Sony Halting PS2 Shipments In Japan
See Full ImageAlmost 13 years. That's how long the PS2 lasted in the Land of the Rising Sun.
According to a Gamasutra report, Sony has announced that they will no longer ship PS2 hardware to Japanese retailers. The system launched in March 2000 in Japan.
All told, the PS2 has sold over 150 million units worldwide; it continued to receive new software all the way up until 2011, so those scoffing at the 10-year lifespan theory should've been eating their words (as they're likely to do with the PS3). And as of yet, Sony hasn't revealed when they'll stop shipping PS2 machines to other parts of the world, although we expect it'll be soon. The record-breaking console has enjoyed quite the run and has remained popular for a very long time, even selling as much as the newly launched PlayStation Vita earlier this year.
Will the PS3 hit 150 million? It seems doubtful as its not even halfway there after over six years of being on the market, but a lot of sales come when the price tag is lower. The PS2 was just a beast.
Tags: ps2, playstation 2, ps2 sales, sony, ps2 shipments
12/28/2012 11:17:49 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (20 posts)
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 2:26:43 PM
2 up, 0 down
manofchao5
Monday, December 31, 2012 @ 11:20:56 AM
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emily lockwind
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 @ 8:36:59 AM
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godsman
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 11:45:02 AM
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1 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 11:55:53 AM
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As Sony's certainly proven that they can sustain more than 4 TV models at a time.
0 up, 2 down
bebestorm
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 12:14:44 PM
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Last edited by bebestorm on 12/28/2012 12:17:34 PM
2 up, 0 down
Excelsior1
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 12:53:12 PM
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PS2 153.6 released 2000
PS1 102.49 released 1994
PS3 70.2 released 2006
The PS2 was a beast. Just to demonstrate how dominant the PS2 was in terms of sales its nearest competitor was the original Xbox which managed to sell 24 million units. Even the PS1 was very dominant. Its nearest competitor was the N64 which sold 32.93 million units.
The PS2 was an amazing success. No doubt about it. Best selling console of all time. It was just the right system at the right time and gamers thought the price was fair. Sony was able to ride out the momentum they still had from the PS1 era which no doubt helped propel the PS2 early on. After that its killer game line up simply smashed the compeition.
3 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 1:21:48 PM
1 up, 4 down
Underdog15
Saturday, December 29, 2012 @ 10:01:38 AM
My point was that the PS3 faced the same criticism (and actually, the PS1 and PSP did as well). And now the Vita is in the same boat. I'm sure the PS4 will have the same out-of-the-gate issue, but in the end, we'll know who the real champ is.
1 up, 3 down
Excelsior1
Monday, December 31, 2012 @ 12:58:47 AM
But even with all that only the Wii beats out the PS2 in first years sales and it just barely beats it out. Were there gripes about the PS2? Absolutely. Did those gripes have anywhere the impact that similar gripes had against the PS3? No way. I'd argue the early negativity around the PS3 was more deeply felt(had tangible impact on sales) and lingered a lot longer.
There are probably a lot of reasons for that. The PS2 only had to contend with the Dreamcast its first year. By time the major competitors showed up the PS2 already had several system selling and system defining games available for it like Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy 10, Devil May Cry, and Gran Turismo 3 A-spec. Those games did a lot to dimiss the early gripes against the PS2. I'm sure price was a big factor as well. Not nearly the sticker shock that there was on the $600 PS3.
1 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 1:07:18 PM
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Though it would have been better if all those visual novels were released outside Japan...................
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Knightzane
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 1:39:01 PM
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0 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 2:30:52 PM
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For auld lang syne! Hear hear, there goes a King! Goodnight PS2.
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Killa Tequilla
Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 7:10:02 PM
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0 up, 0 down
___________
Saturday, December 29, 2012 @ 3:24:53 AM
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sad to see the ps2 go, it had a good long life!
only if the ps3 was so diverse, and had half the third party support the ps2 had!
2 up, 0 down
ricksterj
Monday, December 31, 2012 @ 11:08:33 AM
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0 up, 0 down
emily lockwind
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 @ 8:38:45 AM
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0 up, 1 down
BikerSaint
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Friday, December 28, 2012 @ 11:44:58 AM
I would've thought that Sony would at least wait to stop Japanese shipments till sometime after the last PS2 game launches in Japan on 3/27/2013,
It's called "Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin"
more info on it here.....
http://kotaku.com/5971429/the-japane...a-release-date
Maybe Sony's shipping department paperwork shows that most Japanese stores are still abundantly stocked or maybe even over-stocked with PS2's????
Last edited by BikerSaint on 12/28/2012 11:47:15 AM