Sony discontinues the PSP in Japan (update)

Sony will cease shipments of the PlayStation Portable to the domestic Japanese market beginning June 2014, the company  announced today.

Sony revealed the discontinuation of the PSP in Japan in an announcement for two PlayStation Vita Super Value Packs for the region. Sony is offering users in country PS Vita product discounts for PSP trade-ins. The Universal Media Disc-using handheld console was first announced during E3 2003 and officially unveiled at a Sony press conference a year later. It launched in Japan in late 2004, North America in early 2005 and PAL regions late 2005.

A remodeled version, the PSP-2000, launched in 2007 followed by another reiteration with the PSP-3000 in 2008. Sony launched the PSP Go model, which featured a sliding screen to reveal the controls, alongside the PSP-3000. The corporation discontinued the new design in 2011 outside of North America to focus on the PSP's successor, the PlayStation Vita that launched worldwide in 2012.

We have reached out to Sony for more information about other regions.

Update: "The shipping of the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system has been completed in North America and within the PAL territory, which includes Australia and New Zealand," a Sony Computer Entertainment Australia spokesperson told Polygon. "Also, it will be completed in Japan in June 2014 as announced on June 3. As for other area/regions (Asia), the PSP business and production are continued.

"We continue to support the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) system which was introduced in 2012. PS Vita continues to offer immersive handheld gaming experiences, enriched by it's seamless connectivity with PlayStation 4."