77-735: PS2 most commonly refers to the PlayStation 2, a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. PS2 , PS-2 , Ps 2 or PS/2 may also refer to: PS2 The PlayStation 2 ( PS2 ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, in Australia on 30 November 2000, and other regions thereafter. It
154-431: A Dragon Quest VIII "slime" controller, a Final Fantasy X-2 "Tiny Bee" dual pistol controller, an Onimusha 3 katana controller, and a Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller. Optional hardware includes additional DualShock or DualShock 2 controllers, a PS2 DVD remote control , an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD), a network adapter, horizontal and vertical stands, PlayStation or PS2 memory cards ,
231-609: A digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to playing PS2 games. The device was released in Japan on 13 December 2003, and was the first Sony product to include the XrossMediaBar interface. It did not sell well in the Japanese market and was not released anywhere else. PlayStation 2 users had the option to play select games over the Internet , using dial-up or a broadband Internet connection . The PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor
308-490: A home cinema decoder (i.e. Dolby Digital , Digital Theater Systems (DTS)). Some newer devices also play videos in the MPEG-4 ASP video compression format (such as DivX ) popular in the Internet . Most hardware DVD players must be connected to a television ; there are portable devices which have an attached LCD screen and stereo speakers. Portable DVD players are often used for long road trips and travel. They often have
385-474: A "safe bet" despite not being the "newest or most powerful", noting that the console "yields in-game graphics with more jagged edges". CNET also criticized the DVD playback functionality, claiming that the console's video quality was "passable" and that the playback controls were "rudimentary", recommending users to purchase a remote control. The console's two controller ports and the high cost of its memory cards were also
462-478: A decentralized model of online gaming where the responsibility is up to the developer to provide the servers, Sony's moves made online gaming a major selling point of the PS2. In September 2004, Sony revealed a newer, slimmer model of the PlayStation 2. In preparation for the launch of the new models (SCPH-700xx-9000x), Sony stopped making the older models (SCPH-3000x-500xx) to let the distribution channel empty its stock of
539-513: A device, depending on its optional features (such as digital sound or video output), start between 30 and 80 USD / Euro . They are usually cheaper than VCRs . As of 2002 the largest producer of DVD players is China; in 2002 they produced 30 million players, more than 70% of the world output. These producers have to pay US$ 15–$ 20 per player in license fees, to the patent holders of the DVD technology ( Sony , Philips , Toshiba ) as well as for MPEG-2 licenses. To avoid these fees, China developed
616-430: A few weeks prior. There were shortages in more than 1,700 shops in North America on the day before Christmas. In 2010, Sony introduced a TV with a built-in PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 continued to be produced until 2013 when Sony announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production—one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for the console continued to be made until
693-506: A free software are available in the market. In the battle to succeed and to improve upon the role of the DVD player as the mainstream medium for stored audiovisual content on optical disc, there were two major contestants: the HD DVD player and the Blu-ray Disc player, utilizing two incompatible technologies that reproduced higher resolution video images and more complete audio information than
770-438: A maximum colour depth of 16.7 million true colours . When accounting for features such as lighting , texture mapping , artificial intelligence , and game physics , the console has a real-world performance of 25 million polygons per second. The PlayStation 2 also features two USB ports, and one IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port for SCPH-10000 to 3900x models only. A hard disk drive can be installed in an expansion bay on
847-645: A non-standard way (VGA is normally analog RGB —a different, incompatible form of component video). Even worse, there are often two sets of component outputs, one carrying interlaced video , and the other progressive, or an interlaced/progressive switch (either a physical switch or a menu setting). In Europe (but not most other PAL areas), SCART connectors are generally used, which can carry composite and analog RGB interlaced video signals (RGB can be progressive, but not all DVD players and displays support this mode) or Y/C ( S-Video ), as well as analog two-channel sound and automatic 4:3 or 16:9 (widescreen) switching on
