Sony will discontinue multiple PS4 models, according to a Japanese retailer

Sony is set to discontinue several PlayStation 4 models in Japan, according to a retailer notice.

As spotted and translated by Twitter sleuth Cheesemeister, one retailer in the region has notified customers that it will no longer be receiving stock of five PlayStation 4 models “due to the manufacturer ending production”.

The models in question are PS4 500GB Glacier White, PS4 1TB Jet Black, PS4 1TB Glacier White, PS4 2TB Jet Black and PS4 Pro 1TB Glacier White. There has not yet been any official comment from PlayStation nor similar notice from physical retailers in other regions.

However, last month Sony’s official PlayStation Direct store briefly stated that it would no longer offer PlayStation 4 Pro consoles for sale, leading to speculation Sony could be set to discontinue the model.

The US online store, which Sony launched in 2019 to sell hardware, software and accessories direct to consumers, displayed the following message on its PS4 Pro product page in December: “There are currently no plans to restock this item in the future.”

Shortly after press coverage highlighting the statement, PlayStation Direct removed the message stating that it no longer planned to stock PS4 Pro in the future, although the console remains unavailable.

Sony has made no official announcement about plans to discontinue any PS4 models.

However, considering the strong early demand for PS5 and the company’s stated ambition to transition players to the next-gen console “at a scale and pace that we’ve never delivered on before”, it would be unsurprising if it were to begin phasing out the older system, even if it plans to support it with software for several more years.

At $400, PS4 Pro is the same price as the entry-level PS5 Digital Edition, which is $100 cheaper than the disc-based PS5.

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In a statement published last month, Sony suggested PS5 had enjoyed the biggest console launch in history after beating PS4’s record.

Microsoft discontinued its most powerful last-gen console, Xbox One X, this summer in the run-up to November’s Xbox Series X/S launches.

It was recently revealed that Sony is planning to “build on the successful launch” of PlayStation Direct in the US by launching the online store in Europe.

As revealed via a job listing, Sony is recruiting for a director of the PlayStation Direct Europe business, a position which will be based at the company’s London office.

“The PlayStation Store & Services (PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now,..) businesses have continued to deliver substantial growth and represents a significant proportion of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s overall revenues as well as approximately 15% of Sony’s revenues,” reads an overview of the role.