Playstation 2 Reaches 50 Million Units Sold Milestone in North America
The Playstation 2 has officially surpassed 50 million units sold in North America, according to Sony.
Launching in October 26 of 2000, Playstation 2 was the successor to the popular Playstation game console. Using a combination of Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer, Sony's second console was leaps and bounds more powerful than the first.
The Playstation 2 was an instant success thanks to the unprecedented demand. It wasn't until 2001, however, did the Playstation 2 surge past its competitors (Xbox and Gamecube) in sales. This is due to an avalanche of blockbuster titles including Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto III, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. With an incredible lineup to compete against, Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Gamecube didn't stand a chance when both video game systems launched in 2001.
The road towards immortality was not all smooth for Sony and the Playstation 2, however. Uncountable number of systems, especially early on, suffered from disc reading errors. This eventually led to a class action lawsuit and then a settlement against Sony for the Playstation 2 defects.
Even with the hiccups, the Playstation 2 went on to become the best selling video game system of all time, surpassing the Game Boy and Playstation. About a third of the total number of Playstation 2 units sold was in North America. This makes it the first video game system to reach the 50 million units sold threshold.
In 2004, the Playstation 2 saw a major hardware redesigned. The new slim line model significantly reduced the size of the Playstation 2. However, hard drive compatibility was removed as a result. The slim model is now the default Playstation 2 unit.
Due to its immense popularity, the Playstation 2 saw an extremely long life span. While most video game systems would be happy to make it to five years, Sony's second console is still kicking in its ninth year. Although it may not be getting blockbuster titles anymore, the Playstation 2 still gets a healthy dose of multiplatform games.
Launching in October 26 of 2000, Playstation 2 was the successor to the popular Playstation game console. Using a combination of Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer, Sony's second console was leaps and bounds more powerful than the first.
The Playstation 2 was an instant success thanks to the unprecedented demand. It wasn't until 2001, however, did the Playstation 2 surge past its competitors (Xbox and Gamecube) in sales. This is due to an avalanche of blockbuster titles including Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto III, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. With an incredible lineup to compete against, Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Gamecube didn't stand a chance when both video game systems launched in 2001.
The road towards immortality was not all smooth for Sony and the Playstation 2, however. Uncountable number of systems, especially early on, suffered from disc reading errors. This eventually led to a class action lawsuit and then a settlement against Sony for the Playstation 2 defects.
Even with the hiccups, the Playstation 2 went on to become the best selling video game system of all time, surpassing the Game Boy and Playstation. About a third of the total number of Playstation 2 units sold was in North America. This makes it the first video game system to reach the 50 million units sold threshold.
In 2004, the Playstation 2 saw a major hardware redesigned. The new slim line model significantly reduced the size of the Playstation 2. However, hard drive compatibility was removed as a result. The slim model is now the default Playstation 2 unit.
Due to its immense popularity, the Playstation 2 saw an extremely long life span. While most video game systems would be happy to make it to five years, Sony's second console is still kicking in its ninth year. Although it may not be getting blockbuster titles anymore, the Playstation 2 still gets a healthy dose of multiplatform games.
- The Playstation 2 is the best selling video game system of all time.
- About a third of the total number of Playstation 2 units sold was in North America.
- Unfortunately for Sony, the Playstation 2 was the peak financially for them.
|
|