It’s been a long time coming, but Sony is finally set to end production of its PlayStation Vita gaming handheld in Japan.
As spotted by Gematsu, the remaining two Vita models (PCH-2000 ZA11 Black and PCH-2000 ZA23 Aqua Blue) are now labelled as ending “soon” on Sony’s website.
Sony confirmed last September that Vita production would come to an end in Japan sometime in 2019. However, it remains unclear exactly when the Vita will be officially discontinued.
The Vita first launched in Japan in December 2011 before making its way to North America in February 2012. During its first year on the market, the Vita received notable first- and third-party support in the form of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Persona 4 Golden and Assassin’s Creed Liberation.
However, Sony soon struggled to drive Vita sales, especially compared to rival Nintendo’s then-flourishing 3DS handheld. As a result, Sony began to reduce its first-party output over the following couple of years before outright ending it in 2015. While indie developers like Toronto-based Drinkbox Studios (Severed) and Japanese third-parties such as Atlus (Persona) would continue to release games on the Vita, major support for the platform had all but ceased at this point.
Sony has never revealed official sales figures for the Vita, although analysts estimate that there have been between 10 and 15 million sold since launch.
Source: Gematsu
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