PS3 & Vita Digital Games Reportedly Becoming Unplayable & Expiring – Screen Rant

Certain games that were purchased on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita‘s digital store are reportedly becoming unplayable due to a sudden digital expiration date glitch. Since the release of the PlayStation 3, gamers have been able to purchase and download digital copies of games from the PlayStation Store. Fans could then play the games straight from their console’s hard drive, rather than having a physical copy. However, once Sony released the PS4, it was clear that digital purchases would not transfer over. Players were required to repurchase games they already owned if they wished to play the game on a newer console. But with the announcement of PlayStation’s new subscription service, modern fans may be able to digitally access older games.

Backwards compatibility has been tricky for PlayStation consoles over the past few generations. Some consoles of the past, like the PS2 and Nintendo Wii, were able to play games made for last-gen consoles. Other systems released over the years have seen limited to no backward compatibility options. Once gaming started to shift into a digital market, many hoped this would allow fans to easily transfer and use digital versions of games across multiple devices. Unfortunately, purchasing digital copies of games has some risks that some PS3 and Vita players are now finding out.

Some players hoping to play digital versions of PlayStation classics were very disappointed when they tried to open the game and received a message claiming the games expired more than fifty years ago in 1969. Kotaku (via Eurogamer) reported that a collection of players trying to play PS1 classics like Final Fantasy VI, FF Origins, and Chrono Cross were unable to start those games, even though the titles were purchased legally. One user claims the issue has affected their entire digital PS library on their portable PlayStation Vita device. Some users have been able to get games working again by redownloading them from their library rather than the PSN store. But unfortunately, some others cannot play the games they purchased until Sony fixes the issue.

Lots of the classic games released on older systems are being rereleased in the form of remasters and sometimes impressive remakes. Although rare, some have been remade from the ground up in stunning fashion, like the PS5 version of Demon’s Souls, which was initially released on PS3. While some titles receive updated releases, other games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and older classics are only playable on older systems. What PS3 and Vita players are encountering is most likely a glitch that should be easily fixable once Sony addresses it. However, it’s a reminder of how quickly a digital purchase can become inaccessible, whether due to a glitch or an intentional decision on the part of the publishers.

As the debate over physical games as opposed to digital downloads continues, Sony recently announced an updated version of the PS Plus subscription service that teased the ability to download and stream classic PlayStation titles from previous generations. PS3 titles were missing from that list, which once again brought up the issue of older digital titles eventually losing support. Although players have purchased the games from Sony’s Digital store, the company still owns the digital rights to those games. It can stop supporting the service whenever it chooses. Unless gaming juggernauts like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft start allowing people to purchase the games themselves, rather than the licenses to use the content, this type of problem is likely to occur again in the future as older systems become more obsolete.

Next: PlayStation’s Game Pass Reportedly Missing Biggest Reason To Buy

Sources: Kotaku, Eurogamer

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