[Updated] Sony Quietly Discontinues PlayStation TV In Japan

Update: In light of yesterday’s news, we now have word (via GameSpot) that Sony has also discontinued PlayStation TV across North America and Europe – only a year after it entered the western market.

PlayStation TV shipments were terminated at the end of 2015 in SCEA [Sony Computer Entertainment America] and SCEE [Sony Computer Entertainment Europe]. Shipment is still continuing in SCEAsia (as of the end of February, 2016), and we have nothing to announce regarding the timing of termination.

PS Store for PlayStation TV will continue to be accessible, and PlayStation TV-related information will continue to be updated. In terms of applications/service for PlayStation TV, we will make further communications to users as necessary.

Original Story: It’s official: Sony will stop shipments of its PlayStation TV hardware in Japan effective immediately.

Word comes by way of AV Watch, citing the device’s Japanese website which reveals that the product is no longer available as “shipping has concluded.”

Originally designed as a gateway between the PlayStation Vita and the living room, Sony’s micro-console has struggled to gain a foothold in the market and, as the Japanese giant points out, both the Vita and PlayStation 4 are currently performing relatively well. The PlayStation TV is no longer needed, it seems.

First launching for Japan back in November of 2013, Sony’s PS TV made its way west the following year and since then, there has been nary a mention of the bite-sized device by the company during its public press conferences. There’s no official word from Sony regarding its future plans for PlayStation Vita in North America and Europe, though news that the company plans to effectively discontinue the hardware in its native region of Japan – a region where handheld and mobile games are much more popular – doesn’t exactly bode well.

PlayStation TV is currently still available through Sony and online retailers for around $50, but if today’s news is anything to go by, don’t expect the micro-console to remain on store shelves – digital or otherwise – for much longer.