Sony discontinues PS4 Pro, most other PS4 models in Japan
In an attempt to ramp up production for one console, it seems another will be needing to make some major sacrifices.
According to Japanese media outlet Game Watch, most of the PS4 Slim (CUH-2000 series) and all PS4 Pro (CUH-7000 series) models have now been discontinued in Japan. As of this point, one model will remain in production: the “Jet Black” 500GB PS4 Slim.
Unsurprisingly, this move is being made in order to allocate more resources to producing PlayStation 5 units, for which demand is definitely outstripping production.
Speaking of demand, this move comes as Famitsu revealed that, last year, PlayStation hardware sold under 1 million units for the first time since 1994. Part of that, of course, is due to Sony no longer having a handheld gaming platform active in the market, as both the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita were popular in Japan. Another part of it, though, it due to the rapidly declining demand for the PlayStation 4 in the country.
As of now, Sony has made no announcements in terms of PS4 production for other countries. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they followed in the footsteps of Microsoft, who itself shut down production of all Xbox One models save the Xbox Series S going into the release of the Xbox Series X and Series S.
Source: Game Watch
Mollie got her start in games media via the crazy world of gaming fanzines, and now works at EGM with the goal of covering all of the weird Japanese and niche releases that nobody else on staff cares about. She’s active in the gaming community on a personal level, and an outspoken voice on topics such as equality in gaming, consumer rights, and good UI. Check her out on Twitter and Mastodon.
