Gamer Makes Surprise PS3 Discovery at Walmart

A gamer discovered a lost PlayStation 3 peripheral that was still being sold at a Walmart retail location, having been hidden within the store’s inventory for an unclear amount of time. Although the PS3 stopped receiving official support years ago, Sony’s third home console was the home of exclusive titles like Gran Turismo 5 and LittleBigPlanet.

Originally released in November 2006, the launch of the PlayStation 3 did not go according to design for Sony. Despite offering backward compatibility with both the PS1 and the PS2 out of the box, the PS3’s high price tag and competition from both the Xbox 360 and the Wii made Sony’s third mainline home console a tough sell to consumers. Eventually, Sony’s later PS3 revisions brought the console to more affordable prices. Though the PS2 remains the best-selling game console of all time, the PS3 eventually surpassed the Xbox 360 and sold approximately 87.4 million units worldwide.

Walmart Shopper Finds PS3 Controller Still for Sale

Though Sony has since moved on to the PS5, Reddit user shoto_todoroki_666 shared an image on the PlayStation subreddit of a PS3 DualShock 3 wireless controller still on the shelves of a Walmart retail store. The peripheral was in its original packaging and priced at $39.96. The OP speculated that the store they went to had gone through some of its inventory, which included the aforementioned controller. The DualShock 3 is Sony’s second iteration of the PS3 controller, as the first systems sold instead came with a Sixaxis wireless controller that lacked vibration functionality. In response to feedback, Sony released the DualShock 3 in late 2007.

Given that the DualShock 3’s original MSRP was over $50, the controller that shoto_todoroki_666 found at Walmart is quite a bargain. However, it is not clear if they purchased the controller. Although the PS3 was officially discontinued by 2017, Sony’s third console still occasionally receives updates for its main operating system. One such update came in March 2026, though Sony kept a tight lid on what precise changes were made. Instead, the PS3 version 4.93 patch notes vaguely said that system performance was improved.

Despite the continued operating system updates, the PS3 will soon lose support for one of its core functions. Earlier in the summer, Sony announced that it was closing down the PS3 version of the PlayStation Store. The process will begin in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras in August 2026 before shutting down in Latin America and the Middle East by late 2026. All other regions, including the US, will see the PS3’s PlayStation Store completely closed by July 2027, just over 20 years after the PS3 was first released.

Users looking to buy any new digital PS3 titles have a limited time before access is closed off for good. However, PS3 game preservation efforts have since reached a major milestone, as the RPCS3 emulation project has stated that over 75% of PS3 titles can now be emulated on PC.