Latest PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita Updates Block Some Features (End of Support is Near)

Throughout life, everything eventually comes to an end: this is where PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita are gradually heading towards, apparently. Interested in knowing more about it? Well then, just give this article two minutes out of your day to find out how Sony is ending support for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

Account management settings disabled with the new PS3 and PS Vita updates

Quite recently Sony has released a few firmware updates for the two consoles that, among other things, disabled the option of creating an account on either PS system.

Twitter account StarWolf3000 shared via tweet on May 10th: “A new system software update for #PSVita (now 3.74) and #PS3 (now 4.89) was just released. Changes for both systems:

– Removed account creation from the PS3/Vita

– Removed some account management settings

– Device password required for sign-on”

So, the newest updates, 3.74 for PS Vita and 4.89 for PS3, don’t allow users to create an account or manage it fully. In order to create a new account or recover a password, the only doable option is to use a third-party device, such as a phone or a computer.

Bad news aside, at least both updates are designed to improve the systems’ performance through the addition of features, better usability and enhanced security. But while the PS Vita update doesn’t have any requirements, the PS3 one is relatively costly in terms of storage space: you’ll need a minimum 200MB of free space on either the PS3 Hard Disk Drive (System Update) or on removable storage media (PC Update) to complete the installation.

Sony’s struggles to end PS3 and PS Vita support

This is not the first time Sony has hinted at wanting to end support for PS3 and PS Vita for good. During spring of last year, the company revealed that the PlayStation Store for PS3 and Vita was going to be shut down by summer of 2021. The announcement caused an uproar among users of the two platforms. They wanted to keep purchasing classic games on the Store despite their old age, and this pushed Sony to abandon the original plan. Thus, the Stores for PS3 and PS Vita devices kept on being operational.

The end of PS3 and PS Vita is near

Unfortunately, PS3 and PS Vita owners will soon have to surrender to the fact that their consoles are eventually going to be abandoned by Sony. Other features might start getting blocked in the future, and that could prevent players from using the two systems properly and satisfactorily.

While people will be able to play their games with no issues, online options are most likely going to gradually disappear.

Keeping these two older consoles running and updated is no longer Sony’s main concern. With the PS5 on the market and the PS4 still in production even throughout 2022, the company will logically want to focus more on them instead.

After all, the life cycle of the PS3 and the PS Vita can already be considered complete. The PlayStation 3 was released in 2006, while the PlayStation Vita in 2011. A whopping 16 and 11 years have passed since, and this tells us that it’s probably time to let it go.