Image: Push Square
Sony has tried to shut down the PS3’s creaking PS Store before, but it was met with such a ferocious backlash it reversed its decision. The system is almost 20 years old at this point, though, so whenever it breaks, fans always fear the worst.
And that’s what’s happened this week: the last-last-gen console’s storefront has been kicking out maintenance error messages for almost 24 hours now. This was first spotted by the website Delisted Games, but we can confirm it’s also happening to us on the European PS Store at least.
The Japanese giant hasn’t communicated any ongoing maintenance, but it’s not like the PS3 is a priority for it these days, so that’s hardly surprising.
It’s worth noting we’re not having any issues with the PS Vita, and this issue has occurred and been resolved before.
The PS3’s ancient architecture is undoubtedly a bit of a headache for Sony, as recently the manufacturer’s more modern consoles lost access to old purchased avatars as well. Perhaps this maintenance is related to that? (Although it seems unlikely.)
We’d be surprised if the platform holder tried to take the PS3 offline, as the backlash was so loud and ferocious the first time it tried that we just can’t foresee it attempting it again for many years yet. This is probably just a hiccup that will quietly get corrected, then – perhaps someone at PlayStation HQ needs to plug in the appropriate cable, or maybe blow on the bottom of a cartridge. Something like that.
[source delistedgames.com, via resetera.com]
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As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.