Sony Ends A Generation: Says Good-Bye To PlayStation 2
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Farewell PlayStation 2, we knew thee well.
Sony has announced today that they’re finally calling it quits when it comes to the PlayStation 2, saying their Japanese manufacturers will no longer make the outdated console, and no new shipments will be sent to retailers. Though this move only affects the Japanese manufactures for now, it’s likely Europe and the US will shortly follow suit.
According to some of Sony’s most recent estimates, the PlayStation 2 had a great life. After being launched in March of 2000, the PlayStation 2 went on to sell over 150 million units worldwide and has a library of more than 10,000 game titles.
Although it will soon no longer be possible to buy a brand new PlayStation 2, the console isn’t yet completely obsolete. Some gaming studios are still slated to release content to be played on the PS2. For instance, “Seekers of Adoulin,” yet another installment in the Final Fantasy franchise, is said to be released in March 2013 and will be playable on the PS2.
Since its release 12 years ago, the PlayStation 2 has had time to slim down its frame a bit. In 2004, the PS2 was replaced by a new, sleeker version. This skinnier, sexier PS2 also came with an internal speed boost. This model was sold as the latest PlayStation model until 2007, when the new PlayStation 3 was launched.
According to Neilson ratings, the new PS3 took a while to catch on as the earlier PS2 was still the most played console in 2008, one year after the PS3’s release. The PS3 is now the defacto Sony console and as such, it only makes sense to finally close the door on PS2.
When Sony’s second PlayStation was released in 2000, it faced fierce competition from other since-deceased consoles such as Nintendo’s GameCube and Sega’s Dreamcast. The Microsoft Xbox was also a part of the console market at this time, and like the PlayStation, the Xbox has also been around long enough to see a few upgrades of its own.
The PlayStation 2 launched in the US with a total of 29 games, including games such as “Ridge Racer V” and a snowboarding title called “SSX.”
The platform also supported favorites such as “Jak and Daxter,” a continuation from the earlier “Crash Bandicoot” franchise from the original PlayStation (PSX).
The PlayStation 2 also proved to be something of a gaming powerhouse (at the time) by supporting the ultra-realistic “Gran Turismo.”
This game differed from other similar titles (such as Need for Speed) by offering realistic game play and teaching players how to drive the cars before allowing them to go speeding down slippery roadways as they ran away from Johnny Law. Gamers were able to store and save their progress on Memory Cards which allowed them to take their saved games and saved data with them. This was particularly helpful in the game “Gran Turismo,” as gamers could save up and soup up their cars, then carry them to a friend’s house and pit them against one another.
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2012-12-31 14:31:01
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112755702/sony-good-bye-playstation-2-123112/
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