Sony Japan has discontinued its last remaining UHD Blu-ray player, UBP-X700/K, seemingly marking the company's exit. The news comes via Japanese blog Kunkoku, which happens to also be a Sony retailer. Sales are officially ending in Japan today, October 22. - "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," writes Kunkoku (translated). Sony Japan has confirmed the same on its online store, where the UBP-X700/K is prominently listed in red as "在庫切れで、次回入荷のない商品です" ("Out of stock. This item will not be restocked").

There is still no press release or global confirmation, but Kunkoku notes that no successor or replacement has been announced. End of an eraUBP-X700/K, released in May 2025, was Sony's last remaining standalone UHD Blu-ray player, following the discontinuation of UBP-X800M2 more than a year ago. This leaves PlayStation 5 as Sony's only remaining UHD Blu-ray player, but it is first and foremost a game console and it does not support Dolby Vision. PlayStation will also soon stop releasing new games on optical discs, leading many to believe that PlayStation 6 will abandon the optical disc drive. The end of an era. Also read: The rise and fall of game discs Sony had already withdrawn from the standalone CD and SACD player markets.

In February, it announced that it would exit the Blu-ray recorder market. It will continue to sell one standard Blu-ray player and one DVD player. UBP-X700/K was Sony's last remaining UHD Blu-ray player What happens now?Sony is a Japanese company, and decisions affecting its Japanese lineup typically precede global changes. UBP-X700/K is not yet officially listed as discontinued in the US, Europe or elsewhere, so stock seemingly remain available in those markets, but you may need to act fast. Sony's exit leaves Panasonic as the only major electronics brand still selling UHD Blu-ray players, although we are seeing a wave of mostly Chinese brands launching players. Still, these brands are unlikely to move the needle much.

Sony was one of the key developers of Blu-ray and a major force behind UHD Blu-ray. The Japanese company's exit must be regarded as a major blow to the optical disc market as a whole. - Source: Sony Japan via Kunkoku, thanks for the tip Yoeri Geutskens!