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#1732852352431924-401: A player to a TV or amplifier. Most systems include an optional digital audio connector for this task, which is then paired with a similar input on the amplifier. The physical connection is typically RCA connectors or TOSLINK , which transmits a S/PDIF stream carrying either uncompressed digital audio (PCM) or the original compressed audio data (Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG audio) to be decoded by
1001-429: A plug for the 12 volt power jack in cars. Some models have two screens, so that two people in the back seat can both watch the movie. Other portable DVD players have a single screen that opens up like a laptop computer screen. Due to multiple audio (and video) output devices, there are many outputs on a DVD player, such as an RCA jack, component outputs, and an HDMI output. Consumers may become confused with how to connect
1078-416: A point of criticism. The slim model of the PlayStation 2 received positive reviews for its incredibly small size and built-in networking but received criticism for easily overheating due to the exclusion of the original model's built-in fan. The requirement for a separate power adapter was criticized while the top-loading disc drive was noted as being less likely to break compared to the tray-loading drive of
1155-434: A second console around the time of the original PlayStation's launch in late 1994. At some point during development, employees from Argonaut Games , under contract for semiconductor manufacturer LSI Corporation , were instructed to design a rendering chip for Sony's upcoming console. Jez San , founder of Argonaut, recalled that his team had no direct contact with Sony during the development process. Unbeknownst to him, Sony
1232-469: A single convenient multi-wire cable. The analog RGB component signal offers video quality which is superior to S-Video and identical to YPbPr component video. However, analog RGB and S-Video signals can not be carried simultaneously, due to each using the same pins for different uses, and displays often must be manually configured as to the input signal, since no switching mode exists for S-Video. (A switching mode does exist to indicate whether composite or RGB
1309-451: A specific task, integrated onto the same die . These units include a central CPU core, two Vector Processing Units (VPU), a 10-channel DMA unit, a memory controller , and an Image Processing Unit (IPU). There are three interfaces: an input output interface to the I/O processor running at a clock speed of 36.864 MHz, a graphics interface to the graphics synthesiser, and a memory interface to
1386-451: A television as long as there is access to mains electricity or a similar power source. These screens can fold down onto the PS2 in a similar fashion to laptop screens. There are many accessories for musical games, such as dance pads for Dance Dance Revolution , In the Groove , and Pump It Up titles and High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance . Konami microphones for use with
1463-429: A total of 10,035 software titles had been released worldwide including games released in multiple regions as separate titles. Initial reviews of the PlayStation 2 from 2000 highly acclaimed the console, with reviewers commending its hardware and graphics capabilities, its ability to play DVDs, and the system's backward compatibility with games and hardware for the original PlayStation. Early points of criticism included
1540-514: Is a digital connection for carrying high-definition video, similar to DVI . Along with video, HDMI also supports up to eight-channel digital audio. DVD players with connectors for high-definition video can upconvert the source to formats used for higher definition video (e.g., 720p , 1080i , 1080p , etc.), before outputting the signal. By no means, however, will the resulting signal be high-definition video; that is, aside from optional deinterlacing , upconverting generally consists of merely scaling
1617-503: Is also incompatible with DVD for the same reason, however, HD DVD players do play standard DVDs and CDs. DVD players are largely controlled through a remote control . Built-in controls on the main unit's panel such as a four-directional buttons vary depending on model. Some models may lack advanced built-in controls, making operation more dependent on the remote control. Additionally, most DVD players allow users to play audio CDs ( CD-DA , MP3 , etc.) and Video CDs (VCD). A few include
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#17328523524311694-488: Is available for the system to connect to older TVs. The PlayStation 2 has undergone many revisions, some only of internal construction and others involving substantial external changes. The PS2 is primarily differentiated between models featuring the original "fat" case design and "slimline" models, which were introduced at the end of 2004. In 2010, the Sony Bravia KDL-22PX300 was made available to consumers. It
1771-474: Is being used.) Some DVD players and set-top boxes offer YPbPr component video signals over the wires in the SCART connector intended for RGB, though this violates the official specification and manual configuration is again necessary. (Hypothetically, unlike RGB component, YPbPr component signals and S-Video Y/C signals could both be sent over the wire simultaneously, since they share the luminance (Y) component.) HDMI
