Netflix is ending PlayStation 3 support nearly 20 years after Sony's console launched

[midian182]

WTF?! In news that seems anachronistic in 2026, Netflix has announced that it will be ending app support for the 20-year-old PlayStation 3 next month. For the few people still using the ancient console and the presumably even fewer who use it to watch Netflix, the sad end will arrive on March 3.

Reddit user golfwang999 revealed the end of the PlayStation 3's Netflix app in a post on the site. The message, which is shown on what looks like an era-appropriate Philips CRT TV, confirms the app's imminent demise and advises users to visit Netflix's list of supported devices.

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The PlayStation 3 launched in the US on November 17, 2007. Netflix became available on the console in 2009, but due to the Xbox deal with Netflix that ensured the digital version of the streaming app was exclusive to the Xbox 360, PS3 users had to request a Blu-ray disc to access the service. The deal ended in 2010, allowing PlayStation 3 owners to finally download and use the Netflix app.

Given that the console has been around for 20 years, many were surprised to discover that Netflix still has a working streaming app on the PS3 and had only now decided to end support – other PlayStation 3 owners have confirmed that the message is real.

Kotaku notes that the Xbox 360, launched in November 2005, still supports the Netflix app, but only if it was downloaded before the console's digital store closed in 2024 – or you use an online workaround.

While the decision won't affect many people, it's another reminder of how long the PlayStation 3 has managed to cling to life in various corners of the tech world. Netflix has been steadily dropping support for older platforms over the years as codecs, DRM requirements, and security standards evolve, and maintaining compatibility with aging hardware eventually becomes more trouble than it's worth.

Modern consoles like the PlayStation 5 and even the PS4 offer the likes of faster performance, higher resolutions, and support for newer streaming features the PS3 was never designed to handle. Still, for a console that launched when Blu-ray itself was a selling point, surviving on Netflix until 2026 is a surprisingly impressive run.

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Netflix is ending PlayStation 3 support nearly 20 years after Sony's console launched

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Used the PS3 for blu-ray discs and Netflix until about 5 years ago. Up until that point it was rarely used, but every now and then the kids wanted to stream something in the loft upstairs on the TV while they played, so on went the PS3, TV and then turned on Netflix.

My PS2 was my DVD player for a long time, way past my use of it for gaming.

My consoles got use after gaming ended on them, but eventually they were officially retired, boxed up and put into storage.

I guess it's impressive to see that Netflix bothered to support the PS3 for so long. Then again, I stopped using Netflix a year ago and I've kind of forgotten all about it.

 

[Megalomaniac]

I have PS3 slim and I use it mostly for Blu Ray disks.

 

[CrisisDog]

Still use my PS3 for occasional gaming. I was sad when SiriusXM dropped support about two years ago. But then, they dropped all consoles at the same time.

 

[plyanthony321]

I'm hoping some local old farts might put up their ps3 on marketplace over this so I can get me one at a good price