25 PS2 Facts You Didn't Know
#25: Release Date
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The release of the PS2 was a date that would change the landscape of gaming and get us closer to the all in one entertainment machine. The PS2 was released in Japan on March 4, 2000, North America on October 26, 2000, and Europe on November 24, 2000.
#24: Lifetime Sales
As it stands, the PS2 is the best selling console of all time. The PS2 sold over 155 million units over its lifespan. While the PS2 had amazing games, there was a bigger feature that ensured it sold dramatically well.
#23: DVD Player
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At the time, the PS2 was one of the cheapest DVD players. Most commercial DVD players were ranging from $700 to $1200 so getting one for only $299 was one heck of a deal.
#22: Logo Spin
The PS2 could sit in two ways, horizontal or vertical. The colorful PlayStation logo could also be swapped depending on how you have the console sitting. Don’t spin it too much, you don’t want it to fall off
#21: Start Up Towers
The PS2 is full of fun easter eggs, with the towers in particular being a great feature. Turns out they aren’t random. Each tower represents a game played with a memory card inserted. The height of the tower will change depending on how long you’ve played that game. So for most of us the “Grand Theft Auto San Andreas” tower is rather large.
#20: Netflix Disc
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We often take for granted how easy it is for us to boot up Netflix on any device. Did you know the PS2 had Netflix? In Brazil you could access Netflix via a disc with your PS2. This service was live until 2012 and the service never left Brazil.
#19: Online Gaming
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While the Xbox is known for bringing online gaming to the masses the PS2 could also go online with select games with the help of an Network Adaptor. Playing “SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs” with a real team and against other players was unreal. The console also brought the spectacular MMO “Final Fantasy XI” to home consoles.
#18: PSX
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We’re not talking about the shortly lived PSX event or PlayStation Experience. The PSX is actually another model of the PS2. While we had the original fat PS2 and the sleeker slim model, the PSX was on another level. Adding on the all in one entertainment machine, the PSX was not only an amazing gaming machine and DVD player, but also a digital video recorder. The PSX was also the first PlayStation product to use the XcrossMediaBar that we later saw on the PSP and PS3.
#17: Best Selling Game
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With the PS2 being the best selling console ever, some of the games sold amazingly well too. One of the biggest gaming franchises that graced the PS2 was the “Grand Theft Auto” series. All three “Grand Theft Auto” games are in the top ten best selling PS2 games, with “Grand Theft Auto San Andreas” standing at the pinnacle with 17 million copies sold.
#16: Rare Games
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The PS2 has some of the most sought after games when it comes to collectors. The PS2 has not only one of the biggest libraries, but one of the best. So it’s only natural some of these golden oldies would be pricey as hell. Games like “Haunting Ground”, "Rule of Rose”, and “Kuon” have gained a cult following and with that have become insanely expensive.
#15: Backwards Compatible… Sort Of
It’s nothing new that the PS2 can play PS1 games, but not all games can be played with the best experience. Games like “Digimon Rumble Arena” will have massive slowdown on select stages, so much so that the game becomes unplayable. “Harvest Moon: Back to Nature” may not load the next screen after loading. And “Street Fighter Alpha 2” may freeze as a match is starting.
#14: Playable on PS3
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The PS3 was going to be the ultimate PlayStation, playing both PS1 and PS2 games along with its own library. However, as new models were announced this feature fell to the wayside, allowing for less and less compatibility.
#13: PS2 TV
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What if you could have a TV with your favorite console built inside of it? Well in 2010 Sony released just that. The Sony Bravia KDL22PX300 was a 720p with a built-in PS2. This TV used the XcrossMediaBar and allowed users to access select apps for streaming. The strangest part of this is the fact that it was released ten years after the initial launch of the PS2.
#12: PS2 Mascot
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While the PS2 has a handful of iconic characters, there were three main mascots for the PlayStation that could appeal to all gamers young and old. “Sly Cooper”, “Jak and Daxter”, and “Ratchet and Clank” were the family friend mascots that go hand in hand with PS2. While Sly and Jak are no longer in the zeitgeist, “Ratchet and Clank” are still one of PlayStations most important IPs and the only one of the three that is still receiving new entries.
#11: Meaningful Logo
The PS2 logo is pretty iconic nowadays, but there is actually a bigger meaning to its design. The style of the PS2 was designed to be popular everywhere. The color of the console is black to represent outer space while the blue PS2 logo is meant to represent the Earth as most of it is covered in water.
#10: HD Visuals
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The PS2 was able to display games in a multitude of ways, however there are four games that can be displayed at 1080i, making them the few PS2 games that can be displayed in high definition. These four games are “Tourist Trophy”, Gran Turisomo 4” Jackass The Game”, and “Valkyrie Profile 2”. While 1080i might not be the highest fidelity compared to today's standards, back in the 2000s this was the highest of high definition.
#9: Disc Read Error
Leading to a class action lawsuit, the disc read error was giving false disc errors for PlayStation 2 owners back in the day, even leading to damaging some discs. Eligible gamers that were affected by this error were able receive a free game and free repairs or replacement system.
#8: David Lynch
Commercials are meant to show off what a product can do, however some PS2 commercials didn’t tell us anything about the system. Its blizzard commercials were actually created by David Lynch of all people! These commercials were intended to appeal to the early adopters, but barely shed any light on it.
#7: The Library
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The PS2 has one of the largest gaming libraries out there. It has over 10,000 games released world wide. As you’d expect, a lot of it is trash, but it’s also got gems that are still revered to this day.
#6: Launch Titles
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The PS2 launched with 29 games, some of which are considered classic while others not so much. The launch had a little bit for everyone, hitting most genres. Games like “TimeSplitters”, “SSX”, and “Ridge Racer V” helped usher in the PS2’s golden age.
#5: Last PS2 Game
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The PS2 had a long life span lasting well into 2013. The final PS2 game to be released was “Pro Evolution Soccer 2014” released November 8, 2013 in Europe. Meaning games were being released for the PS2 for over ten years and actually selling well enough for them to keep making them!
#4: Discontinued
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The PS2’s lifespan measured out to thirteen years, creating gaming monuments and receiving a endless slew of support during its cycle. The PS2 was officially discontinued worldwide January 3, 2013.
#3: PC
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The PS2 was truly the only machine you needed back in the day. You could have a game system, DVD player, and a PC. That’s right, you could turn your PS2 into a Linux PC with an official kit.
#2: PSP Connectivity
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The PSP and PS2 could actually talk to each other with certain games. Some allowed you to transfer saves between the two. You can take your “Outrun 2006” save from your PS2 and transfer the save data to your PSP.
#1: Disc Color
Ever wonder why some PS2 discs are different colors? Well it's actually pretty simple, blue discs are CD-ROMs while Silver discs are DVD-Roms. Who knew!
