 gets lonely
@ash2ash2000 I also didn't buy PS4 because of pay for online, instead chose to buy more PS3 games and I'm still clearing the backlog. But when PS3 online is killed, I'll buy PS5 & clear PS4 backlog. 😀
@elhozzo You can use PS4 controllers on PS3. No need to put up with the DS3's loose analogue sticks.
Believe it or not I don;t own a PS4 and message my friends who have PS4's from my 60GB FAT PS3. Long story however I am holding out for a PS5. This is not a big deal however it is still cool to keep in touch with friends.
I played Bad Company 2 last night on PS3 I played a few games of online conquest and I was expecting some hackers or glitchers etc but no I got into 1 game with about 17 people in it. Team balancing was slightly out but it was great fun no one was cheating it was just playing the game to be honest it's online mode had me playing for months it's the only game I loved it's online mode as they improved on the first game.
I wish they'd finally removed that singstar add from the ps3's menu. Been there long enough.
@carlos82 I’m the same , PS4 is barely on at the moment
@Luna-Harmony I’m the same in all counts
@Captain_crash199 very good point
@Nakatomi_Uk one of the great things about collecting for PS3, apart from the ridiculously low prices is if you need replacement cases there are literally millions of copies of FIFA for 50p each to harvest them
Still having my PS2, PS3 & just got a PS4 for free 😂 yes, i got my ps4 for free but however, with this news about the ps3 dont surprise me at all and dont bother me but i know this will bother the snot out of others i know that have a ps3
@carlos82 yeah lol it's the truth and I bet CEX would be happy to see the things they take that much space
@LiamHatesPS3 last year they made the servers not accept new players for blkops2 and mw3. so the playerbase will shrink rapidly when new players cant join. so basically activision trying to kill off these old cod games quietly.
if you have a new account your blackops2 game will freeze when it start up, because it try to connect online at start and dont accept new players on the servers. so to play the single player you have to turn off your ps3 wifi or unplug the network cable.
when it comes to mw3 you can start up the game fine but when you try to find a online game you can not.
why havent there been anything about this in the gaming news?
@GetAlife i understand its gonna be expensive, as it is everytime when there is a tv upgrade every 10 year. but have you forgot that when the ps3 arrived hdmi tv was the new thing, and if you had an old crt tv you would not get the most out of your ps3 back then either. the ps4 did arrive in the middle of all the tv upgrades and you didnt need a new tv, you could do with your 1080p hdmi1.3 tv.
but the ps5 arrive at the beginning of the new standard, that is hdmi 2.1. its a good thing thou this will make console gaming much better, and finally we can get in line with the pc games when it comes to fps, hz and you can kiss bad inputlag goodbye for good. so what you do this year is sell your 2 year old tv. then use the money to get a new tv with the new standard hdmi2.1, and in 2021 you get the ps5. it gives you plenty of time to save up some cash before you buy.
@NevG you can use the ps messenger app, or dont you have a smartphone in 2020?.. the days of the nokia 3310 have been over for a decade now.
What a coincidence. I was planning a month long PS3 binge in June. No PS4 at all. I guess I can use the month to message my friends one last time. 😎
That’s fine. As long as PSN doesn’t get turned off that’s alright. After this long this is appropriate, but they better not start turning off other things. Man, kinda makes me want to revisit AC: Brotherhood’s MP. I haven’t been on for something like a year, but could still find a match then.
@TheBuzz I am aware however I like to send messages if I see someone online while I'm gaming. I do have the app. Also FYI I am on my third iPhone and have owned smartphones since 2008. If you're alluding to it I am far from a tech dinosaur man. I took a break due to life happenings from gaming between generations. By the time I got back into it was the end of 2018. I knew the next generation was upon us so I decided to save my money and enjoy what I already have. Hence no PS4 in my household. I have way too many other consoles I can turn on and enjoy. Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.
Just another example of Capitalism not caring about the little guy, whether OR NOT said "little guy" happened part of a group that has made said "large company" billions in profits. It is never enough. Anything to make 10 bucks instead of 1 buck, or loose 12 cents instead of 50 cents.
This is FAR FROM a good example of course. But it is never EVER EVER EVER about the customer anymore. Publicly sure, visibly yeah of course they wrote articles and make announcements. But in truth, they would TRADE A HANDLEFUL OF CUSTOMERS LIVES for a few million dollars, with NOT A CARE in the world. For the greater good (of the company) right??
It is becoming more and more "profit over customer satisfaction".. It has been for a while, and WILL keep getting worse unless the extremely improbable happens - people stick together and stand up for themselves. Yeah....exactly.. As I said.. Extremely improbable. Why? Simple.. People (most likely including YOU) are brainwashed.
Everything from In-APP purchases
To pay to acquire add-ons AND DLC'S that should ALREADY have been in the product from the start, or from pre-order bonuses to going digital from physical for games. It's COMPLETELY ALL ABOUT profit.. And that is it. It is not about rewarding us. It is also not about ease of use, It is ONLY about profit.
But people are stick in their ways so there is no hope, I don't know why I bother reminding people hpw far gone they are anymore. They don't care.
Soon enough everyone will be regularily paying $99.99 for a STANDARD EDITION game, rather than 59.99. And EVERY game will start having pay to access add-ons. Just you wait you'll see.. But you'll be happy and thinking "its okay"..
And I (and others like me) am STUCK and forced to go along with it, or stop gaming.. Oh well..
After all IT IS OKAY!
