The PlayStation 2 turns 15 in South Africa

A console that gave countless hours of entertainment to countless millions of people, the best-selling console of all time (over 155 million units sold), has turned 15 years of age and we should all feel pretty old.

Whilst its official release in Japan was earlier this year in March, today we celebrate is official release to the world.

With over 3, 874 titles produced and over 1.5 billion copies sold, the PlayStation 2 has provided paramount entertainment and stimulation the world-round. Even with the introduction of the PlayStation 3 in 2006, the PlayStation 2 continued its triumphant reign until January 4^th, 2013.

After 13 years of production – one of the longest in console history – the console continued to receive titles even after the end of its production line.

Big games like Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin for Japan and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 for Europe and North America and FIFA 14 for Brazil.

Even with the unveiling of the PlayStation 4 on February 20^th, 2013, the PlayStation 2 was still going strong.

On March 1^st, 1999, the PlayStation 2 was announced. Initially geared to become the main competitor of the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft’s Xbox turned out to be its arch-rival. Launching in March 2000, the PS2 raked in around $250 million on the first day.

The console was flying off the shelves faster than developers could stock them. This led to people paying over a thousand dollars for the unit on places like eBay. With its backwards compatibility and DVD-playing features, the PlayStation 2’s extreme success was largely a product of its versatile functionality.

The PS2’s rampant success and domination of the console industry obviously smashed SEGA into a dark place, having to discontinue the Dreamcast only 18 months after its hopeful launch.

The PS2 continued its undisputed reign until the Nintendo Game Cube and Microsoft Xbox rose to the challenge.

Being the technically weakest of the three, specs-wise, analysts predicted the PS2 would begin losing out to its more augmented competitors.

Not so. The PlayStation 2’s phenomenal launch provided an indomitable foundation for its success and had legions of Sony fan-boys at its behest.

Being able to play DVDs also proved to be a winning pull for consumers, something the other two consoles did not have.

Despite its initial line-up being regarded as mediocre, 2001 saw Sony gaining a second wind by securing exclusive monster hits like the Grand Theft Auto series and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

Originally placing little emphasis on online gaming, Sony began implementing this key feature when the Xbox came out, which did possess such ability.

Coinciding with the launch of Xbox Live, Sony began churning out the PlayStation Network Adapter towards the end of 2002. A title like SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs was utilized to showcase Sony’s enticing new internet capabilities.

With online gaming added into a strongly attractive range of features, the PlayStation 2 continued holding its ruthless spot at the top. Just to give you an idea of its unbending supremacy, EA refused to make games for the Xbox until 2004.

Love it or hate it, the PlayStation 2 is the king of console and it probably isn’t going to relinquish its best-selling status in a world where gaming costs an arm and a leg and isn’t getting cheaper. If you are lucky enough to still have a working unit, I envy you, and I hope that you still use it to this day.