After more than a decade, Sony is bringing down the curtain on the PlayStation 3 in Japan, officially ending production.
At any rate, it's still unclear whether or not shipments will stop in the United States, so interested buyers might still have a chance to grab one before they become a rarity of sorts.
Goodbye, PS3
As spotted and translated by Gematsu, the official PS3 product page on Sony Japan's website now notes that shipments for the console have "ended."
To be exact, this refers to the standard 500 GB model, which was the only variant that was still in production in the country until now.
As a refresher, the console rolled out across the globe back in November 2006. Sony managed to ship out more than 80 million units in November 2013, and it sold 10.26 million systems as of December 2016 in Japan.
PS3 Production Ending Not A Surprise
Sony ending the production of the PS3 shouldn't come as much of a surprise because the manufacturer already announced that "shipments are scheduled to end soon" back in March. At the time, it was just a matter of when.
On top of that, Sony made it clear that it was going to support the PS3 for 10 years during the early stages of the console. Considering the 2006 launch date, the company has stayed true to its word.
It's also worth mentioning that Sony halted PlayStation Now support for the PS Vita and PS3, among other devices, in February, which was already a potential indication of the console's waning lifespan. The company carried out this move to focus on the PC and the PS4.
PS Now is the online streaming service that lets users stream PS3 games to their PS4 and PC.
Speaking of the PS4, Sony sold 20 million PS4 units during its 2016 fiscal year, which is the console's best sales performance to date. Counting that figure, the total systems sold worldwide now boils down to 60 million.
Interestingly enough, Sony is reportedly set to launch the next-generation PlayStation that follows the PS4 sometime in the second half of 2018. Incidentally, the company is also expected to dole out price cuts for the PS4.
It should also be pointed out that Nintendo made rounds online because of a similar development, where it ended production of the ill-fated Wii U. That just goes to show that manufacturers are moving forward with their new offerings. In the case of Nintendo, it's the Switch, while it's the PS4 and PS4 Pro for Sony.
To sum things up, the PS3 will soon be difficult to get ahold of as shipments have ceased. However, that has been confirmed only in Japan so far, but it's not unlikely for something similar to happen in other major gaming markets, including in the United States.
With all said and done, what do you think of the PS3's production ending? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.
