Sony announces end of PlayStation Portable shipmentsJune 3, 2014 - 15:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Sony Corp. is pulling the plug on its hand-held PlayStation Portable video game machine after 10 years. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company has been pushing the successor machine, PlayStation Vita. According to the Associated Press, Tokyo-based Sony said Tuesday, June 3, that PSP shipments ended in North America in January, will end in Japan this month and later this year in Europe. Discounts on Vita and downloads are offered to Japanese PSP owners, but are still undecided for those overseas. More than 76 million PSP machines were sold, as of two years ago, the last time a tally was taken. The PSP went on sale in December 2004. Machines devoted to games are struggling against the popularity of smartphones and other devices. Sony reported a $1.3 billion loss for last fiscal year and is expecting to stay in the red this year. Some analysts say the Vita has not sold in significant numbers. Sony does not release the cumulative global unit sales of the Vita and combines it with PSP tallies. Sony's handheld game machine also faced stiff competition from Japanese rival Nintendo Co.'s 3DS. But Nintendo has also struggled to keep momentum going for its game machines. Related links: Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |