Sony ends its last 4K Blu-ray player in Japan, leaving PS5 as the only one

What changed: Sony has discontinued the UBP-X700/K, its last standalone 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player in Japan, which leaves the PlayStation 5 as the only Sony device there that plays 4K movie discs.¹ Sony’s online store lists the player as out of stock and says it will not be restocked.²

The news first surfaced on a Japanese blog, Kunkoku, and was picked up by FlatpanelsHD.¹² Polygon notes that Sony has not issued a press release about the move.² The UBP-X700/K launched in spring 2025 and was the final standalone UHD player in the lineup.¹² Sony will keep selling one standard Blu-ray player and one DVD player, according to Polygon.²

There is no word yet on other regions. Sony has not said whether it will stop selling the player outside Japan, and Engadget notes it still appears at retailers such as Walmart.¹² Polygon argues that Japan’s decisions tend to come first, but that is a prediction, not a Sony statement.²

This lands months after a bigger announcement. On July 1, Sony said it will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation games starting in January 2028. After that date, new games will come through PlayStation Store or retailers in digital formats only. Games already released, or released before January 2028, are not affected.³

For anyone who owns a disc-equipped PS5, the console keeps working as a disc player. It handles both 4K and 1080p Blu-ray discs, including with the disc drive add-on for the Slim and Pro models. It cannot do Dolby Vision, which the dedicated player could.¹²

On the maker side, Engadget says LG stopped making Blu-ray players in December 2024 and Samsung left in 2019, which leaves Panasonic as the last major maker still in the game, alongside small enthusiast brands.¹ Polygon makes the same point about Panasonic.²

For the future of the PlayStation itself, Engadget points to a report from Insider Gaming that says the PlayStation 6 will offer a detachable disc drive. That is an unconfirmed claim from anonymous sources, and nothing in these reports shows Sony confirming it.¹

Tom’s Hardware likewise frames the PS5 as the last Blu-ray player left in Sony’s lineup.⁴

What it costs you: if you collect discs, the practical advice is simple. Games and movies you already own keep playing, and discs released through 2027 still work. New PlayStation releases from 2028 on will be digital-only, and a standalone 4K player from Sony may soon be hard to find. Polygon adds that buying digitally usually means a license, not ownership, and notes Sony removed over 500 films from users’ PlayStation accounts in June after a rights deal expired.²

Our read: Two disc-related changes from Sony are now on the record: the end of the Japan player and the 2028 date for new game discs. The Dolby Vision gap means film buffs lose a feature the dedicated player had. If you care about physical copies, buying the discs and the drive you want now is cheaper than hoping the rumored PS6 drive turns out to be real.

Footnotes

1. Engadget, “The PlayStation 5 just might be Sony’s final Blu-Ray player”. Retrieved October 28, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Polygon, “Sony Doubles Down on Officially Ditching Physical Media”. Retrieved October 28, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. PlayStation Blog, “Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles”. Retrieved October 28, 2026. ↩

4. Tom’s Hardware, “Sony Japan marks last standalone 4K Blu-ray player as ‘Discontinued’ — PlayStation 5 now the only Blu-ray player left in Sony’s lineup”. Retrieved October 28, 2026. ↩