As per Game Watch, Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed that production of all PS4 Slim (save for one) and PS4 Pro models has ended in Japan. This is due to the company utilizing production lines to manufacture the new PS5 and make up for shortages in stock for the region. The sole model that continues to be manufactured is the PS4 Slim 500 GB in “Jet Black.”

With reports of PS5 launch sales in Japan being the lowest in the company’s history, such a transition isn’t surprising. While one could point to Sony’s lack of focus on the region – which some rumors have stated is a real problem, despite the company denying the same – it could also be due to shortage of units. More production lines means more units though demand for the PS5 in Japan still remains unknown.

Despite this development, it’s unlikely that Sony will be ending production for PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro models in the West anytime soon. The consoles, along with their software, continue to sell and the company is eyeing cross-gen support between the PS4 and PS5 for the coming years. Never say never though and stay tuned for more details.

With Black Friday coming up, and Sony lacking a big mainstream hit on the caliber of Spider-Man to push consoles this year, it looks like the company will instead try to fight on value—and they’re apparently going to do a great job of it, based on the deals they announced today.

The big ticket item will probably be the $199 PS4 Slim, which comes with 1TB of on board storage and three big PS4 hits pre-installed: The Last of Us Remastered, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and God of War. Sony is also offering a PS4 Pro for $299, major recent PS4 games for $19 (sadly, Death Stranding looks like it will keep its full price), and a PSVR bundle with the headset, PS Camera, and Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Skyrim VR, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Everybody’s Golf VR, and PlayStation VR Worlds all included for just $199. Which is sort of nuts.

Now whether or not this is enough to win Sony the vaunted Black Friday shopping season remains to be seen—but they’re at least doing their best to ensure they put their best foot forward.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 recently celebrated its sixth anniversary, having first launched on November 15th 2013 in North America. Sales have only been rising ever since – the company recently reported 102.8 million units shipped worldwide as of September 30th 2019. This makes it the second highest selling console of all time, trailing just behind the PlayStation 2.

With the PlayStation 5 launching late next year, Sony seems to be garnering feedback on what the PS4 did right over its past six years. Reddit user kasual7 reported receiving a survey from Sony to hear their take. The user noted in a comment that, “I’ve had similar ones in the past but they specifically worded as: Today is your PS4 anniversary, and exactly questioned my overall experience in the past 6 years.”

There are questions about other gaming platforms that the user may play on (though the PlayStation Vita isn’t mentioned, sadly). The user is currently in the firmware beta testing program so it’s possible that the survey is limited to those participating. Either way, as noted above, the anniversary wording makes it seem like a broader survey overall.

The PS5 is out in Holiday 2020 with a PlayStation Meeting rumored to be taking place in February 2020. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime. We may even hear about Bluepoint Games’ next big remake there.

In its recent financial report for the fiscal quarter ending September 30th 2019, Sony has announced a new lifetime total for PlayStation 4 shipments. It’s shipped 102.8 million units worldwide till date. This makes it the second highest-selling home console of all time behind the PlayStation 2, which stands at 155 million units.

During this quarter, 2.8 million consoles were shipped (down from the 3.9 million shipped in the same quarter last year). PlayStation Plus subscribers also hit an all-time high number of 36.9 million, which is up from 34.3 million subscribers in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year. The company also reported 61.3 million software units sold with 37 percent of sales being digital downloads of full game software.

The forecast for the complete fiscal year has been altered slightly. Sony is now projecting 13.5 million PS4 consoles sold versus the initially predicted 15 million units. Given that the PlayStation 5 is rumored to be revealed in February 2020 and will release in Holiday 2020, things are looking pretty good for Sony. Stay tuned for more details.

Ejecting the Disc While Playing

Hey, you know what would be a great idea? If that physical disc you were playing on wasn’t ejected while the game was still running. Now, we know the temptation is great and you probably want to toss that Overwatch disc across the room after a terrible match or three but just don’t do it. You’re better than that and your disc drive, game data, etc etc will thank you for it.

Device Link

Ever wanted to bypass the process of switching on your TV and then your PS4 just to get straight into playing games? Device Link is the key. It’s supported by many Smart TVs and will essentially pair your TV and PS4 together, thus turning on both with the press of the PS button. Keep in mind that the Smart TV must have HDMI CEC enabled for this to work.

Sony has confirmed that the PS4 Slim will be receiving a gold model on June 9th in north America. This follows weeks of rumours about the gold PS4 Slim.

The limited edition console will have a 1 TB hard disk drive and matching DualShock 4 controller. They’ll retail for $249.99/ $329.99 CAD and come with a Days of Play sale. Horizon: Zero Dawn, Nioh, MLB 17: The Show and standalone DualShock 4 controllers will be on sale for $39.99/$49.99 CAD.

Europe will be able to pick up a 500 GB PS4 Slim in gold or a new silver colour on June 28th. The silver model doesn’t seem like it will be available in North America. Sony didn’t provide pricing for the same however.

What are your thoughts on the existence of both a gold and silver PS4 Slim? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more information on other Sony dealings when its E3 presser takes place on June 12th.

Sony’s gold PlayStation 4 Slim has been rumoured on and off for a few weeks now. However, there now seems to be some confirmation that the model exists.

Wario64 on Twitter spotted Target’s weekly ad for the week of June 11th which showcases the gold PS4 Slim retailing for $250. The console is described as a “limited” model with a 1 TB hard drive and gold DualShock 4 controllers will be selling for $40.

While Sony has yet to confirm the gold PS4 Slim’s release, the date does line up pretty well for next week. Sony’s E3 presser is scheduled for June 12th – it’s highly possible that the gold PS4 Slim is announced with sales going live the same day. The part about it releasing in the week of June 11th more or less solidifies the theory.

We’d still take this with a pinch of salt though. What are your thoughts on the gold PS4 Slim model? Let us know in the comments below along with whether you’ll be buying one.

Yet another image has emerged of the rumoured PlayStation 4 Slim Gold. Featuring a 1 TB hard drive, the latest leak was posted by Reddit user Sliye who apparently works for US retailer Target. He also indicated that the PS4 Slim Gold will be out on June 9th.

Sony hasn’t officially announced the PS4 Slim Gold, which is odd given how it will apparently be out on June 9th and the company’s E3 presser occurs on June 12th. Then again, it probably won’t stop Sony from hyping it up at the presser as a testament to the brand’s success.

The PS4 Slim Gold currently seems set for release in the United States but there’s no word of it coming to Europe or anywhere else worldwide just yet. As we get closer to June 9th, we may find out more. Till then, take all of this with a grain of salt.

Would you pick up a gold PS4 Slim if it was available? Let us know in the comments.

After only being available in Europe since September, the PlayStation 4 Slim’s 1 TB version will finally be hitting stores in the United States “this month” according to the official PlayStation Twitter.

Sony noted that the 1 TB version would be priced at $300, which incidentally is the same price of the 500 GB model. Whether the 1 TB version will become the new standard or not hasn’t been confirmed. Of course, that still begs the question as to why the PS4 Slim 1 TB wasn’t the base model to begin with but we digress.

Along with the PS4 Slim, Sony also launched the PlayStation 4 Pro, an upgraded version of the PS4 that retails for $400 and is capable of 4K-like resolutions for games. It can also run games at 1080p resolution with several improvements including a better frame rate. Microsoft will also be launching its own upgraded console with Project Scorpio in the Holiday season so stay tuned for more details.