Late last year, Sony announced that it would remove access to classic PlayStation games and add-ons from the official PlayStation Store. Systems affected were the Sony PlayStation 3, The PlayStation Vita, and the Sony PSP. Sony customers could not purchase games and add-ons for these systems anymore on the PlayStation Store, and Sony rolled out a new Store interface that did not list supported games or add-ons for these classic systems anymore.
PlayStation 3, Vita and PSP users can still use the PlayStation Store on their devices to make purchase. Sony planned to remove the Store from the devices in the Summer of 2021, but announced this week that the Stores will remain accessible on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Only the PSP Store will be retired on July 2, 2021 as announced previously.
PlayStation 3 and Vita users who prefer to use a web browser to access the Store may continue to do so, courtesy of the Firefox add-on Valkyrie PS Store. The extension loads the classic Store front when the main Store URL https://store.playstation.com/en-us/home/games is accessed.
The display alone would not be of much use, but most of the original functionality is retained at this point. Users may sign-in to their accounts to browse their download lists, browse available games, demos, apps, and add-ons, and even make purchases. PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP and PlayStation Vita games are listed and may be purchased. While not mentioned, it is likely that the ability to buy PSP games will cease to work when the Store is retired officially by Sony.
Fans have criticized Sony for its plans to remove older PlayStation version Store access, mainly because it would have the result that some games and add-ons would no longer be available, as they may have been released digitally only, and because it would prevent gamers from purchasing add-ons for already purchased games.
The browser extension is only available for Firefox. Users who don’t use Firefox as their main browser may download and use a portable version of the browser with the extension to access the classic PlayStation Store.
Image Source: Pixabay
