Today is exactly twenty-one years since the launch of PS2 in Japan. With its 150 million units, it has become the best selling console of all time. Yes, we are talking about the legendary PlayStation 2, which undoubtedly entered the hearts of many players and fans. By today’s anniversary, we will remember the details of the life of this extraordinary slot machine.
How it all started
The first work on the PlayStation 2 began at the time of the release of the first PlayStation. However, the console was officially announced on March 1, 1999 at the Tokyo Game Show and promised backward compatibility with the original PlayStation, a built-in DVD player, Internet connectivity, and an Emotion Engine capable of 6.2 gigaflops of performance.
Interestingly, Sony was inspired by the 1993 Atari Falcon Microbox 030/040 in regards to the shape and design of the PlayStation 2. Like the Atari Falcon, the PlayStation 2 could be placed vertically or horizontally.
Since the first worldwide release on March 4, 2000 in Japan, sales of consoles, games and accessories have reached $250 million in one day. However, the situation with the release of the PlayStation 2 in some places resembled today. In Japan, it was very difficult to find PlayStation 2 consoles on retailers’ shelves once they were released, making them a very scarce commodity. As a result, we were able to ship more and more consoles to stores, which led to higher sales.
Although Sony thought their main competitor to the PlayStation 2 would be Sega’s Dreamcast, they were different consoles after all. The massive success of the PlayStation 2 marked the final end of the Dreamcast console, as Sega was in serious financial trouble and had to shut down its console after just 18 months. Although the Dreamcast continued to receive support, the PlayStation 2 became the only six-generation console for six months. However, Sony could not be too proud of this title for too long, as other contenders were soon to appear on the scene, who did not hesitate to beat the championship.
Way to the top
Thus, the PlayStation 2 had to compete with nothing less than Microsoft’s first Xbox console and Nintendo’s GameCube. Many analysts predicted a close match in sales across all consoles. The Xbox had the most powerful hardware, but the GameCube was the cheapest console. The PlayStation 2, on the other hand, theoretically had the weakest specs of all three consoles. However, he was ahead thanks to his fan base and the strong commitment of the developers. Among other things, the PlayStation 2 offered a DVD player, while the Xbox required an adapter and the GameCube did not support this feature. What undoubtedly also helped the PlayStation 2 in sales compared to the competition was, of course, the games. The original library of games for the PlayStation 2 was considered average, but that changed in 2001. Sony fought Microsoft, among other things, by temporarily providing PlayStation 2 exclusives such as Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. row.
Demand for the PlayStation 2 remained strong throughout most of its life, with over 1.4 million units sold in Japan by March 31, 2000. A year later, over 10.6 million units were sold worldwide, and in 2005, the PlayStation 2 became the best-selling video game console, reaching 100 million units in five years and 9 months after launch. The PlayStation 2 couldn’t be proud of this title for too long, as the Nintendo DS broke that record 4 years later.
By July 2009, 139 million PlayStation 2 consoles had been sold worldwide, and by the end of March 2012, when the PlayStation 2 ended its lifespan, over 155 million consoles had been sold. As a result, the PlayStation 2 became the best-selling console of all time, a record that has yet to be broken.
However, the actual lifespan of the PlayStation 2 officially ended on January 4, 2013, just a month before Sony introduced the PlayStation 4 to the world. This is truly remarkable performance.
So many options
The PlayStation 2 boasts several versions and revisions. The first new version of the PlayStation 2 was introduced by Sony in 2004. The thinner and newer body of the console was called the PlayStation 2 Slim and looked very small compared to its big brother. In addition to these two versions, classic and slim, Sony also released the Sony Bravia KDL-22PX300 with an integrated PlayStation 2 console.
Sony also released a consumer device called the PSX which, in addition to playing games for the PS2 system, could also be used as a digital video recorder and DVD burner. The device was released in Japan on December 13, 2003 and was the first Sony product to feature the XrossMediaBar interface. Although the product sold well in the Japanese market, it was not featured anywhere else.
Some companies, such as JoyTech, have even made a PlayStation 2 LCD monitor with built-in speakers that attach to the back of the console. They allowed players to play games without access to a TV. In a way, it was like a laptop.
Other accessories include dance mats for the titles Dance Dance Revolution, In the Groove and Pump It Up, and High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance. Konami also supplied microphones for use in Karaoke Revolution games, and dual microphones, guitar drivers, or drum kits were also available.
The PlayStation 2 was available in several color options. The original PlayStation 2 was matte black. However, Sony has released several color variations in varying amounts and in different areas. You could see the PlayStation 2 in Ceramic White, Light Yellow, Metallic Blue, Metallic Silver, Astral Blue, Purple, Gold and Red. Pink was also available in a limited edition which was only available in Oceania and parts of Asia.
