Due to the way in which the Trophy system functions, the storefronts for PSP, PS3, and PS Vita closing sometime this year.
Video game preservation has constituted a major concern amongst enthusiasts for several years, specifically because of physical media's slow but inevitable decline. An all-digital future continues to peek over the horizon, with 2020 offering a first glimpse at the possibilities. Due in large part to the global pandemic, digital sales of games eclipsed those of physical sales considerably across the board. Plus, both Sony and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. Now there seems to exist yet another threat to the longevity of interactive experiences.
Earlier this month, Twitter PlayStation's Trophy system factors into the equation. According to McDonald, Trophies rely on an internal clock that players can't alter; this is in place to ensure s are unable to, say, rewind the clock and claim to have popped a Trophy early. Thus, in the words of McDonald, "if your PS4 clock battery dies, all [of] your games die."
This seems an unforced error on Sony's part, something the hardware manufacturer may not have anticipated upon originally deg the PlayStation 4's architecture. Fortunately, the clock itself is easy enough to replace. However, should the corporation ever switch off its PS4 servers, the console, which has sold well over 110 million units, will effectively become useless to countless players after a certain period of time.
The clock battery revelation, combined with rumors of Sony shuttering online storefronts of its legacy systems, isn't placing the PlayStation brand in the best light this week. Again, video game preservation remains a hot topic won't soon come to an end. That the owner of some of the industry's most beloved properties continues to exhibit a lack of interest in said preservation is rather concerning.
Source: Lance McDonald via IGN India