1848-463: Is distributed on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM; the two formats are differentiated by their discs' bottoms, with CD-ROMs being blue and DVD-ROMs being silver. The PlayStation 2 offered some particularly high-profile exclusive games. Most main entries in the Grand Theft Auto , Final Fantasy , and Metal Gear Solid series were released exclusively for the console. Several prolific series got their start on
1925-494: Is the successor to the PlayStation , as well as the second installment in the PlayStation brand of consoles. As a sixth-generation console , it competed with Nintendo 's GameCube , Sega 's Dreamcast , and Microsoft 's Xbox . It is the best-selling video game console of all time , having sold over 160 million units worldwide, nearly triple the combined sales of its competing consoles. Announced in 1999, Sony began developing
2002-568: The Karaoke Revolution games, dual microphones (sold with and used exclusively for SingStar games), various "guitar" controllers (for the Guitar Freaks series and Guitar Hero series), the drum set controller (sold in a box set (or by itself) with a "guitar" controller and a USB microphone (for use with Rock Band and Guitar Hero series, World Tour and newer), and a taiko drum controller for Taiko: Drum Master . Unlike
2079-691: The Enhanced Versatile Disc standard as an intended successor of DVD; as of 2004 , EVD players were only being sold in China. Software DVD players are programs that allow users to view DVD videos on a computer with a DVD-ROM drive. Some examples are PowerDVD , VLC media player , Windows DVD Player , and DVD Player on Mac. Among others, there are variants & huge kinds of software DVD players as well as multimedia player software which has DVD video playback capability, whether its proprietary-type (as commercial software), freeware, shareware or just
2156-558: The Nintendo DS reached 100 million shipments in 4 years and 5 months from its launch. By July 2009, the system had sold 138.8 million units worldwide, with 51 million of those units sold in PAL regions . By 31 March 2012, over 155 million PlayStation 2 units were sold worldwide, and in the same year, Sony officially stopped supplying updated sales numbers of the system. On 29 March 2024, Jim Ryan (CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment) stated on
2233-431: The multitap accessory. There was, however, some concern about the system's abilities following the lack of anti-aliasing in the two most popular early titles, Ridge Racer V and Tekken Tag Tournament . It was exacerbated for a period of time post-launch amid concerns about the relative lack of new quality software. This situation was eventually turned around following a spate of big and highly acclaimed games in
2310-500: The multitap for PlayStation or PS2, a USB motion camera ( EyeToy ), a USB keyboard and mouse , and a headset . The original PS2 multitap (SCPH-10090) cannot be plugged into the newer slim models. The multitap connects to the memory card slot and the controller slot, and the memory card slot on the slimline is shallower. New slim-design multitaps (SCPH-70120) were manufactured for these models; however, third-party adapters also permit original multitaps to be used. Early versions of
2387-557: The 2001 holiday season with the release of several blockbuster games that maintained the PS2's sales momentum and held off its newer rivals. Sony also countered the Xbox by securing timed PlayStation 2 exclusives for highly anticipated games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty . In a 2002 article analysis of the system up to that point, Edge noted: Now, 18 months on, things are looking much rosier for PS2 owners. Developers are coming to terms with
PS2 (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-506: The Japanese electronics vendor Toshiba in November 1996, and the first to be released to US customers is claimed to have been by Sony in April 1997. Some manufacturers originally announced that DVD players would be available as early as the middle of 1996. These predictions were too optimistic. Delivery was initially held up for "political" reasons of copy protection demanded by movie studios, but
2541-692: The Official PlayStation Podcast that the PlayStation 2 had sold over 160 million units worldwide. This statement was not corroborated by Sony directly until nearly eight months later, with this figure appearing on the PlayStation 30th Anniversary website on 26 November 2024. Using homebrew programs, it is possible to play various audio and video file formats on a PS2. Homebrew programs can also play patched backups of original PS2 DVD games on unmodified consoles and install retail discs to an installed hard drive on older models. Homebrew emulators of older computer and gaming systems have been developed for
2618-437: The PS2 could be networked via an i.LINK port, though this had little game support and was dropped. Some third-party manufacturers have created devices that allow disabled people to access the PS2 through ordinary switches, etc. Some third-party companies, such as Joytech , have produced LCD monitor and speaker attachments for the PS2, which attach to the back of the console. These allow users to play games without access to
