A new rumor is making the rounds that Sony is set to permanently close the PS3, PS Vita, and PSP digital stores sometime soon.

The new rumor (via The Gamer) notes “a source familiar with the situation” claims the stores will be closed down from July this year, and the announcement is planned for sometime towards the end of this month.

Reportedly, the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 stores will be closed on July 2nd while the PS Vita store will remain open until August 27th. After those deadlines, you won’t be able to purchase digital copies of games or DLC on any of those older Sony consoles.

If proven true, the rumor makes sense considering Sony also shuttered the digital web stores for the aforementioned platforms, in October of last year. The move was to help consolidate their resources behind their new PlayStation Store overhaul, which fans haven’t been happy with since.

While the PlayStation 3 was originally released in 2006, Sony’s PlayStation Store was pretty barebones and has since received many updates, even though the console itself was discontinued alongside the PSP and the PS Vita. Sony’s handhelds gathered a cult following but sadly never saw widespread adoption like Nintendo’s handheld platforms.

As with any rumors – take this with a grain of salt, but we’ll keep you guys posted.