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PS2 is still the king of the hill

While sales of PlayStation 3 consoles are below Sony’s expectations,the electronics company should be proud of the continued strength of the PS2. Launched in North America over seven years ago on October 26, 2000. the PlayStation 2 has accumulated over 120 million in units sold.

On its anniversary date, Jack Tretton, president and CEO for SCEA, said, “While today’s anniversary celebrates PlayStation 2’s past, we’re very excited for its future. We look forward to the platform’s continued growth and expect to sell approximately 12 million units worldwide by the end of March, leading us to anticipate that PlayStation 2’s lifecycle will exceed that  of the original PlayStation. Never before has an in-home game system experienced this type of worldwide success on such a long-lasting scale.”

Although most game developers have moved onto developing for current-generation systems, the PS2’s library of 1,500 games provides more variety and selection than any other console on the market -– making it a good choice for the gamer who doesn’t have to live on the cutting edge.

Publishers with multi-platform titles continue to target thePS2. Activision released Guitar Hero III for the PS2 on Sunday, giving fans of the previous entries of the franchise away to play the game without investing in the newer hardware. The competing music rhythm game Rock Band will also see a PS2 release. The highly controversial Manhunt 2 could make many gamers return to their PS2 consoles, as that title will not be appearing on the high-definition PS3 and Xbox 360.

Sony also intends to sell new versions of its PlayStation 2 hardware this holiday season. Starting in early November, consumers will be able to find a ceramic white PS2 Slim console bundled with SingStarPop and two USB microphones. The bundle will be available in the U.S.for a suggested retail price of $149.99 and in Canada for $159.99.

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PS2 more successful than NES?
By UNCjigga on 10/29/2007 5:39:53 PM , Rating: 2
I always thought the original Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) set the benchmark for longevity and sales. But you can't really compare NES to PS2 because they competed in very different markets. After Atari's collapse Nintendo was the only real competitor in the console space for a while--Sega Master System never had the same support and Genesis didn't take off until 1990. PS2 competed with the original PlayStation (still popular when PS2 debuted), Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Gamecube and the Xbox.

Anyone have final NES sales numbers?




RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By joemoedee on 10/29/2007 6:06:10 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Anyone have final NES sales numbers?


According to Nintendo.com, they state over 60 million were sold worldwide...

"The original Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the US in August, 1985, and was an instant hit. Its graphics were far superior to any home-based console that had come before it, and it went on to sell over 60 million units worldwide."

Wow. That really makes the PS2 look that much more impressive.


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 10/29/2007 6:18:38 PM , Rating: 2
The PS2 was also the easiest to pirate games for and mod. Nintendo's cartidges were always a no go, but the PS2 used a sdandard DVD-R and didn't use the slick black back the PS1 had. Games were easy as hell to image, trade, download, and burn. The consoles were easy to mod and every shop in town had the option available. This definately helped with the success of the PS2.


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By semo on 10/29/2007 7:35:17 PM , Rating: 2
i think it helped a lot too. i don't see why else the gamecube wasn't (isn't) as successful, apart from perceptions the public has. the marketing between the 2 consoles wasn't radically different as far as i remember but ppl still saw the the nintendo as a kiddy console and the ps2 as more mature. or whatever the perception was/is. i'm not entirely sure since i have both.


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By semo on 10/29/2007 7:43:40 PM , Rating: 2
btw, has sony ever mentioned anything about a ps3 shrink? i know the ps2 was shrunk quicker than the psone.


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By joemoedee on 10/30/2007 12:12:39 AM , Rating: 2
Piracy may have played a role in it, but I don't know how much. (The Dreamcast was the easiest to pirate, considering there was no need for any sort of mod chip... And we know how that turned out)

The PS2 had (well, still has them) some great exclusive titles. Additionally, third party support was/is huge with it.

GC had the Nintendo exclusives, as well as the Capcom exclusives. However, they weren't plentiful enough to make up for the lack of third party support.

It's hard to predict what's going to happen this go around. Recent history shows to bet on Sony, if solely on their previous two consoles lifespan in the marketplace. But then again, Nintendo hit two out of the park with NES & SNES, only to slump with N64 (Over confidence in their own brand, not adapting to the marketplace) and GC. (See N64)


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By UsernameX on 10/29/2007 8:29:09 PM , Rating: 2
It also helps that the internet was prevalent during PS2's life time.