2695-454: The PS2 remained the only sixth-generation console for over 6 months before it faced competition from new rivals: Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox . Many analysts predicted a close three-way matchup among the three consoles. The Xbox had the most powerful hardware, while the GameCube was the least expensive console, and Nintendo changed its policy to encourage third-party developers. While
2772-473: The PS2. DVD player A DVD player is a device that plays DVDs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players will also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to watch the DVD content, which could be a movie, a recorded TV show, or other content. The first DVD player is claimed to have been created by
2849-653: The Panasonic and Technics labels) first released full-fledged players in July 2000 for $ 700 to $ 1,200. Sony released the first SACD players in May 1999 for $ 5,000. Pioneer's first DVD-Audio players released in late 1999 also played SACD. A DVD player has to be able to read a DVD in ISO – UDF version 1.02 format, and needs to read and obey the DVDs Regional lockout codes and display a warning if
2926-551: The PlayStation 2 theoretically had the weakest hardware of the three, it had a head start due to its installed base plus strong developer commitment, as well as a built-in DVD player (the Xbox required an adapter, while the GameCube lacked support entirely). The PlayStation 2's initial games lineup was considered mediocre, with a lack of quality games especially amid the expectations of its hardware capabilities (partly caused due to its complex architecture for developers). This changed during
3003-551: The PlayStation 2, including God of War , Ratchet & Clank , Jak and Daxter , Devil May Cry , Kingdom Hearts , and Sly Cooper . Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game on the console. Game releases peaked in 2004, but declined with the release of the PlayStation 3 in 2006. The last new games for the console were Final Fantasy XI : Seekers of Adoulin in Asia, FIFA 14 in North America, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 in Europe. As of 30 June 2007,
3080-424: The PlayStation, which requires the use of an official Sony PlayStation Mouse to play mouse-compatible games, the few PS2 games with mouse support work with a standard USB mouse as well as a USB trackball . In addition, some of these games also support the usage of a USB keyboard for text input, game control (instead of a DualShock or DualShock 2 gamepad, in tandem with a USB mouse), or both. PlayStation 2 software
3157-418: The audio equipment. Video is another issue which continues to present the most problems. Early generations of DVD players usually outputted analog video only, via both composite video on an RCA jack and S-Video . However, neither connector was intended to be used for progressive video , and most later players sold then gained another set of connectors, component video , which keeps the three components of
PS2 (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-615: The back of the console, and is required to play certain games, notably the popular Final Fantasy XI . The system has 4 MB of Video RAM in the form of eDRAM . Software for the PlayStation 2 was distributed primarily on DVD-ROMs , with some titles being published on blue-tinted CD-ROM format. In addition, the console can play audio CDs and DVD films and is backward-compatible with almost all original PlayStation games. The PlayStation 2 also supports PlayStation memory cards and controllers, although original PlayStation memory cards will only work with original PlayStation games and
3311-513: The colour black as it represents the infinity of the universe. The blue represents the intelligence and life spouting up." —Teiyu Goto reflecting on the PlayStation 2's aesthetics Sony unveiled the PlayStation 2 at the Tokyo Game Show on 20 September 1999. Sony showed fully playable demos of upcoming PlayStation 2 games including Gran Turismo 2000 (later released as Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec ) and Tekken Tag Tournament —which showed
3388-519: The console after the immense success of its predecessor. The highlight of the system was its Emotion Engine processor, co-developed by Sony and Toshiba , which was said to be more powerful than personal computers. The PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor's DualShock controller, as well as its games. The PlayStation 2 received widespread critical acclaim upon release. A total of over 4,000 game titles were released worldwide, with over 1.527 billion copies sold. In 2004, Sony revised
3465-601: The console continued to be released until shortly after the end of its life and support from Sony. Released in 1994, the original PlayStation proved to be a phenomenal worldwide success and signalled Sony's rise to power in the video game industry . Its launch elicited critical acclaim and strong sales; it eventually became the first computer entertainment platform to ship over 100 million units. The PlayStation enjoyed particular success outside Japan in part due to Sony's refined development kits , large-scale advertising campaigns, and strong third-party developer support. By
