How the PS2 Became the Best-Selling Console of All Time

Sony has been one of the major players in the gaming industry for quite a while, and the PlayStation 2 is what secured their position as one of the greats.

Originally released on March 4, 2000, the PS2 remains the best-selling console of all time twenty years later, even against other heavyweights like the Nintendo Wii and the PS4. The system saw over 155 million units sold, which is no small feat.

There are a few different factors that added to this, but in the end, Sony made all the right moves. It may not have been as graphically powerful as the Xbox and other systems, but it had the attention of everyone for years.

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Total Backward Compatability

It may seem like a small feature initially, but the PS2 being totally backward compatible with the PS1 was a huge step. The PS1 was Sony’s introduction to the video game industry and the system had some seriously impactful games; Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, just to name a few.

All of these games were playable on the PS2 on day one, and players could even use their memory cards and PS1 controllers with the system as well. This made it incredibly easy for players to make the jump from PS1 to PS2, as they could simply get rid of their old system and keep their library of games. Over time backward compatibility has become more of an important feature for fans, and it helped give the PS2 a great initial boost out of the gate.

A Diverse and Expansive Library of Exclusive Games

The number one thing that propelled the PS2 to success was an utterly amazing library of games. PlayStation had tons of partners and studios that were delivering exclusives left and right. First-party studios like Naughty Dog brought Jak & Daxter, Sony Santa Monica brought God of War, and Sucker Punch brought Sly Cooper.

First-party established a strong base, but the PS2 flourished under the exclusives third-parties brought. Long-running series like Final Fantasy had found a new home on the PS2, and the release of Final Fantasy X was a huge event, quickly becoming one of the most successful franchises on the system. Square Enix also introduced the wildly successful Kingdom Hearts franchise on the PS2.

Other companies brought huge critically-acclaimed titles, like Capcom with Okami, Konami with Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Atlus with Persona 3 and 4, and Namco with Tekken 4 and 5. The PS2 saw over 3500 games across its lifetime and there was always a selection of interesting titles, whether exclusive or multi-platform. Often exclusives slow to a crawl later in a consoles life cycle, like with the Wii, but Sony did a great job of consistently releasing big games throughout the PS2’s life.

Extra Features and New Hardware Revisions

Another big draw of the PS2 is that it doubled as a DVD player, something the GameCube and Xbox simply didn’t have (although Xbox did get a DVD attachment). In 2000 this was a big deal as many consumers were still making the jump from VHS to DVD. Being able to pick up a game system and a DVD player at the same time provided a bigger incentive than Sony’s competition.

The PS2 also saw multiple hardware iterations, with Sony introducing the PS2 Slim a few years after the console’s release. The Slim was a much smaller version that took up less space, ran much quieter, and even had a built-in ethernet port. The PS2 continued to be manufactured years after the release of the PS3, and still had games releasing for years. The long lifespan of the system is a testament to the popularity of the console, and everything Sony did right over the years.

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