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Sony Interactive Entertainment ends production of all PS4 models except one in Japan

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia has ended production of all PlayStation 4 slim (CUH-2000 series) models except one, and all PlayStation 4 Pro (CUH-7000 series) models in Japan, the company confirmed.

The only PlayStation 4 model that will continue to be manufactured and sold in Japan is the standard PlayStation 4 slim 500 gigabyte model in “Jet Black.”

PlayStation 4 slim first launched in September 2016 in Japan, followed by PlayStation 4 Pro in November 2016. The original PlayStation 4 (CUH-1000 series) model, which already ended production, launched in February 2014.

Sony Interactive Entertainment plans to utilize the newly freed production lines to manufacture PlayStation 5, which continues to face extreme stock shortages in Japan, and quickly transition to the newer hardware.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Foolish. It could've easily passed the PS2 lifetime sales with a single model cruisin in the $150-200 range for a few more years.

But Sony wants PS5 to be the best place to play PS4 games, or something. What happened to a wider ecosystem?
 

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Foolish. It could've easily passed the PS2 lifetime sales with a single model cruisin in the $150-200 range for a few more years.

But Sony wants PS5 to be the best place to play PS4 games, or something. What happened to a wider ecosystem?
I said before they probably only wanted to hit the 100 million mark.

If this means more PS5's sooner, good. Its time for them to try harder to meet demand.

I am shocked tho, the PS3 was discontinued much later. I expected the PS4 to last at least as long.

Maybe they can do it with only 1 sku?
 

Aranea

Member
No surprise there. Japan doesn't seem to enjoy traditional gaming consoles anymore. I suppose that's why the Switch is popular over there because it offers portability.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
I said before they probably only wanted to hit the 100 million mark.

If this means more PS5's sooner, good. Its time for them to try harder to meet demand.

I am shocked tho, the PS3 was discontinued much later. I expected the PS4 to last at least as long.

Maybe they can do it with only 1 sku?
The era of great cost reduction and driving existing models to $199 and below is gone for HW that targets $399+ at launch, it gets more and more expensive to cost reduce a console (like redesigning the SoC on a newer manufacturing process, etc...) that, especially when the new model they want to transition to is facing shortages, make little sense to do.

Still, discontinuing PS4 Pro, like Series X, makes sense and they are still keeping a PS4 Slim model... it is possible that they may cost reduce it further and/or possibly come out with an all digital edition and lower the price further.
 

Perrott

Gold Member
Foolish. It could've easily passed the PS2 lifetime sales with a single model cruisin in the $150-200 range for a few more years.

But Sony wants PS5 to be the best place to play PS4 games, or something. What happened to a wider ecosystem?
But that was not going to happen thanks to Japan, where the PS4 is doing really low numbers. It makes sense to shift most of the Japanese PS4 production lines to PS5.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
But that was not going to happen thanks to Japan, where the PS4 is doing really low numbers. It makes sense to shift most of the Japanese PS4 production lines to PS5.
Fair enough, though perhaps Sony could've still kept a budget model around to squeeze some more sales out of Japan. PS4 library is enormous.
 

Rudius

Member
They are still producing the only PS4 model that makes sense now, the cheapest one. They should drop the price to 199.
 

Fake

Member
Poor Sony Japan. Really sad to see Sony forgeting their true roots, but still one model left.
 
Makes sense for Japan. It’s not like PS4s are flying off shelves there. No point making so many PS4 models there. They are making the PS4 models that they need to there.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
Foolish. It could've easily passed the PS2 lifetime sales with a single model cruisin in the $150-200 range for a few more years.

But Sony wants PS5 to be the best place to play PS4 games, or something. What happened to a wider ecosystem?

PS5 plays "all" PS4 games though... makes sense to have one expensive system and one cheap system. They can drop the price at any time.
 

Hudo

Member
Weird that they stopped production of all models except for a model for a country where PS4 didn't do well.
 

K.S v2.0

Banned
I am shocked tho, the PS3 was discontinued much later. I expected the PS4 to last at least as long.

Maybe they can do it with only 1 sku?

Difference is there was no BC with PS3 to PS4, so there was still a place for PS3 to exist as it was the ONLY way to play some games. This isn't an issue for PS4 to PS5.
 
A budget-model PS4 for the developing world, or potentially a handheld Switch Lite competitor with PS4 internals (and an HDMI out!), would seem ideal to me
 

Andodalf

Banned
Production costs of last gen consoles never dropped, you have to develop a new box if you want to target a lower price point.
 

G-Bus

Banned
Flood the market. I don't want to have to make a big effort for you to take my money.

I'm ready when it's readily available
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
Good.

Peace the fuck out of that place.

Put way more effort into emerging markets.

Japan is a losing battle. Don't bother with that place imo. Leave them to their switches and mobile gacha games or whatever the fuck.
 

ACESHIGH

Banned
Give me a bloodbornestation bundle for 150 USD and I would bite. At 300 usd it's really poor value though. Who the hell gets a ps4 when spending 100 usd more gets you a ps5 with bc?

I think that this time of around Sony is competing vs the used market once ps5 supply is stabilized. If I had a ps4 I would sell it ASAP and get a ps5 digital, it only makes sense. Used ps4 should flood the market.
 
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