3542-500: The console with a smaller, lighter body officially known as the Slimline , popularly called the "PS2 Slim". Even after the release of its successor, the PlayStation 3 , it remained popular well into the seventh generation . It continued to be produced until the beginning of 2013 when Sony finally announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production, one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for
3619-519: The console's graphic abilities and power. The PS2 was launched in March 2000 in Japan, October in North America, and November in Europe. Sales of the console, games and accessories pulled in $ 250 million on the first day, beating the $ 97 million made on the first day of the Dreamcast. Directly after its release, it was difficult to find PS2 units on retailer shelves due to manufacturing delays. Another option
3696-476: The console, named the "Graphics Synthesizer". It has a fillrate of 2.4 gigapixels per second, capable of rendering up to 75 million polygons per second. The GPU also runs with a clock frequency of 147.456 MHz (which is half the clock speed of the Emotion Engine), 4 MB of DRAM is capable of transmitting a display output of 1280 x 1024 pixels on both PAL and NTSC televisions. The PlayStation 2 has
3773-685: The controllers may not support all functions (such as analogue buttons) for PlayStation 2 games. The standard PlayStation 2 memory card has an 8 megabyte (MB) capacity and features MagicGate encryption. There are a variety of non-Sony manufactured memory cards available for the PlayStation ;2, allowing for a memory capacity larger than the standard 8 MB. The PlayStation 2 can natively output video resolutions on SDTV and HDTV from 480i to 480p , and some games, such as Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy , are known to support up-scaled 1080i resolution. The PlayStation 2 supports
3850-602: The end of 2013, including Final Fantasy XI : Seekers of Adoulin for Japan, and FIFA 14 for North America. The last game to be released on the PlayStation 2 is Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 , which was released in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2013. Repair services for the system in Japan ended on 7 September 2018. The PlayStation 2's main central processing unit (CPU) is the 64-bit R5900-based " Emotion Engine ", custom-designed by Sony and Toshiba . The Emotion Engine consists of eight separate "units", each performing
3927-421: The final quarter of 2001. Later reviews, especially after the launch of the competing GameCube and Xbox systems, continued to praise the PlayStation 2's large game library and DVD playback, while routinely criticizing the PlayStation 2's lesser graphics performance compared to the newer systems and its rudimentary online service compared to Xbox Live . In 2002, CNET rated the console 7.3 out of 10, calling it
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#17328523524314004-439: The following standards: composite video (480i), S-Video (480i), RGB (480i/p), VGA (for progressive scan games and PS2 Linux only), YP B P R component video (which display most original PlayStation games in their native 240p mode which most HDTV sets do not support ), and D-Terminal . Cables are available for all of these signal types; these cables also output analogue stereo audio. Additionally, an RF modulator
4081-444: The gamer, as its debut pricing was less than many standalone DVD players on the market. This made the console a low-cost entry into the home theater market. The success of the PS2 at the end of 2000 caused Sega problems both financially and competitively, and Sega announced the discontinuation of the Dreamcast in March 2001, just 18 months after its successful Western launch. Despite the Dreamcast still receiving support through 2001,
4158-568: The internal hard disk drive. It also lacked an internal power supply until a later revision (excluding the Japanese version), similar to the GameCube , and had a modified Multitap expansion. The removal of the expansion bay was criticized as a limitation due to the existence of titles such as Final Fantasy XI , which required the HDD use. Sony also manufactured a consumer device called the PSX that can be used as
4235-562: The lack of online support at the time, its inclusion of only two controller ports, and the system's price at launch compared to the Dreamcast in 2000. PC Magazine in 2001 called the console "outstanding", praising its "noteworthy components" such as the Emotion Engine CPU, 32 MB of RAM, support for IEEE 1394 (branded as "i.LINK" by Sony and "FireWire" by Apple), and the console's two USB ports while criticizing its "expensive" games and its support for only two controllers without
4312-493: The late 1990s Sony had dethroned established rivals Sega and Nintendo in the global video game market. Sega, spurred on by its declining market share and significant financial losses, launched the Dreamcast in 1998 as a last-ditch attempt to stay in the industry. Though Sony has kept details of the PlayStation 2's development secret, Ken Kutaragi , the chief designer of the original PlayStation, reportedly began working on
