Sony Will Stop Producing and Shipping PS3 Consoles in Japan

One of the most popular gaming consoles of all time, Sony’s PlayStation 3, is taking a few more steps towards retirement after more than a decade since its original release. Sources indicate that Sony plans to stop PS3 production in Japan in the near future, and even though no official date has been revealed so far, according to a game shop in Kurume, Fukuoka, production will end officially by the end of this month. Sony revealed that it would halt production for the console on the 500GB black PS3’s product page, which is actually the only model that has remained in production to this day in Japan.

It looks like those who are looking to purchase a PlayStation 3 console will need to hurry if they want to get their hands on a new one, because after the product is officially retired, the second-hand market will remain the only viable alternative. Sony has taken other steps to take the PS3 out of the picture, as the very last first-party PS3 title was released in October, while starting August this year, the product will no longer enjoy access to the PS Now service. All Sony consoles have a 10-year life span, and the PS3 turned 10 in November 2016, which means that the announcement was bound to come sooner or later.