Sony shutting down PSP's native storefront

PlayStation Portable owners will no longer be able to access the PlayStation Store directly from the handheld, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced. The support page for the system indicates that the native storefront will cease to be available on March 31.

Content can still be purchased for the PSP online at the PlayStation Store's website. Previous purchases made on the handheld will also remain accessible via the PSP's downloads list, and in-game purchases will also be supported.

It's Sony's latest move suggesting its waning interest in its portable platforms, however. Over the weekend, the company announced that it would no longer ship the PlayStation TV microconsole in Japan. A representative for SCEA confirmed to Polygon that shipments for the PSTV concluded in the U.S. at the end of last year as well, with retailers slashing prices last winter.

Sony has also all greatly reduced first-party development for the PSP's successor, PlayStation Vita. An executive for the company's Japanese branch said in October that there were currently no games in production for the Vita.