It’s time we bid adieu to the PlayStation 3, as Sony has reportedly decided to stop PS3 production in Japan. Sony’s official Japanese website confirms that the company would no longer ship PS3 units to Japanese retailers, signifying an end to over a decade of the console’s rather successful run across the globe.
The news comes via the official PlayStation Japan website that lists the PS3 500GB shipments as “ended”, according to gaming blog Gematsu. Major retailers in Japan including the likes of Bic Camera, Yodabashi, and Sofmap have no new listings of the PS3 anymore, saying that new units of the console are no longer in stock.
To recall, the PS3 was initially released in Japan way back in November 2006. Since its launch in the market, a whopping 84 million PS3 consoles have reportedly been sold across the globe. In comparison, 60 million units of the PS4 have been sold worldwide as of March 2017, making it the fastest-selling PS4 console to date. That said, the PS2 still remains top-selling the PlayStation console with over 155 million units sold.
For now, it’s time to say goodbye to the PS3 in Japan. However, the console’s PSN store will continue to exist for quite some time in the near future. In addition, an upcoming PS3 software update is also scheduled for a release shortly.
In other related news, the next-gen console from Sont – the PS5 is also expected to arrive next year, though an exact time frame still remains a mystery. Macquarie Capital Securities analyst Damian Thong suggests that the upcoming PS5 is expected to become a reality anytime in 2018.
While rival Microsoft has already confirmed the new Xbox Scorpio would see the light of day during the E3 conference scheduled towards end-2017.Now, that could turn out to be a smart move as the more powerful console would arrive just in time to cash in on the holiday shopping season.
