Sony drops PS3, Vita from PS Plus subscriptions

Sony has confirmed it is to cease offering PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games through its PlayStation Plus 'free' games offer starting next month, effectively signally the end of its interest in the previous-generation platforms.

Launched in 2006 as a follow-up to the hugely successful PlayStation 2, Sony's PlayStation 3 was the company's first - and last - console to be built around the novel Cell processor architecture. While the console family was discontinued in 2016 in Europe and 2017 in Japan, the platform was still officially supported by Sony - in particular as part of the 'free' games offered to paying PlayStation Plus subscribers each month. The same goes for the PlayStation Vita, the 2011 follow-up to the PlayStation Portable and Sony's last handheld console - except that, officially, the Vita is still an actively-developed device, despite physical game production having ended this month.

That status looks set to change, however: Sony has confirmed that PlayStation Plus subscribers will, from next month, receive only PlayStation 4 games in their subscription, instead of the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita titles previously available. In effect, Sony has signalled that the Vita is going the way of the PlayStation 3.

'As a reminder, PS3 and PS Vita games will no longer be part of the monthly free games line-up for PS Plus,' SIEE's Matthew Groizard warns in the announcement. 'Any PS3 and PS Vita games you’ve already downloaded, or will download, prior to March 8, 2019, won’t be affected by this change. Those games will still be part of your PS Plus games library as long as you remain a member. Your game saves and other benefits of PS Plus will also remain the same.'

The move sees the value loyal Sony followers receive from their subscription plummet: Feburary's offering included two PlayStation 4 games, two PlayStation 3 games, and two PlayStation Vita games for a total of six games; March's bundle drops this to just two PlayStation 4 titles, Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered and The Witness.

Oddly, unlike PlayStation Plus game announcements made in past, comments on Sony's latest post appear to have been disabled.