The PlayStation 3 initially got off to a rocky start in large part due to its steep asking price, but it eventually regained its footing and went on to be another awesome console from Sony. The console has been around for a decade now, though it’s finally throwing in the towel in Japan.
The announcement was made on the official Japanese PlayStation website, with a “shipments are scheduled to end soon” description accompanying the 500 GB standard model that is the only model still in production in Japan. A specific time frame for the console’s production ending was not given, though one game shop in Japan suggests that production will conclude by the end of this month.
Despite the aforementioned rough start that PlayStation 3 had to endure, there’s no denying that it gave us some truly great games that won’t soon be forgotten. Series like Uncharted, The Last of Us and LittleBigPlanet got their start there, and are all more or less still going strong today. It sold around 84 million units in its lifetime, putting it about even with its closest competitor in the Xbox 360.
PlayStation 3 was unquestionably very successful, but its numbers are no match for what the PlayStation 2 enjoyed in its 12 years on the market. That console sold over 150 million units in its lifetime, making it the best-selling console of all time. PS3’s lifetime numbers were also less than what the original PlayStation garnered, with that console selling just over 100 million units in its lifetime.
It remains to be seen where the PlayStation 4 ultimately ends up when its production eventually comes to an end, but it has a good shot at eclipsing what the PlayStation 3 was able to do. The console has currently sold somewhere around 55 million units worldwide at the time of this writing, leaving its competition in the dust and showing no signs of slowing down. Considering the string of great games that have already released for the console this year, it’s safe to say that it will be another great year for the console.
