End of an era for one of the greats
Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan has announced that it is ending after-sales support of its legendary console, PlayStation 3. From April 30, 2022, Sony will no longer be able to repair or refurbish any PS3 hardware or peripherals sent in by its customers, putting a period on the company’s relationship with one of its best-selling consoles.
“Due to the depletion of parts inventory, we will no longer be able to provide after-sales service for the PlayStation3 CECH-4300 series main unit and all PlayStation3 peripherals on April 30, 2022,” reads a short statement on Sony Japan’s Twitter. “If you are considering applying for this service, please make your request as soon as possible. Please note that repairs may not be possible before the end date due to the exhaustion of parts.”
“We sincerely apologize to customers who are using this product and thank you for your understanding.”
Launched in November 2006 for a notoriously outrageous $599 USD, the PlayStation 3 was a huge step up (from a technical standpoint) from its predecessor, PlayStation 2. The mighty behemoth took its sweet time building a library of compelling releases but — alongside its Microsoft rival Xbox 360 — would eventually be home to hundreds of great games that truly pushed the boundaries of graphical fidelity and game design. PS3 was also the first games console to support the then-fledgling Blu-ray format.
It can be argued that we are yet to see the same technical leap experienced from PS2 to PS3 in the ensuing generations. While the PS2 is, undeniably, one of the greatest consoles of all time, the PS3 felt like an enormous step up from a tech standpoint — more so than we experienced when moving from PS3 to PS4, or even from PS4 to PS5. PlayStation 3 would also receive multiple physical redesigns, slimming down its painfully ginormous original form.
While the sales of PlayStation would not surpass those of either of its predecessors or its successors, the console would ultimately rack up over 87 million hardware sales in its lifetime. While the PS3 has been a little old hat for some years, Sony pulling the plug on the console’s repair service definitely marks something of an era’s end.
Regardless, nobody would deny PS3 its place in the annuals of video game history.
