Most of the buzz in the video game industry these days centers around the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and the seemingly unstoppable sales juggernaut of the Nintendo Wii, but amid all that hype and hooplah, it may be important to note that Sony’s best-selling console system isn’t the PlayStation 3: it’s the PlayStation 2. Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has recently sold its 50 millionth PlayStation 2 system in North America.
Originally introduced way back in the year 2000, the PlayStation 2 is still on the market—and still has new games coming out for it, although most of them are from a single publisher—Sony. The mighty PS2 is also outselling its newer, bigger brother: according to the NPD Group, Sony sold more PlayStation 2 consoles during November 2008 than PlayStation 3 systems. When the PlayStation 2 was introduced, it cost $300 and included a DVD player; today, the system is slimmed-down and costs $130—and, unlike the PlayStation 3, can play both PS2 games and titles developed for the original PlayStation platform.
Industry watchers generally blame the high price of the Blu-ray equipped PlayStation 3 as a barrier to sales and more widespread consumer adoption, although the platform is still lacking an exclusive, breakthrough title to propel sales. Sony has been pushing the platform forward, although the recent beta introduction of its 3D virtual world PlayStation Home has been soured by crude behavior from residents.
Although we wouldn’t expect the PS2 to stay around forever, Sony says it has no plans to discontinue the PlayStation 2 platform.
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