Sony: PS2 "Forever Changed" Gaming

[Greg Tito]

Sony: PS2 "Forever Changed" Gaming

Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the PS2 releasing in America, Sony president said that the console changed gaming forever.

It's kind of hard to believe that the PS2 came out on October 26th, 2000. At the time, I knew many people who bought it just for the built-in DVD player, but the console remained a fixture of my gaming life with its many exclusive franchises like Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto. Predictably, Sony Computer Entertainment of America President and CEO, Jack Tretton, had some very nice words to say about his company's ten year old console.

"When the platform launched back in October 2000, the industry was forever changed by the introduction of a device that came built in with a DVD/CD player and offered Internet connectivity and online gameplay for the very first time," Tretton said.

"The PS2 went on to introduce brand new entertainment formats, such as motion technology with the EyeToy and has broken several industry milestones, such as being the first game console to hit 50 million units in North America," he continued.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the console's success is that it's still being manufactured and sold new today, and games are still being released in its format. In fact, Sony just announced a new bundle [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104565-Sony-Announces-New-PS2-Bundle] for the decade old console. That kind of longevity is something which Nintendo or Microsoft can only dream of accomplishing with their consoles.

Source: PlayStation Blog [http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/10/26/celebrating-ten-years-of-playstation-2/?]

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[TheRightToArmBears]

I can't make up my mind if I agree or not... I guess it did really set the score for modern consoles, but even then... hurm...

 

[C95J]

I sort of agree with this I guess. It had a lot of great games and it is the best selling console of all time.

 

[Stabby Joe]

It did, seriously, even the haters have to admit it.

Anyone who regularly goes on GamesRadar will have read recently the legitimate reasons why:

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/six-reasons-the-ps2-is-the-best-system-of-all-time/a-2010102614844106037

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-top-7-things-you-didnt-realise-the-ps2-did-first-/a-2010101310025346074

 

[liveslowdiefast]

Have always loved it. and that will never stop, long live the PS2!

 

[Shirokurou]

Changed my gaming life. Made me switch from PC to console.

 

[KazTheKing]

I agree. The PS2 set the standard for GAME systems. I kind of miss it to be honest. All games now are so online oriented and forget about the great experiences that a system like a PS2 offered. I would've never bought an original Xbox if I knew what it would do to this current generation.

 

[ImprovizoR]

I agree absolutely. So many awesome franchises started on PS2, and some franchises became even more popular then ever. The best console ever made and may the Gods of PC forgive me, but my favorite favorite game of all time is a PS2 exclusive (Metal Gear Solid 3).

 

[Heart of Darkness]

Wait...wasn't the Dreamcast the first to offer online connectivity and gameplay in terms of home consoles? *puzzled*

Anyway, what's everyone else's opinion on the merits of the PS2 as it affected consoles and peripherals? I never actually had a PS2, so I can't honestly comment on this article.

 

[Fensfield]

Okay that's pushing it a bit. Their own console did CD's first, and the Dreamcast beat them to internet connectivity by almost a year. .. And many would argue, did it rather better, too, at least by comparative time-scales.

Still, mostly true or no .. can't but feel a bit iffy about that claim, especially given some of the dirty tricks Sony pulled to grab their market lead at the very beginning (like, advertising a polygon count the PS2 could only pull off when rendering inert, untextured triangles, for instance) >.>

 

[Cousin_IT]

Still got my pre-slim ps2 alive & kicking. Last game I got for it was Mercenaries 2. It was pretty crap.

 

[mjc0961]

Time to come back down to earth, Jack. Its Internet connectivity was pretty poor (you needed to buy an add-on if you had an original PS2, and it wasn't a unified network), and the EyeToy bombed.

The PS2 did enough great things that you can just stick to them, no need to try and play up things it wasn't good at.

 

[AboveUp]

That kind of longevity is something which Nintendo or Microsoft can only dream of accomplishing with their consoles.

You mean how quite recently there was an NES release, right? I'm not talking Mega Man 9 or 10's 8-bit style either. Battle Kid, which looks like I Wanna Be The Guy. First game in 15 years. That's one heck of a lifespan for a console.

Online was done before by the Dreamcast, I'm sure of that one.

As for it having changed the gaming world. Yes, it has. Then again, every major console has done this in one way or another.

 

[zombays]

Kingdom Hearts.












That is all.

 

[Inco]

I still don't own one. Funnily enough, despite owning every other console (except the PS1 and dreamcast) including the PS3. It never gripped me, really. So on a personal scale, i would say that the PS2 actually did the least impact on my personal gaming.

 

[MetaKnight19]

I passed on the PS2 and went for a GameCube instead, which put me in a bit of an odd spot since I was in the vast minority at my school. The PS2 had awesome games, like God of War 1 and 2 and GTA3, as well as many others which I can't remember at the moment. Maybe it didn't change gaming forever, but it certainly played a part.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I have to agree. If on nothing else, I have to agree on the fact that it changed gaming by being able to compete with Next Gen systems.

 

[Woodsey]

It's strange how things pass you by.

I couldn't give a shit about it, nor could I say it's influenced my personal gaming in any way. I seem to be on a different track to most other people after playing on PCs almost exclusively all my life.

 

[Snotnarok]

It did, seriously, even the haters have to admit it.

Anyone who regularly goes on GamesRadar will have read recently the legitimate reasons why:

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/six-reasons-the-ps2-is-the-best-system-of-all-time/a-2010102614844106037

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-top-7-things-you-didnt-realise-the-ps2-did-first-/a-2010101310025346074

Actually that 2nd article is wrong, the PS2 is not the first console that works on it's side. Any cartridge system could work on it's side, you could play the gameboy on it's side!

OT: PS2 is certainly a great system, I take no sides as usual with systems but it does play more games that I like than other systems. Final Fantasy Tactics? Hell yes.