|
Sony wanted the Playstation 2 to follow on the success of the original Playstation. Sony did an excellent job creating
hype over the PS2, and the PS2 was probably the most hyped console ever. The PS2 was released in 2000, right when the Sega
Dreamcast was at the height of it's popularity. But thanks to the PS2's ability to play DVD's, (Which Sony mentioned many
times in PS2 advertisements) the PS2 quickly killed off the Dreamcast. The launch was not without problems, however. Many
disliked the PS2's price, which was twice that of the Sega Dreamcast, and very few good games came out in the PS2's fisrt
year. Critics also disliked the DVD player, calling it mediocre. And although many were impressed by the PS2's 128-bit graphics,
which were far more powerful than the Dreamcast's, few games took advantage of the PS2's graphical capabilities. Many also
argued that the PS2's controller was just a black Playstation controller, which it was. People did like the PS2's design,
however, and many thought it looked very cool. The PS2 was also the first major home console with the ability to stand upwards.
Sony also had manufacturing problems, and was only able to ship and sell half as many PS2's as it planned in it's first
year. But besides all those problems, the launch was a success, and hundreds of thousands of PS2's were sold during the holiday
season. So with all these problems, you're probably thinking: Why did this console become the best-selling console of all
time, especially with all of it's problems? Well, one year later, around the time the Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft Xbox
were coming out, the number of high-quality games the PS2 had saw a major increase, and Sony was able to hang on to it's
market share, despite the launch of the newer, more powerful systems. By late 2002, PS2 sales were far ahead of Nintendo Gamecube
and Microsoft Xbox sales, and Sony had obtained an incredible 70% of the market, even greater than the original Playstation's
share of the market. The PS2 sold on average, 20 million units per year, making it the fastest-selling console of all time.
It stayed this way up until late 2005, when the new Xbox 360 finally passed the PS2 as the best-selling system. Even today,
with all of the next-gen consoles out, PS2 sales remain somewhat strong, but the console is showing many signs of slowing
down. The NPD Group has stopped keeping track of the number of PS2's being sold per month, which could indicate that the console
is selling a small amount of units recently.
Worldwide Name: Sony Playstation 2 Computer Entertainment System (PS2)
Market Share in Beginning of Lifespan: Unknown
Market Share in Middle of Lifespan: 70%
Market Share in End of Lifespan: 70%
Best-Selling Game: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (12 million copies)
A 128-Bit System
Price at Launch: $300.00
Number of Units Sold: 120 million (PS2's are still selling, so this number is subject to change)
Slogans:
Live in your world, play in ours.
Fun, anyone?
Released in Japan in: Early 2000
Released Worldwide in: Late 2000
Still in Production
Popularity Compared to Competitors:
In Japan:
1st-Sony Playstation 2
2nd-Nintendo Gamecube
3rd-Microsoft Xbox
In America:
1st-Sony Playstation 2
2nd-Microsoft Xbox
3rd-Nintendo Gamecube
In Europe:
1st-Sony Playstation 2
2nd-Microsoft Xbox
3rd-Nintendo Gamecube
Graphics Comparison:
1st-Microsoft Xbox
2nd-Nintendo Gamecube
3rd-Sony Playstation 2
4th-Sega Dreamcast
|
