Five Reasons Not to Sell Your PS3

One day, my friend asked me if I was going to sell my PlayStation 3 to cover at least some of the dough I'll be spending for the PlayStation 4 and its games. It seemed like a logical decision to adopt an "out with the old, and in with the new" mentality when it came to consoles.

However, the arrival of next-generation consoles does not automatically mean its predecessors are obsolete. Far from it. Not everyone will be jumping ship to the next wave at once, so expect companies like Sony and Microsoft to support their current-generation consoles in full steam.

This isn't an article about why shouldn't buy a PS4, but a piece about why you might want to hold on to your PS3 even if you chose to buy the the next-generation platform. 

Here are a few things you might want to consider before you decide if selling your PS3 is a good idea or not...

1.) There are still games coming out that will only be available on current-generation platforms.

Some people assume that all of the unreleased games coming out soon will be available on both current and next-generation platforms. However, popular games like Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Dark Souls 2, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 are just one of the many examples.

Sometimes it's easy to think that they'll be available for the PS4 just because their release coincides with other next-gen games.

2.) PS Plus will most likely continue to offer current-gen games you still haven't played 

Let's face it, not everyone can afford to buy every single game that's released in the market. Even if I reserve my money only towards the games I want, I am still forced to cut down the list. PlayStation Plus gives me the opportunity to play the games I didn't get the chance to through their promos.

Even when the PS4 is coming out this month, they managed to release Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen for PS Plus owners on the PS3. The next-generation might have a lot of awesome games coming, but I am still not done experience gaming's greats from the current-generation.

Sony will definitely continue to cater to PS3 owners with PS Plus subscriptions especially since we've had a lot of great games released this year and even more to come in this generation.

3.) Some of the recent games still have major DLC on its way.

When my friend asked me about selling my PS3, I immediately thought about games like The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto V, and BioShock: Infinite.  All three are recent blockbuster titles that still have major DLC on its way. The PS4 ports of these games may take a long time or may never even happen. 

If I sell my PS3, then I wouldn't get to play all of these expansions. Funny how my friend who asked me this question forgot that he bought a season pass for one of these games. 

4.) The PS3 is the only way you can play PS1 and PS2 classics for now.

If you grew up with the first two generations of PlayStation consoles, you might have a lot of PS1 and PS2 classics in your digital library. I still play Final Fantasy VIII, Crash Bandicoot, and Syphon Filter 2 on my PS3. I know that a lot of other players might not have access to their old consoles anymore, so the PS3 acts as their gateway to a trip down memory lane using one platform.

Unfortunately, next-generation consoles like the PS4 won't have backwards compatibility and our classic titles won't instantly carry over to our new consoles. The good news is Sony is definitely working on making most, if not all, of their games from PS1 to PS3 available on the PS4 through Gaikiai.

The bad news is it might take a while for all of their past games to be readily available to players. If I'm not mistaken, it's also unclear if you have to buy all these titles once more. For now, here's a report that suggests that we won't need to expect the worst.

5.) No DLNA, MP3 and audio CD support... yet.

It was recently revealed that the PS4 won't be supporting DLNA, MP3, and audio CD support. In simpler terms, you won't be able to establish a media server to share video, audio, and image files across various devices. You can only acess music on the console using Sony's subscription based music streaming service Music Unlimited.

However, Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida acknowledged the public's frustration over the lack of these features and is forwarding feedback to the developers for future consideration. So, it's still possible that the PS4 will have these capabilities in a future patch.

This might not be a reason that can stand on its own, but it's definitely something worth considering.