PlayStation Japan put up a tweet which says it is ending after-sales service for the CECH-4300 model PS3, or the super slim model, on 30 April 2022. This will also apply to all of the peripherals for the console generation in general. Those who are in Japan can still send their consoles for repair until the cutoff date.
— Ask PlayStation JP (@AskPS_JP) February 28, 2022 According to Siliconera, the two older PS3 models were already ineligible for repair prior to this announcement. And with this CECH-4300 model being the last variant of the generation, discontinuing support means the end of the generation in general. Which is not bad, considering it had a 15-year run. With this happening in the console’s home country of Japan, other regions will likely experience the same sooner or later. If you still have a PS3 that runs well, you can still buy games for it digitally. That option nearly went away last year, until PlayStation backtracked on the decision to shut down its PS3 and PS Vita digital stores. (Source: Ask PlayStation JP / Twitter via Siliconera)
