Sony Stops PSP Hardware Shipments In Native Japan: The End Is Nigh For Sony's First Handheld Console...

Sony has announced its decision to no longer ship PSP units to stores in Japan after almost a decade, with similar halts to shipments in Europe and North America occurring later in the year, which essentially means an end to the production run for the portable gaming unit.

The PSP was first produced in 2004, and was initially exclusive to Japan before being released worldwide in 2005.The device sold steadily throughout its years on the market, and while it never achieved the sort of success enjoyed by Nintendo with its family of Dual-Screen products, it sold over eighty million units during the height of its success.

The decision to suspend production and shipment of the PSP seemingly coincides with  the launch of two new software bundles for the PS Vita's Slim model, which has superseded its predecessor in terms of popularity.

Japanese owners have now been offered discounts on the PS Vita and and any downloadable content, but it is not yet confirmed whether PSP owners in Europe or America will be offered similar discounts.

It will be interesting to see whether stopping the shipment of PSP consoles will help to boost sales of the PS Vita, which, despite being popular (especially in Japan), has yet to equal the PSP's sale success.

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