4389-497: The online-capable Xbox. Coinciding with the release of Xbox Live , Sony released the PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor in late 2002, with several online first-party titles released alongside it, such as SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs to demonstrate its active support for Internet play. Sony also advertised heavily, and its online model had the support of Electronic Arts (EA); EA did not offer online Xbox titles until 2004. Although Sony and Nintendo both started late, and although both followed
4466-423: The original model. Demand for the PlayStation 2 remained strong throughout much of its lifespan, selling over 1.4 million units in Japan by 31 March 2000. Over 10.6 million units were sold worldwide by 31 March 2001. In 2005, the PlayStation 2 became the fastest game console to reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9 months from its launch; this was surpassed 4 years later when
4543-513: The parallel architecture and fears that the PS2 would suffer the same fate as the Sega Saturn now seem ridiculous. A mixture of hard work, trial and error and middleware tools is also ensuring that development cycles are getting shorter and game quality improving. It's taken much longer than anticipated, but exceptional titles are beginning to come through. Sony cut the price of the console in May 2002 from US$ 299 to $ 199 in North America, making it
4620-635: The player is not authorized to play the DVD. To play a DVD smoothly, it needs to be able to decode the MPEG-2 video stream with a maximum bit rate of 10 Mbit/s at peak and 8 Mbit/s continuously. A DVD player may be able to: DVD players cannot play Blu-ray discs due to using different wavelength lasers (Blu-ray discs use a blue-violet laser, hence their name, rather than a red laser). However, Blu-ray players are typically backwards compatible , meaning they will play DVDs. Some are compatible with CD and other disc formats. The short-lived HD DVD format
4697-531: The same functionality as its predecessor. However, it includes analogue pressure sensitivity to over 100 individual levels of depth on the face, shoulder and D-pad buttons, replacing the digital buttons of the original. Like its predecessor, the DualShock 2 controller has force feedback , or "vibration" functionality. It is lighter and includes two more levels of vibration . Specialized controllers include light guns ( GunCon ), fishing rod and reel controllers,
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#17328523524314774-457: The same level they did when they were 17. The slogan used was: Live in your world. Play in ours. (Stylized as: "LIVE IN Y [REDACTED] UR W [REDACTED] RLD. PL [REDACTED] Y IN [REDACTED] URS.") Backward compatibility had been widely seen as a desirable feature for consumers since the debut of the first successor video game console, but prior to the PlayStation 2 only one console had featured true backward compatibility (i.e. without
4851-412: The same price as the GameCube and $ 100 less than the Xbox. It also planned to cut the price in Japan around that time. It cut the price twice in Japan in 2003. In 2006, Sony cut the cost of the console in anticipation of the release of the PlayStation 3 . Unlike Sega's Dreamcast, Sony originally placed little emphasis on online gaming during its first few years, although that changed upon the launch of
4928-405: The system memory. The Emotion Engine CPU has a clock rate of 294.912 MHz (299 MHz on newer versions) and 6,000 MIPS , with a floating point performance of 6.2 GFLOPS . The system's I/O processor was based on the PlayStation's CPU and was designed to provide full backward compatibility with the PlayStation. The system has 32 MB of RDRAM . The GPU is likewise custom-designed for
5005-639: The units. After an apparent manufacturing issue—Sony reportedly underestimated demand—caused some initial slowdown in producing the new unit caused in part by shortages between the time Sony cleared out the old units and the new units were ready. The issue was compounded in Britain when a Russian oil tanker became stuck in the Suez Canal , blocking a ship from China carrying PS2s bound for the UK. During one week in November, British sales totalled 6,000 units—compared to 70,000 units
5082-480: The use of add-ons), the Atari 7800 , due to the added hardware costs and industry concerns that backward compatibility could cause the console to appear to be a merely a new model of its predecessor or lead developers to prefer making games for the predecessor system. Later, Sony added new development kits for game developers and more PS2 units for consumers. The PS2's built-in functionality also expanded its audience beyond