@LiamHatesPS3 it’s ok I forgive you for being pathetic. To say the current generation isn’t better is false it’s better in every way, better graphics better connection and better capabilities. You’re a nerd. Also your name is LiamHatesps3 so nothing you say defending it should be taken seriously
@TheBuzz if they’re still on ps3 they probably haven’t bought a smart phone yet. No ps app on their ps3 era slide phone
@GoblinKing86 wasted for you. Not everyone has to know someone in person to game with them
@Leej07 lol I knew I’d upset a few nerds on here. It’s my favorite. “Vintage gaming” 😂
@GetAlife This generation is great but the last generation had better finished games. There we didnt have patches of over 30 GB. And the horror called liveservice was introduced i wont call that a improvement. 😆
@Matroska One big isssue though the PS button does not work it quite annoying.
@ash2ash2000 Its quite simple PS plus was not a massive money drain om the PS3 nothing about greed. With the PS3 they got a massive financial clobbering. They really had to turn it around and how old is the PS3 now its time to move on if you want online otherwise you can still play games on the PS3.
@Uoman Lmao, I cant afford netflix either. I havent paid for a movie or tv show in ten years. And i would be glad to get a job, right after someone actually hires me. I have tried to get a job for 2 years now. Always either never get called back, or if i do its a rejection. 2 Different states, no one will hire me and even if they do i am only allowed to work a certain amount of hours on disability. Do i want to work? Yes, i would be glad to have something to do with my life for once aince graduating high school, but because i couldnt get a high school job, i have no prior work experience, so my applications just get turned down in a heartbeat, my ps3 was a present back in 2012. I still game on the same one. Not everyone can afford to pay for entertainment. I cant even afford a place to live and had to move back in with my mom at 20 years old. I can barely afford food of my own, let alone a netflix subscription which is pointless considering i can just grab webrips of the netflix originals or if its a movie, tv show or whatever its super eaay to grab online and save a local copy. Not everyone can experience the luxury of being accepted for a job. If i could work my dream job or legit anything that my body can handle and wouldnt tear down my mental stability further than it is, i would gladly do it. Ive applied to countless jobs, never get hired. Dollar tree, jewelry stores, walmart, family fare when i was in michigan etc... no one wants me for work, which is expected because no one wants me in general.
@Matroska wtf? loose analog sticks are the best, they are easier to use. During ps3 era i refused to buy new controllers because of the tight analog sticks. Only bought used ones that i knew analog sticks were worn in. plus the ps4 controllers are awful, too big, no select button, its complete trash
The messaging system was never something I used heavily personally.
I just wish Sony would give us backward compatibility for PS3 games on PS5, that way when PS5 came out I could box up my PS3 and PS4 and just use PS5 as my one dedicated Sony machine.
@CountryLyricist thanks for the website address ... not seen that before, I am in Europe, and didn't see PS3 Controllers on there, but interesting site all the same, appreciate the response
@Matroska yes, I know, but it feels wrong , I like to use the controllers the games were designed for, and some, there are issues... tried to play Driver : San Francisco with PS4, and due to lack of Start button, could not get past the Title screen ... plus, wired ... (although maybe bluetooth works...?)
@RastaJedi are you selling new ones ?
@GetALife I only made this account in reference to the author of this article. The guy clearly hates the PS3, as he’s wrote this without any research.
You cannot state that one thing is better than the other and present it as fact. It is merely an opinion. I’m extremely casual and don’t play much. I generally just play Fifa and Cod, and for me, these games have went downhill on the newer consoles. Of course, that’s just two games, but I generally don’t play much else and I prefer the older editions.
You’re posting on a video game website and you’re calling other people nerds? 😂😂 Good god.
@Heavyarms55 exactly i have wanted ps3 bc since the ps4 was released, and hoped we could get ps3 bc with ps5. so no ps3 on ps5 i dont see no need to rush out and buy a ps5 day one. the fast sdd sony talk about will not be out to buy in the first year, and when it arrive it will be insane expensive. so you are stuck with the 800gb that will most be like 700gb because the os etc takes it parts of it. and games will be at 150+ gbs to download and install. and i bet the first ps5 will be noisy and not silent. i dont trust mark cerny at all after the ps4... i will just wait for ps5pro in 3 year, it will be the improved, faster, silent ps5 and it will be cheaper too.
@darkswabber screw cex, if you have a cash generator near you use them, i got demon souls, dark souls prepare to die and ds2 for 5£ altogether. All their last gen games(wii included) are 1.99 each/3 for 5£ in the cash gen besides me, where I would of been paying 25/30 quid for those 3 in cex
@Absenceoffaith93 in that case CEX UK is more expensive than CEX NL. Assuming one store has them all, If bring €300 to CEX NL you can get 150 different games if you only buy the cheapest things for ps3, and a lot of that is quality too.
@darkswabber aye I know the prices differ per country by quite a lot, as my mate in Italy sent screenshots of some of their prices and it was even worse than here. But sadly there isn't much other retro stores here anymore so not alot of choice. But heck, I've managed to get a wii from cash gen for 10, ps2 for 10, and even got a switch in cash gen for 120 last week. Where in cex I would of been 290 odd, Atleast for a 2nd hand switch 😂 all of cash gens ps2 games are 99p aswell, so alot more bargains if they have the stock in
@GetAlife life happens sometimes and from there you enjoy what you have until you can upgrade when it makes sense or when the person can afford it. I don't understand why people assume the fact that if someone doesn't have the current generation console or technology they're out of touch with reality altogether. That is a very dim assessment.
@elhozzo No problem, man. I have more, if interested. All-Stateside, though.
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