PlayStation 3 Production Officially Ends In Japan

The thing about the game industry is that no hardware lasts forever. Sure, it may come back in a "retro" state of mind and enjoy a resurgence, like the NES Classic Edition, but even that system ended its run a lot sooner than anyone indicated.

And now it's the PlayStation 3's turn. Just months after Sony noted that the system would cease production in the U.S., the company confirmed on its official Japanes website today that production on the 500GB model of the system – the only one still being made – has officially shut down, meaning that Sony is going full steam ahead on making only PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro systems, as well as whatever new hardware it has planned to reveal at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next month.

This marks the end of an era for one of Sony's most notable pieces of hardware. While a lot of notable games came out for the system – including the Uncharted trilogy, The Last of Us, the Ratchet and Clank games and various others – it also brought a lot of hardships for the company, proving it wasn't as invincible as it thought it was when the PlayStation 2 thrived years earlier.

The system was initially announced during E3 2005, with a release date of November 17, 2006 in the United States. However, it faced many hardships, particularly with its price -- $599 for the 40GB "high-end" model. It also suffered through many lackluster game announcements ("giant crab", anyone?) and other set-backs (like a hollow controller, which would eventually be replaced by the DualShock 3), despite the slick design of the hardware, which utilized Blu-Ray technology for the first time.

But the system eventually picked up pace based on the strength of games like Metal Gear Solid 4: Sons of the Patriots and a bevy of exclusive first-party releases. Eventually, it would gain ground, but still wouldn't be able to keep up with the Xbox 360 and its strength of both solid games and avid multiplayer fans, thanks to a better-structured online network. And, of course, the PlayStation Network hack of 2011 didn't really help keep the confidence of gamers.

As of 2016, the system did sell 85 million units worldwide, but still paled in comparison to the PS2.

We bid thee a fond farewell, PlayStation 3. Thanks for those gaming memories.