Sony says goodbye to its PlayStation Portable
After 10 years, the company ends sales of its handheld gaming device in North America, Europe, and Japan.
It's the end of an era. Sony announced Tuesday that its handheld PlayStation Portable gaming device will cease to be sold in nearly all its markets.
The 10-year-old PSP had been through several iterations over the years, but as Sony increasingly put more of an emphasis on its sleeker PlayStation Vita, the older device seemed to have fallen by the wayside.
Sony halted all PSP shipments in North America in January. It has also terminated all shipments in Europe and will end shipments in Japan this month.
"The shipping of the PSP system has been completed in North America and Europe. It will also be completed in Japan in June 2014," a Sony spokesperson told CNET. "The PSP business and production continue in Asia."
During its lifespan, the PSP was constantly in competition with Nintendo's DS and saw decreasing sales over the last few years. According to the Associated Press, more than 76 million PSP devices were sold as of 2012. Up-to-date numbers for sales aren't available.
Updated June 4 at 6:25 a.m. PT with comment from Sony spokesperson.