Bad news Betamax lovers. The 40-year-old video cassette tapes are about to die. Sony broke the news on its website Tuesday, saying it would stop making the tapes as of March 2016.

The cassette tapes went along with the Beta VCR, the first model which was released back in 1975. The system allowed viewers to record their favourite TV programs onto Betamax tapes. Sony discontinued the players back in 2002, but its cassette tapes lived on.

Sony told CBC News that Betamax tapes are currently only being sold in Japan.

They are notorious amongst 'Betaphiles,' who insist that the cassette's quality is far superior than that of its more-popular competitor, VHS. The two formats sparked a famous videotape format battle during the late '70s and '80s, with most viewers gravitating to VHS. It was released a year later than the Beta VCR, in 1976.

On a blog post looking back at its old products, Sony said the Betamax was regarded as a "time-shift machine" for its ability to let TV viewers watch shows on their own time — a pre-cursor to today's DVR and Netflix-dominated era.

Along with the Betamax tapes, Sony also announced it would be discontinuing Micro MV cassette tapes, which were used in video cameras.

News that Sony was killing Betamax tapes caught plenty off guard. Many assumed the cassettes were already long gone.

Huh? Betamax actually still exists? Time to pull out the laser disc player, I guess. <a href="https://t.co/pFlqHVu0hb">https://t.co/pFlqHVu0hb</a> —@paperboyphil

Wow, it appears Sony are to stop manufacturing Betamax video tapes next March. I assumed they'd stopped about 25 years ago! —@mikey471

Hands up who thought they'd stop producing Betamax 400 years ago? <a href="https://t.co/tvAklCIqwm">https://t.co/tvAklCIqwm</a> —@jesuisturnip

Beta has long been the butt of jokes. And even though the technology is on its deathbed, the humour hasn't stopped.

Betamax and chill? <a href="https://t.co/Yp6Vl2ES8o">pic.twitter.com/Yp6Vl2ES8o</a> —@izz0_

Bring back Betamax <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnlikelyProtests?src=hash">#UnlikelyProtests</a> —@TysonFromABQ

In the late 80s I asked the video shop guy: 'what are your other Betamax customers watching?' He replied: 'You're my only Betamax customer'. —@KarlreMarks

Sony has officially ceased production of Betamax tapes. And that's too bad. If they had held on a few more years it was sure to take off. —@NedPetrie

And there was even room for reminiscing. RIP Betamax.

Betamax outlasted HD-DVD and Laserdisc. —@sebpatrick