Dedicating the Oldest Console: Playstation 2

Sony Playstation 2 is the oldest Console out on the market today being made by Sony. Sony said that this sixth generation console would continue to be in production so long as there is a healthy demand. That demand still exists today.

The Sony Playstation 2 was released on March 4, 2000 in Japan, October 26 in North America, November 24 in Europe, & November 30 in Australia & New Zealand which were all in the same year that it was first released in Japan. At the time it was competing with the 15 month old Sega Dreamcast(released November 27, 1998 in Japan) in the sixth generation line. The Playstation 2 was respnsible for the Sega Dreamcast's failure after it was doing so well in it's first & second years.

When Playstation 2 was released in Japan, Fourth Generation Consoles Super Nintendo Entertainment System(9 years & 4 months old;was only in Japan after NA's 1999 discontinuation until February 2003), Neo Geo(10 years & one month old;discontinued in 2004), & Gameboy*(10 years & 10 months old;discontinued in 2003); Fifth Generation Consoles Sega Saturn(5 years & 3 months;only in Japan at time of PS2 release until December 4, 2000), Playstation(5 years & 3 months old;discontinued March 23, 2006); Nintendo 64(3 years & 8 months old;discontinued as late as November 30, 2003 in NA); & Gameboy Color*(1 year & 4 months old;discontinued at latest in 2008); As well as the 1 year & 3 month old Sega Dreamcast. When the Playstation 2 was released, 8 consoles were still on some markets somewhere in the World with 6 of them being Home Consoles. * indicates handheld console.

The Sega Dreamcast was the first console of the Sixth Generation & brought in a new generation of gaming in terms of graphics & even online multiplayer. The Sega Dreamcast was the first console in video game history to have online multiplayer with it's network being Seganet. The Dreamcast was discontinued in North America in 2002 with it's last game NHL 2K2 being released on February 14, 2002. The Dreamcast survived at the lastest in 2007 when it was discontinued in Japan after 8-9 years. Playstation 2 also had it's online gaming feature as well although the first well known online gaming console service I remember is Xbox Live, which was in my opinion more well known & easier to use.

The Sixth Generation in Video Gaming was revolutionary for numerous changes in video gaming such as online multiplayer, open world sandbox games(Grand Theft Auto III), clear graphics, & new controversies. Before the sixth generation consoles, graphics would look somewhat pixilated & grainy but were not terrible or bad for fifth generation time. The Sega Dreamcast was in my opinion the first console to have crystal clear grain free graphics which revolutionized graphics. Dreamcast was revolutionary & gave more polish to video game graphics. Examples would include comparing the Dreamcast versions of Vigilante 8 2nd Offense & Test Drive 6 to Playstation versions & you can see the difference in graphics but they still play the same.

The Playstation 2 was released in order to compete with the Sega Dreamcast which would fail thanks to the former. PS2's best selling title is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas which has sold over 18 million copies. Grand Theft Auto III was released at first on the Playstation 2 in 2001 & that game was revolutionary in my favorite type of game, which is sandbox open world. GTA III was only on Playstation 2 until it came out on the PC months afterwards & the year after that it was released on the Xbox.

As the Playstation 2 got older, it was joined in competition by Microsoft's Xbox & Nintendo's Gamecube which were released at first in 2001, just months before the Sega Dreamcast's retirement from the North America market. Playstation 2 not only survived Dreamcast, but survived Xbox & Gamecube as well. Sega would retire from making home consoles but they still make games though.

North America: Playstation 2 has survived Dreamcast by 10 years & 9 months;Xbox & Gamecube by over 5 years as of November 2012.
Japan: Survived Dreamcast & Gamecube by over 5 years;Xbox by 7 years
Europe: Survived Dreamcast by 10 years;Gamecube by 5 years;Xbox by 6 years
Australia & New Zealand: Survived Dreamcast by 9 years;Xbox & Gamecube by around 5 years.

I will not discuss the handheld consoles but I will say that a Seventh Generation handheld console called Gizmondo died within the year of it's 2005 release making Playstation 2 survive it by 7 years.

Playstation 2 was said to be the best console of the Sith Generation & I have to agree in terms of controls & games released on it such as Grand Theft Auto III & beyond that(Vice City;San Andreas).

Should the PS2 live to see June 2014, it will have surpassed the Atari 2600 as the longest running console of all time & it's very likely that will happen since Sony plans to keep making Playstation 2's until demand runs dry.