5159-508: The video's dimensions to match that of higher resolution formats, foregoing the scaling that would normally occur in the output device. Some DVD players include a USB video recorder . As well as such, there are also have DVD players with a USB port to be able to play digital media types as well as MP4, MP3, etc. Wireless connections ( bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi ) are useful to manage (play/record) wirelessly content from or to other devices (i.e. cell phones). As of 2014 , retail prices for such
5236-495: The video, luminance and two color differentials, on fully separate wires. This video information is taken directly from the DVD itself. The three components compare well to S-Video, which uses two wires, uniting and degrading the two color signals, and composite, which uses only wire one, uniting and degrading all three signals. The connectors are further confused by using a number of different physical connectors on different player models, RCA or BNC , as well as using VGA cables in
5313-532: Was Ridge Racer V followed by Geki Kuukan Pro Baseball: At the End of the Century 1999 , Tekken Tag Tournament , Kessen , Dead or Alive 2 and Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball 7 . Marketing for the PlayStation 2 reverted to the same tactic used in the early days of the original PlayStation: use 17-year-olds as the target audience , since younger audiences aspire to be teenagers and older audiences enjoy video games at
5390-510: Was a 22" HD-Ready television which incorporated a built-in PlayStation 2. The standard color of the PS2 is matte black. Several variations in color were produced in different quantities and regions, including ceramic white, light yellow, metallic blue (aqua), metallic silver, navy (star blue), opaque blue (astral blue), opaque black (midnight black), pearl white, sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow white, super red, transparent blue (ocean blue), and also Limited Edition color Pink, which
5467-509: Was being developed. Chris Deering , then-president of SCEE recalled that there was a degree of trepidation among Sony leaders to produce a console which would recapture or exceed the success of its predecessor. Sony announced the PlayStation 2 on 2 March 1999. Sega's Dreamcast enjoyed a successful US launch on 9 September of that year; fuelled by a large marketing campaign, it sold over 500,000 units within two weeks. "PlayStation 2's real-time graphics have no limitations. That's why I chose
5544-401: Was designing their own chip in-house and had instructed other companies to design rendering chips merely to diversify their options. By early 1997, the press was reporting that a new PlayStation was being developed and would have backward-compatibility with the original PlayStation, a built-in DVD player , and Internet connectivity. However, Sony continued to officially deny that a successor
5621-480: Was distributed in some regions such as Oceania, and parts of Asia. In September 2004, Sony unveiled its third major hardware revision. Available in late October 2004, it was smaller, thinner, and quieter than the original versions and included a built-in Ethernet port (in some markets it also had an integrated modem ). Due to its thinner profile, it did not contain the 3.5" expansion bay and therefore did not support
5698-547: Was later delayed by lack of movie titles. The first players appeared in Japan on November 1, 1996, followed by the United States on March 31, 1997, with distribution limited to only seven major cities for the first six months. Fujitsu released the first DVD-ROM-equipped computer on November 6 in Great Britain. Toshiba released a DVD-ROM-equipped computer and a DVD-ROM drive in Japan in early 1997 (moved back from December which
5775-589: Was moved back from November). DVD-ROM drives from Toshiba, Pioneer, Panasonic, Hitachi, and Sony began appearing in sample quantities as early as January 1997, but none were available before May. The first PC upgrade kits (a combination of DVD-ROM drive and hardware decoder card) became available from Creative Labs, Hi-Val, and Diamond Multimedia in April and May 1997. In 2014, every major PC manufacturer had models that include DVD-ROM drives. The first DVD-Audio players were released in Japan by Pioneer in late 1999, but they did not play copy-protected discs. Matsushita (under
5852-449: Was purchasing the console online through auction websites such as eBay , where people paid over a thousand dollars for the console. The PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength of the PlayStation brand and the console's backward compatibility, selling its entire inventory of 1.4 million units in Japan by 31 March 2000, less than a month after launch. From its launch until the end of 2000 in Japan, its best-selling software
5929-514: Was required for the original models, while the slim models included built-in networking ports. Instead of having a unified, subscription-based online service like Xbox Live as competitor Microsoft later chose for its Xbox console, online multiplayer functionality on the PlayStation 2 was the responsibility of the game publisher and ran on third-party servers. Many games that supported online play exclusively supported broadband Internet access. The PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller retains most of
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