It is the top of an period for sure Netflix customers, and for these of us who nonetheless have a PlayStation 3 sitting round. Sony’s much-beloved online game console initially launched in 2007 and is rattling close to 20 years previous at this level. Save for retro avid gamers, it is in all probability not a high-use machine today. Nonetheless, for these nonetheless utilizing it as a streaming machine, it is about to turn into a lot much less helpful as Netflix will not be obtainable on the PS3 subsequent month.
Not too long ago, varied individuals on social media websites like Reddit and Twitter have been sharing a message that comes up when one tries besides up Netflix on the PlayStation 3, indicating that by March 2, 2026, the streaming service will not operate on the console. Netflix first grew to become obtainable on the PS3 in 2009. Now, some 17 years later, that is come to an finish. Customers utilizing Netflix on the console are actually greeted with the next message:
“Sadly, Netflix will not be obtainable on this machine after March 2, 2026. Go to Netflix.com/compatibledevices to see an inventory of supported gadgets.”
As for why? Apps nonetheless want updates, and the actual fact of the matter is the person base for Netflix on the PS3 might be very, very small today. Nonetheless, it is simple to think about some individuals nonetheless having an older console hooked as much as a TV for streaming functions. In any occasion, it is the top of an period. One which began even earlier than Netflix first obtained into authentic programming with “Lilyhammer,” earlier than they have been one of the vital dominant forces in all of Hollywood, and again when streaming was only a option to watch TV, moderately than one thing that threatened to upend the trade as we all know it. It was, in some ways, an easier time.
The PlayStation 3 had an excellent run with Netflix
It is attention-grabbing to even think about a time when gaming consoles weren’t additionally multimedia gadgets, however the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 have been completely the era of consoles that modified all of that. One of many main promoting factors of the PS3 when it launched in November 2006 was that it got here with a Blu-ray participant. There was even a console bundle that included a duplicate of director Sam Raimi’s ever-divisive “Spider-Man 3” on Blu-ray at one level.
Sony ran an enormous advert marketing campaign boasting “it solely does all the things,” suggesting that the PlayStation 3 was extra than simply for video video games. Sarcastically, the Xbox 360 obtained entry to Netflix on the spot streaming in November 2008, a full 12 months earlier than the PS3. On the time, it wasn’t automated. Good TVs weren’t actually a factor but. Netflix was just about the one streaming service on the town. Heck, Netflix nonetheless had a booming DVD-by-mail enterprise on the time.
Netflix did not formally finish its DVD service till late 2023, which could shock some individuals, however that’s neither right here nor there. Within the years for the reason that PS3 gained entry to Netflix, streaming gadgets have turn into prevalent. Even when one’s TV does not have them immediately, Amazon Hearth TV gadgets or Roku gadgets could be bought on a budget. Subsequent gaming consoles had Netflix able to go, together with different streaming apps. It was not a novel factor, however moderately an anticipated characteristic.
It’s a deep sign of the passage of time that the PlayStation 3, one of many pioneers when it got here to creating Netflix on the spot streaming extra accessible to most people, is now shedding the app altogether. Pour one out.