Games make the console
You can wave technical characteristics as much as you like, but the games themselves are no less important for the players. After all, consoles are the games themselves, but with the PlayStation 2, things were different.
Sony has offered its players some very important exclusive games. Games from the Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid series have become especially popular. The best-selling game for the PlayStation 2, with over 17 million copies sold, was the legendary and undoubtedly well-known Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This is followed by Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, selling almost 15 million copies, and then Gran Turismo 4, selling 12 million copies. We’ll also find Final Fantasy X (8.5 million units), Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (7 million units) and Tekken 5 (6 million units) among the best-selling games on the PlayStation 2 console.
Among other things, some of today’s popular TV series such as God of War, Ratchet & Clank, Jak a Daxter, Devil May Cry, Kingdom Hearts and Sly Cooper started their journey here.
Game releases peaked in 2004, but dropped significantly in 2006 with the release of the PlayStation 3. The last games released on the PlayStation 2 were Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin in Asia, FIFA 14 in North America, and Pro Evolution Soccer. 2014 in Europe.
If you just didn’t feel like playing games but rather watching movies, this wasn’t a problem for the console. Younger readers might be surprised not only by DVD playback, but the PlayStation 2 also offered Netflix, albeit only in Brazil. Here, users had access to this film streaming platform through a special disc until 2012. A likely reason why Netflix was available for the PlayStation 2 in Brazil is because the console was still heavily represented here, while in North America, Sony put Netflix on the PlayStation. 3.
Anyone who owns or still owns a Playstation 2 console will surely remember the big towers on the loading screen that went up and down when the console was launched. Interestingly, although it seemed like a random process, it had a purpose. The towers represented the number of games played, saved game data, and how long those games had been played.
Many don’t think so, but the PlayStation 2 was more than just a device. I personally remember going to a friend’s house and we played Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and the original Harry Potter games together on his PlayStation 2. To this day, I consider that the happiest moment of my childhood. Thanks to this console, we have a lot of good memories and we are passionate players today. That is why I would like to publish here the memoirs of some other members of the editorial board:
Martin Zavrzel
I remember with great feeling the black obelisk called the PlayStation 2 as the golden era of video games, when not only the tremendous progress in their technical processing, but the entire environment developed as a form of modern art. I still remember how my colleagues from Computer Press watched with bated breath the first frames of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, where (to the music of Hollywood composers) objects on the shelves physically reacted to the player’s stimuli, enemy soldiers went to identify themselves by their shadow etc. Not to mention that it was one of the first ways to start watching movies on DVD at the time, which was also a turning point for someone like me (with an extensive collection of videocassettes). Moreover, it was in those years that the occasional side income from writing articles about games became my main source of income, so I could afford to start playing and writing really everything.
Already the first impressions of the PS2 were strong – the launch shooter TimeSplitters launched and controlled perfectly, in addition, it was very diverse and fun. However, the console won me over in my sophomore year when the decent horror Extermination first appeared, followed by the unforgettable Metal Gear Solid 2 at the end of the year. Not really worth worrying about until a few years later (so much for contemporary art) . Overall, my impression is that as the console itself has grown and built on the solid foundation laid by the first PlayStation, the best gaming brands have grown along with it: in addition to MGS2 and MGS3, I also refer to Final Fantasy X (for the first time since dubbed!), FF XII (with an amazing programming system for party members), Silent Hill 2, GTA 3 or Resident Evil 4. But, of course, this was the time of the birth of new legends, such as Ico, Shadow of Colossus or the very first God of war. When I write titles, my immediate urge is to take their box and console out of the closet and play them again.
Yakub Zhezhule
The luster of the best-selling console of all for me is a little clouded by the fact that by the time the Playstation 2 hit the market, HD games were already on the PC, which forced me to choose this platform for many games. However, Sony has always been able to offer great exclusivity, and its relationships with leading Japanese developers have shown themselves even then. I still play the best pieces of that time.
For me personally, the most popular game of this era is probably Final Fantasy X, but I also include the second and third Metal Gear Solid, the groundbreaking Resident Evil 4, Burnout 3: Takedown, Tekken Tag Tournament, the first two parts of the God of War series, ICO , Shadow of the Colossus and, last but not least, the second and third Silent Hill. I also remember the strong end of the PS2 console cycle when, apart from God of War 2, gems like Okami and Dragon Quest VIII were released. The uniqueness of the console today is reduced due to the fact that the vast majority of these games received later remasters. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the Japanese horror trilogy Project Zero (released in America as Fatal Frame). Maybe once.
What about you, what are your memories of the PlayStation 2?
Source :Indian TV
