The Playstation 2 is the successor to SONY's Playstation console, and the best-selling home console of all time. It was first released on March 4, 2000 in Japan.
Release[edit]
Japan[edit]
The Playstation 2 premiered in Japan on March 4, 2000.
North America[edit]
The Playstation 2 released on October 26, 2000.
Development And Release[edit]
The Playstation 2 was announced in March of 1999, although it would not see the light of day at retailers until 2000. Still, it was enough to kill the buzz for SEGA's Dreamcast system before it even launched, ensuring an early grave for the company as a console manufacturer.
The Playstation 2's supply suffered from numerous shortages during the year after its release. During this period, desperate fans were known to pay as much as $1,000 USD for second hand systems. The strength of the Playstation brand ensured that the system sold through over 980,000 units just one day after its release in Japan. Unlike the GameCube and the Xbox, the Playstation 2 also benefitted from a huge library of Playstation games that were readily available to be played on the system from day one thanks to backwards compatability.
Versions[edit]
The Playstation 2 had several hardware variations, beginning with the original case design for the SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000 and SCPH-18000 models in Japan. These models lacked the expansion bay of later models. Later on, a slimline case model was introduced. The Playstation 2 Slim released in October of 2004.
A third version of the console was released exclusively in Japan and called the PSX. This massive device could be used as a digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to the normal functions of the console. The PSX released in Japan on December 13, 2003. It is notable as the first SONY device to feature the XrossMediaBar interface, which went on to feature heavily on the Playstation Portable, Playstation VITA, and Playstation 3.
