In spite of a total lack of any communication from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, we have managed to clarify the final details regarding PlayStation Mobile and what the last steps PS Vita owners need to take to ensure that you can continue to use all your PSM games following the closure of the service last year. While there has been very little in the way of announcements publicly, which has lead to a great deal of confusion surrounding the future of purchases, we’ve managed to get some more information on what you need to do to safeguard your collection…
Originally, even though Sony Computer Entertainment had informed PS Vita owners that we needed to activate our consoles for PlayStation Mobile in order to continue to use the service, it was found that this needed to be re-activated each time a memory card was swapped out. That being the case, Sony realised that there were problems with the original deadline for the activation so this was extended while attempts were made to rectify this. At that point, no major announcement was made, nor emails sent out (and certainly not to PSM developers).
Instead, Sony decided to post an update in mid-October in their Community Forum on the US PlayStation website with detailed instructions for PS Vita owners. Nothing has appeared on the EU Community Forums and without this information being more widely diseminated, many gamers will find themselves unable to access their games simply because they have not been provided with this vital information from Sony. To make sure that Vita Player readers don’t miss out on being able to continue using their PSM collections, here’s the post from SCEA in full:-
Update on PlayStation®Mobile (PSM)
On March 10, 2015, SCE notified users that they must activate their PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita)/PlayStation®TV (PS TV) systems in order to continue playing their PlayStation®Mobile (PSM) content after the termination of the service. However, it has become apparent that even if users activate their devices by following the notified procedure, their devices may become deactivated in certain cases.
In response to the above, we have set a new device activation method and implementation period. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause, but we ask users to perform device activation by following the instructions below.
Device activation procedure*1:
- Users must update their PS Vita/PS TV systems*2 to the latest system software (version 3.55 and beyond), be connected online, and launch their purchased PSM content between October 14, 2015 and February 29, 2016. Activation will be completed just by launching the content once*3.
*1 Even after users complete the above procedure, if they swap their PS Vita memory cards or backup/restore their PS Vita/PS TV data, they must connect to the network the first time they are accessing PSM content.
*2 Up to three compatible devices (PS Vita, PlayStation®Certified devices) can be activated.
*3 If users deactivate their devices after February 29, 2016, they will no longer be able to play their purchased PSM content on the deactivated devices.
It’s not clear from this whether or not you need to launch every PlayStation Mobile title you own prior to the activation deadline or just one but we’d recommend that you run everything just to be on the safe side. Personally this isn’t a task that I am looking forward to with a collection of over 400 PSM games, but I’d rather do that than lose over £1,000 worth of software!
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