The games industry is still reeling from Sony's switch to a digital-only PlayStation future starting in January 2028, but after fierce backlash from fans and developers, Sony may now face opposition from politicians, too. In Mexico, two Movimiento Ciudadano legislators stated that the Japanese corporation may be crossing into monopoly territory with its planned move, following a broader wave of criticism around Sony's abandonment of physical media and its growing control over PlayStation's storefront economy. According to Mexican website Ovaciones, Movimiento Ciudadano senator Luis Donaldo Colosio and federal deputy Iraís Reyes plan to file a complaint with Mexico's antitrust authority […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/sony-all-digital-playstation-plan-hits-political-resistance-in-mexico/

Back in early 2021, Sony announced its intentions to shut down the online PlayStation 3 and Vita storefronts. After plenty of backlash from fans, the console maker backtracked, pushing back the closure. Unfortunately, this only delayed the inevitable, with Sony now giving us a concrete timeline for the PS3/Vita’s deaths.

Taking to the PlayStation blog to make the announcement, SIE’s senior content communications director Sid Shuman relayed the disappointing news, writing:

“After nearly two decades of supporting the PS3 console generation, we wanted to let you know we will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on PS Vita. PlayStation Store on PS3 will close in select markets starting this year, followed by global closures for PS3 and PS Vita next year.”

While users will still be able to redownload any games which they already own, no new purchases will be possible come this impending closure. Speaking of, Sony did offer a concrete timeline for the shut down, with different regions being impacted at different times:

• Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – August 2026
• Other Latin American and Middle Eastern countries – Late 2026
• All other countries (including the UK) – July 2027

This means that most of us still have roughly a year to boost our libraries with any games in our backlogs. This includes many different PS1 and PSP titles which are currently unplayable on PS4/5.

As mentioned, the PS3 and Vita storefronts were initially planned to be shut down half a decade ago now, and was only saved thanks to fan backlash. Given this, we knew the announcement could come at any point, and so it is welcome at least to have had an extra 5 or so more years with these platforms.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the announcement? Was it inevitable? Are there any digital games you still need to pick up? Let us know down below.

The class-action lawsuit, branded as "PlayStation You Owe Us", filed by consumer rights champion Alex Neill against Sony's PlayStation has finally kicked off in earnest today, with the plaintiff's legal counsel, Mr Palmer, delivering the opening statement (the proceedings were livestreamed on the Competition Appeal Tribunal's official website). The legal action was filed in 2022 to challenge Sony's monopoly over the PlayStation Store digital platform, which, according to the plaintiffs, led to higher game prices for consumers. The damage figure sought by the plaintiff has changed, though: it initially stood at $5 billion in 2022 and rose to £6.3 billion in November […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/sony-playstation-store-class-action-trial-uk/