PS Vita PlayStation 3 PS Store 1

Sony will keep the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita storefronts open, as previously promised, but it seems that the compromise is that it will remove most funding methods from the devices natively. What does this mean, then? Well, from 27th October you won’t be able to purchase games using a credit or debit card, PayPal, or any similar payment methods.

Here’s how it will work: you’ll be able to top-up your PS Store wallet using gift cards or any of the abovementioned options on a computer, smartphone, PS5, or PS4. You’ll then be able to use the money attributed to your account to purchase games on your PS3 and PS Vita. So, there are a few extra steps involved here, but it’s better than the alternative – which was, of course, permanent closure.

We’re going to assume this is all security related. Sony probably doesn’t want to maintain the payment infrastructure of what it considers to be legacy consoles anymore, so removing this functionality gives it one less thing to worry about. The positive is that you’ll still be able to buy digital PS3 and PS Vita games for the foreseeable future.

[source playstation.com, via gamespot.com]