Update: Sony has confirmed that it's ceasing production of a range of PS4 models in Japan.
As spotted by Gematsu, production of all barring one model of PS4 - the 500GB Slim "Jet Black" model - has officially ended. Seems like Sony is keener than ever to move players across to its new console.
Original: A Japanese retailer has indicated that Sony plans to discontinue production of several different PS4 models.
The native Japanese user posted the tweet just below over the past weekend, in which a retailer in Japan puts up a sign notifying customers that Sony will cease manufacture of certain PS4 models. These models include the Glacier White PS4, the 1TB PS4 model, the Glacier White 1TB PS4 model, the 2TB PS4 model, and the Glacier White PS4 Pro. Right now, there hasn't been confirmation of the production news from either Sony or overseas retailers outside of Japan.
“Dear customers: due to the manufacturer ending production, the following products will not be restocked.”・PS4 500GB Glacier White・PS4 1TB Jet Black・PS4 1TB Glacier White・PS4 2TB Jet Black・PS4 Pro 1TB Glacier White pic.twitter.com/nub3lxcJGXJanuary 3, 2021
Back in December, the official PlayStation Direct Store indicated that the PS4 Pro model would not be restocked in the near future, appearing to confirm that manufacturing of the upgraded PS4 would cease. At the time, we contacted Sony for confirmation of the manufacturing news, but never received a response.
The ceasing of PS4 manufacturing on Sony's part shouldn't come as a huge surprise, given the corporation's past comments about believing in the jump between console generations. It's therefore not a massive surprise that Sony would want to nudge all newcomers to PlayStation in the direction of the more recent PS5.
However, it's still fairly hard to get hold of a PS5 from a retailer. Shortly after the PS5 launched in November 2020, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan revealed that all stock of the new console, as well as accessories like the 3D Pulse Wireless headset, was completely sold out. While Sony issued a statement last year confirming that more stock was heading to retailers, it's still quite a task to pick one up.
If you're still trying to get hold of Sony's new console through official retailers, you can head over to our PS5 deals guide for information on retailers with projected stock in the near future.
