Happy 20th Birthday To The PlayStation 2

A congratulations is in order. Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 2, the best-selling game system ever, turned 20 on March 4. During its prime, the PS2 competed with Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s (OTC: NTDOF) GameCube.

A New Era

Sony ushered in a new era of gaming with the PlayStation 2. The graphics were vastly improved from its predecessor and it doubled as a DVD player. With a launch price of $299, it came out to be cheaper than a lot of regular DVD players at the time, which partially helped it cement its place in living rooms across the world.

A Household Pleaser

That’s only part of what made the PS2 so iconic. With its backward compatibility, it was essentially two consoles in one. This feature made it a household pleaser as younger siblings could play the older games and older siblings could move on to newer games.

The console had an extensive gaming catalog that included "Shadow of the Colossus," "Metal Gear Solid," "Kingdom Hearts," EA’s (NYSE: EA) "SSX Tricky" and more.

Impact On Sony

With over 155 million sales, it’s safe to say the PlayStation 2 cemented itself in video game history as one of the greatest consoles to ever exist. It did wonders for Sony also.

It proved they have a spot in the video game industry and helped them expand globally.

Happy 20th birthday to the PlayStation 2.

Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash