PS4 Console Production Reduced to Just One Model in Japan

Thought they would have done this sooner since the scalpers got all those system before Christmas, but I suppose they waited to see the situation as you would only keep feeding the hand that steals them for profit first instead it the advertise joe

Kinda weird to see Pro go but on the other hand - why would you buy one now at its current price when there's PS5 (at least in theory)?

It won't be long until that's the only model everywhere, similar to Xbox there's little point in the Pro variant at that price point when the next gen console becomes readily available.

@Voltan Also, the Pro never really sold in Japan, so it would be weird to stick with the unpopular system

Glad I got my Pro then, even though I still lack a 4K TV. Still, its a bit of a shame as it was the only way to experience all PS4 titles at their highest quality.

My experience on by 1st Gen UK PS3 and its PS2 BC was mixed with only 1 game playing better and at least 3 having serious issues. Since then have kept clear of emulation and limited it to only consoles with the required hardware built in.

This will probably be worldwide soon and after the mess regarding games like Cyberpunk I'd guess Horizon Forbidden West will be the last 1st party PS4 game.

I still got my ps4 pro.and i l🖤ve it.graphics is way better.games looks much clearer.word up son

@playstation1995 Pro was definitely the way to go if you have a 4K TV - but with the price being so close to PS5 digital edition, it doesn't make much sense now

Well, they got that wrong. Should've dropped the Slim, kept the Pro and lowered the price to the same as the Slim. But then I guess the bigger the gulf they create, the more likely people are to pick the 5 over the 4 if they're buying a new system.

I'm eager to get a PS5, and have been a day-one buyer since PS2, but until they release something I want to play, I'll wait. No point me spending that money now just to play the PS4 games I already have. I'll stick with the Pro until Horizon 2 drops, or there are at least 3 games I feel I absolutely must play.

@LiamCroft According to Eurogamer you can still get a Pro but only in black - it's the Glacier White one that has disappeared. So you can have a Pro or a Slim 500Gb in any colour so long as it's black:
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-01-03-japanese-retailer-reports-sony-is-set-to-discontinue-multiple-ps4-models

@Paranoimia I feel the same - I'm waiting for the must have PS5 only release that'll make me jump. For the moment, the Pro is still more than capable of playing the best that PS has to offer.

@sanderson72 That report is two days old. This is official news from Sony released this morning.

@LiamCroft Makes sense, I suppose. The Pro seems to be mostly out of stock everywhere at the moment.

For Sony to have any real clout in Japan again, they need a Vita successor. PSP3 anyone?

@Voltan. I got my ps4 pro since 2017.its worth it.so im happy.word up son

As predictable as gravity. Also baffled at the people reading the headline and acting as if PS4 is being canceled. They still going to sell the slim for a long time to come, and they seem to have at least two more big first party titles lined up for cross-gen release.

@Tharsman tbh I was surprised to find out there were more than 2 models still in production. I thought the white ones were limited edition.

A couple of things. News on pricing? I feel this is their way of not price dropping at all. Remove the console that is the same price as the new one, “continue” to sell the old one at same lower price than the new one.

I say “continue” because, well, in my area, I haven’t seen a PS4 of any flavor since the beginning of the pandemic, or any Sony/Microsoft console. Plenty of PS5 controllers, though. What? Hahah. Was actually getting back into TV gaming since I finally got a place set up to do that and wanted to get a PS4 (still want the option to remote to Vita if possible), but I’ll not paying over $400 for a slim on the after market, prices have gotten stupid. It’s just insulting to suggest those prices.

I’ll join the fun some day, just not soon.

Begs the question - is a mid-gen PRO update necessary then...

@TheArt it was never supposed to be necessary, just an option for those that wanted to.

@TheArt I think it was mostly necessary for Xbox (And PS had to keep up) but it also meant PS5 didn't have to come earlier than it did. Will there be one again this generation? I wouldn't bet on it.

I don't understand why Sony would do this because yes the ps5 can play ps4 games but it doesn't have the storage space that the ps4 pro has and the ps5 is not readily available yet, I'm glad I got my pro when I did but it's a shame for new buyers who can't get a hold of one

@TheArt Wasn't strictly necessary but the Pro was out there so people could have something 4K to display on their 4K TV.

Had my Pro for over 3 years, updated the HDD to a Crucial SSD and, after learning how to vacuum out the dust from the fan a couple of weeks ago, it's as quiet as anything still.
I'll get round to getting a PS5 at some point but until there's a PS5 only title that I really want to play, I'll wait until the firmware fixes and useful system tools get added first.

I just bought a spare Pro this week. I had 2 but sold one sealed a week ago for €400. Felt bad after selling it. I went online and bought another one for €360. Glad i bought it now. Is that scalping or just making a handy €40?

@tinCAT-zero no it's just losing money from the inevitable ps5 purchase..

@zebric21
Not really since I don't intend to buy a PS5 until the slim is released. I'll be looking for a deal on a black friday in the future. Plus the Pro I bought online is the fifa 21 bundle edition which I have no interest in, so I will be selling the copy of FIFA straight away. I'm hoping to have delivery in less than a week.

I love the ps4 and I have a serious backlog of games to play on it. It's probably a bit silly buying a spare but if it makes me happy what the heck. I also have the 2018 slim blue "days of play" console which I use for undemanding games.

@huyi This news, currently anyway, is for Japan. If you go back and look over the weekly sales numbers for PS4 and PS4 Pro since Pro launched in Japan the Pro never sold nearly as well. So for Japan it made sense, probably wasn't really even much of a debate.

I'd still like to see them drop the Slim model then lower the PS4 Pro price in the rest of the world, like @Paranoimia said, maybe even put the PS4 Pro in the slim body, make a hybrid third model like PS3 had, might be able to help them lower the price a few cents, but they'll probably just drop the Pro in the rest of the world soon, keep the Slim at $199 for budget gamers.

@Flurpsel @Voltan @sanderson72 Seeing as Xbox One X and PS4 PRO are being discontinued, with all resources being focused on Series X and PS5, perhaps don't you think we would've had more next gen consoles available if those mid-gen consoles never existed...like the article says : "It is said that Sony will now utilise the production lines freed up by these cutbacks to flood the market with PlayStation 5 systems instead."

@TheArt hard to say how much this is increasing their production capacity as the Pro is only being discontinued in Japan (at least for the moment), where it never sold that well anyway. If the Pro hadn't existed they'd probably been using the production lines for slims.

Edit: I will say, "flood the market" seems a little hard to believe but hey.

The other article on Push Square talks about sluggish sales of the PS5 in Japan and now this, sounds like Sony has serious brand loss in the country.

On a separate note, I still play my PS4 way more than my PS5 probably 80/20 split. I find the PS5 lagging on PS4 designed games and often die as the frame is rubbish and I can't see quick enough what is happening. Does anyone else get this?

@Emperor_Rusty Without a handheld console, Sony are going to keep losing brand/sales in Japan to Nintendo. They liked the PSP, they liked the Vita but weren't keen on anything that wasn't gaming on the go.

I suspect software emulation of the PS4 on the 5 will get better over time, like it did with the PS3's backwards compatibility.

@TheArt well it sold really well and a lot of people were happy with it so I would say it wasn't a bad move. Maybe they shouldve discontinued it a little earlier but perhaps they didnt expect the amount of day one sales that the PS5 had. I think corona meant a lot of people were sitting at home bored out of their minds so sales were very good.

@sanderson72 I think you are right, 5G is coming and it may be a game changer. Maybe in the future there will be an attachment to the PS5 controller which you mount your phone onto and presto, you have a portable playstation