Sony Japan has discontinued its last UHD Blu-ray player, the UBP-X700/K. This seemingly marks Sony’s exist from the UHD Blu-ray player market.
According to Japanese blog and retailer Kunkoku, “Sony ends shipments of Ultra HD Blu-ray player UBP-X700/K. Following the end of Blu-ray recorder sales and the announcement that PlayStation game disc production will cease, the PS5 will be Sony’s only UHD Blu-ray player in Japan.” Sony Japan’s site also notes that the player is permanently out-of-stock and will not be restocked. Currently, Sony has not revealed if or when a successor will release.
The announcement comes in the wake of PlayStation announcing that it would end all physical disc production in January 2028. This means that all future games released afterwards on PlayStation consoles will release exclusively in digital format. In a statement, PlayStation elaborated on the choice, stating that “This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”
Crunchyroll also announced it plans to transition the Crunchyroll Store into a store that “captures the excitement of convention-exclusive merchandise—collectibles, curated drops, and limited-release products inspired by the anime series you love.” This new effort will restrict the storefront to Mega ($13.99/mo) and Ultimate ($17.99/mo) Fans only, meaning that standard users (Fans, $9.99/mo) will no longer have access to the Crunchyroll Store.
Crunchyroll states that while your account order and history will remain accessible, you will not be able to place any new orders unless you are part of the Mega or Ultimate tier. Over time, Crunchyroll has delisted a vast number of Blu-rays and manga sets from the store, further indicating that Sony has fully doubled down on no longer being a physical media seller.
