Development of the PlayStation's first successor started not long after the release of the original. Rumors about it started spreading in early 1997, saying it would have a built-in DVD player, backwards compatibility with the PS1, and Internet connectivity. But for some reason, Sony denied these assumptions. It wasn't until March 2, 1999 that the PS2 was formally announced. It was meant to compete with Sega's Dreamcast, despite Nintendo's Gamecube and Microsoft's [original] Xbox being cited as the real rivals. On September 20, the console was shown off at the Tokyo Game Show, where a demo of Gran Turismo 2000 (which became Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec) was offered to showcase the graphical capabilities of the system.















In March 2000, the PS2 was released, and sales figures were unlike anything amassed by a video game product. Put this into perspective: Just 11 days before the PS2's demo at the Tokyo Game Show, the Dreamcast was released in the US, making $97,000,000. The PS2 came out and raking in almost triple that on ITS first day, in excess of $250,000,000! It sold so well due to its backwards-compatibility with original PlayStation games and being a low-cost HOME THEATER system that had the CD playback the PS1 had. But to top it off, it even had DVD playback! By the end of 2000, the success of the PS2 destroyed all credibility Sega had in console production, so they quietly discontinued their Dreamcast the next March and any console production henceforth. So, the PlayStation 2 pretty much monopolized the 6th generation of gaming until the release of the Nintendo Gamecube in September and the Microsoft Xbox in November. In May 2002, Sony cut the console's price down to $199, matching the GameCube's price and making it cheaper than the Xbox.













Over two years later in September 2004, the thinner and more compact PS2 Slim came out. The disc tray opened upwards like the PS1, rather than like a DVD player. Sony ended production of the earlier model to allow distributors to empty stock and make room for the new model. As they were doing so, demand was understated and a delay in production occurred mainly due to shortages. It was made worse when a Soviet oil tanker was stranded in the Suez Canal and blocked a new shipment of PS2s meant for the UK.



In 2006, in anticipation of the PS3's release, Sony cut the PS2's price down once more to $159. The PS2 was in production through the release of two of its own successors before it was discontinued on January 4, 2013, after 12 years and 10 months on the market. Although not as long as the Atari 2600 (which lasted 13 years and 3 months), the PS2 lasted a very good while. In total, it sold almost 160 million units worldwide, making it the best selling video game console of all time!