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By Spotacus on 10/29/2007 9:14:47 PM , Rating: 2
Gaming was a lot more global and mainstream during the days of the PS2 than the NES though.


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By joemoedee on 10/30/2007 12:20:12 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Gaming was a lot more global and mainstream during the days of the PS2 than the NES though.


I don't know about that. I have to go a generation before the NES with this...

When I was a kid, my parents had a Colecovision. My grandparents had one. All my family members had one... If it wasn't Coleco, then people had Atari. (I never met someone with an Intellivision, though)

Also, you had real arcades that were always busy.

Gaming may be more global, but I don't know if it's more mainstream than 20-25 years ago. I'd almost argue that gaming has become less mainstream. (And I think that's part of the charm of the Wii in the market)


RE: PS2 more successful than NES?
By rudy on 10/29/2007 11:39:15 PM , Rating: 2
Given that more and more people game every year, it should not be surprising that every 10 years or so a console will make a similar claim. Then NES could only sell 60 million cause at the time of its release through its useful life before being obnoxiously out dated thats as big as the console market would allow. The same is true for the PS2, and will be true for the WII if it continues its dominance. Until gaming saturates the human population. The better measure is market share.


King of the Obsolescence Heap
By therealnickdanger on 10/29/2007 5:16:10 PM , Rating: 2
Sorry, but while it may be a milestone for Sony... it's not really relevant anymore. The Gameboy line has dwarfed that number in even more years. What matter is how it is selling now. Last I checked, the Wii and 360 are outselling it.




RE: King of the Obsolescence Heap
By darkpaw on 10/29/2007 5:45:35 PM , Rating: 2
The Wii and the 360 may be outselling it, but they are still selling 100-200k of them a month.

That is a ton of money, the thing is pure profit at this point.


RE: King of the Obsolescence Heap
By joemoedee on 10/29/2007 5:48:13 PM , Rating: 2
You can't really compare the entire Gameboy lineup to the PS2, as we've seen several different Gameboy systems released during the time frame.

It's impressive that a 7 year old gaming system still sells in the numbers that it does. It came out before the GC and Xbox, and has long outlived them in new software being developed with no real end in sight.

The PS2 still sells a very sizable amount of units per month. That's pretty amazing when you look at the total amount sold of the system, versus Xbox 360. (100+ million, still selling 100k+ units per month vs 10+ million and selling 200k+ units per month)

Again, I'm no Sony Fanboy, and don't even own a PS2. However, one can only hope for such long support in software for whatever system you own and prefer.


RE: King of the Obsolescence Heap
By bangmal on 10/29/2007 9:27:13 PM , Rating: 2
It is not as amazing once you compare the price tags.


Open question for Sony
By rgsaunders on 10/29/2007 5:20:26 PM , Rating: 2
Why do you have a suggested retail for Canada 10 dollars more than the US price when the Canadian dollar is currently worth 1.05 US?




RE: Open question for Sony
By mmntech on 10/29/2007 6:08:51 PM , Rating: 1
Just an interesting thing I noticed. I was the mall on the weekend and noticed that PS3 games at the Sony Store are selling for $10 less than the same games at EB, which is the store directly opposite. Sony $60 CDN for new titles, EB $70. EB in the US is selling them for $60 US. We Canadians are always getting screwed.


RE: Open question for Sony
By BZDTemp on 10/29/2007 7:38:30 PM , Rating: 2
U think - come to Europe and you will start thinking you get a good deal!

Fx. the PS3 at launch time was like $900 and new game today is about US$110. The US$ has lost ten percent in value towards the European currencies but it certainly has not meant a 10% drop in prices it has just meant most international companies has upped their prices :-(

The US really needs to do something else it ends up being owned by China and the Middle East. Maybe it will with Bush out the office because he sure can spend like no other!


RE: Open question for Sony
By Murst on 10/30/2007 2:40:08 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
The US really needs to do something else it ends up being owned by China and the Middle East

You say that as if it has not happened already.


Applicable?
By Kanti on 10/29/2007 5:52:21 PM , Rating: 2
I think this puts into perspective some of the derision the PS3 has gotten. Here you have a console that was beat to the market by another popular system (the Dreamcast), a console that was difficult to code for, not developer friendly, expensive, had a very shaky start with scant sales, and few popular titles. Now it's in more homes than any of the other systems, current gen included.

It may not be completely applicable, but the complaints and doom-saying are very similar, and the same strengths and weaknesses of all the other current consoles are similar as well. The 360 could still implode like the original Xbox, since both focused on mostly on online, and being simple and developer friendly, sacrificing hardware and software quality. The Wii could still be the next gamecube, since they both focused on gimmicks and being family friendly, instead of titles that would keep hardcore gamers coming back after the initial fad wore off. And the PS3 could still perform on the same level as the PS2. Or any of the could come out on top, or they could all flop, or all tie, or radiation from a passing comet could bring all our electronic devices to life. The point, since the PS2 faced the same criticism as the PS3, is that all this arm-chair prognosticating is completely pointless.

With all the fanboy flames going back and forth (but most vehemently from the 360 side), I think this shows that it wont be until this point in the life cycle of the current gen consoles that the real 'winner' will be known.




RE: Applicable?
By mars777 on 10/29/07, Rating: 0
RE: Applicable?
By mcturkey on 10/30/2007 1:28:00 AM , Rating: 2
Microsoft has already stated they will continue supporting the 360 even when the next gen system is out, and that killing the XBOX so fast was a bit of a mistake. Getting the 360 out a year ahead of Wii and PS3 was the right thing to do, because it provided a large install base and more games heading into that battle. The PS3's life span is a total unknown at this point - the PS2 only lasted so long because of a solid install base, which lead to more games developed, which lead to a bigger install base, etc. Right now, the 360 seems to be the system that is enjoying that cycle of users->games->users, not the PS3. We'll see, but it's far far too early to make definitive claims like you did.


Hats off to Sony...
By BigToque on 10/29/2007 5:40:53 PM , Rating: 2
While I've never owned a PSX or PS2, I've got to give them credit. The PS2 is probably the most successful game system of all time. I can't believe how big the library of games is, especially if you include the PSX games.

Just the other day I was considering buying a PS2 just to get Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero.




life span "applicable"
By nerdye on 10/30/2007 12:25:06 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
I think this shows that it wont be until this point in the life cycle of the current gen consoles that the real 'winner' will be known.


Excellent quite mars777, I think you have a very valid point in the fact that the lifespan and overall sales of a console dictates its success in its respective generation. The ps2 has transcended its generation, outselling the ps3 by nearly double many months since the ps3's launch. The ps1 also had a very long lifespan and was an immensely successful console. Sony had a different stance on ps2 after having moved on to the ps3 as microsoft and nintendo, microsoft completely dropped the xbox 1 as if it never existed once the 360 was released, and nintendo did similar with the wii, even porting some of the games intended of the end of the gamecube's life span to the wii instead. Perhaps if Sony had not taken the stance of we will support ps1 for a while while ps2 catches on, and support ps2 while ps3 catches on approach, they would not have sold as many of either console respectively.

However we are to view sony's previous successes, we can see the things they have correctly and must applaud them in their sales. We are yet to see if the ps3 will rise the prominence that sony's previous 2 consoles have achieved. I do believe that the cell architecture lends itself to longevity, the only thing it hasn't been able to achieve is being easily accessible during the first few years of game development, which may prove to be its largest detrimental factor, or the biggest contributer to ps3 having a long life span. Tim will tell, I'm not counting sony out just yet, but am yet to own their third iteration of playstation, as I already own a 360.

http://agrotime.wordpress.com




Oh Jack...
By ChipDude on 10/31/2007 12:23:06 AM , Rating: 2
PS2 is king of the last generation, what are you going to do for a encore?

PS3 and sell a few million units, dude get with the program nobody cares about last generation, your brand new fancy multi-core cell supercomputer console with BR is a flaming sales loss leader and a disaster. You career is going down the tubes with this loss leader albatross.

Gets some games, drop the price another 100 bucks and forget flogging that BR. its about the games, thats what made the PS2 a hit and that is what the PS3 needs




"I f***ing cannot play Halo 2 multiplayer. I cannot do it." -- Bungie Technical Lead Chris Butcher











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