Whilst the attention of most PlayStation fans is likely to be focussed on the forthcoming but not yet real PS4, Sony has quietly started the retirement process of its second home console, the PlayStation 2. In its home country of Japan, new consoles are no longer being shipped from Sony, signalling the beginning of the end of its lifespan.
At the turn of the millennium, Sony launched the PS2 – March 4th, 2000, to be precise – as a hugely anticipated upgrade to the original grey gaming box, the PlayStation. If you were there when the console launched and remember picking one up at launch like we did, we’re betting you’re beginning to feel as old as we are now!
Crazily, the console took a good eight months before it made it across the world from Sony’s home country of Japan to Europe, launching in November of 2000. In twelve long years the console has sold over 150 million units, which includes the Slim PS2 that was launched in 2004. Sony decided to take the hefty power supply out of the console to make it considerably slimmer and lighter, which drew plenty more attention. Then there was of course Sony’s trademark colour variations, which have included white, red, blue and silver, to name but a few from over the years.
By comparison, Sony’s main rival Nintendo launched the GameCube a year earlier and has amassed 21.74 million sales in the time since. By our calculations that means Sony’s console outsold Nintendo’s by around 5 to 1, which is probably why it’s the best selling home console of all time.
In twelve years developers have launched an impressive 11,000 games which have resulted in a staggering 1.5 billion sales. The most popular game is widely thought to be Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas which to date has shifted 17 million copies, which even by today’s standards is incredibly good.
If you’re feeling nostalgic right now there are still some brand new consoles to be found online in some corners of the internet, including Amazon. Alternatively you’ll be able to pick up a used slim console for under £40 if you look around the likes of Pink Planet and eBay!