Celebrating 20 years of PlayStation 2

I had visited a friend’s house who had a PlayStation 2 console. I was so caught up with the story line and the series of adventures. Even when you watch people play, it was like you playing the game. I eventually fell in love with the game and saved to buy one for myself. PlayStation 2 introduced me to the gaming world”. Says Charles Omukoro of Ikeja, Lagos.

Arguably, the PlayStation 2 console was the first home console with graphics that made people say wow! This looks so real.

To many gamers, it is a fact that video game visuals have drastically improved since the launch of PS2 in 2000. About 20 years ago, PlayStation 2 producers made the entire scenario seem like we were already living in the future.

The superb innovation challenged developers to create larger, more complex and upgraded designs over the PlayStation 2.

However, regardless of all the recent innovation in the PlayStation world, one could argue that that PS 2 lived much longer, considering the fact that several upgraded consoles have been manufactured over the years.

Why Was PlayStation 2 Successful ?

Given that the PlayStation game moved a whopping sum of 158 million units worldwide, and coupled with the fact that it was in continuous production for about 13 years, a number of factors made the console the most successful in the world of gaming and console history.

Hardware : PS2’s CPU clocked around 300MHz, it had 32 MB of RAM, 4MB of eDRAM,
AND its memory cards were 8 megabytes. As at the time it was produced PS2 was far better than its competition.

DVD player : I guess, one would rather say the producer of the console was a super genius. Applied the idea of “using a single stone to catch two birds at the same time.

The DVD player made it possible for people at the time to get two things for a cheaper price. Aptly put, it appealed to people in a way that modern consoles are still trying to replicate today, i.e to sell to non-gamers.

Moreso, it was very easy to set up, and worked reasonably well. People were encouraged to buy it, just so they could use it as a DVD player.

You could watch films and play loads of games on one console. The addition of DVD players had a significant impact on the large sales of the console.

According to research, a large percentage of people bought the PlayStation 2 to play DVDs.

Brand : One would argue that, when we talk about brands, Sony is rated as one of the best brands in the world of gaming.

Sony had a good record in the world of production, hence people were keen on getting another masterpiece produced by the brand.

Software : it is indeed a fact that PlayStation 2 software was breathtaking. It edged out of the accustomed orthodox system to a more advanced piece.

It gave millions of individuals, both genders who did;not see themselves as game fricks, a rare opportunity to have fun with games that catch their fancy. E.g, football lovers could play FIFA, individuals who love zombie films could play adventures like resident evil,. car racers could design cars to their taste in a race adventure.

PS2 had the monopoly on PS1 fans.

According to Guinness World Records, about 157.68 million people have owned a PlayStation in their lifetime. This is a percentage ahead of the 154.90 million who played Nintendo, or almost 119.70 million Game Boy owners.

It brings people together : back in the days, my friends and I would contribute some money over the weeks to organise a PlayStation get- together.

Sometimes , we buy food drinks and stay glued to our seats for several hours. Before we realised, we formed a club in school where we talked about the latest games, adventures and we even exchanged game discs .

Even till date, while we are all busy with our lives, we still spare some weekends to organise PlayStation get together” Says Shehu Abdul -Ganiu from Kano.

He further said, PlayStation brings a kind of vibe and togetherness when you have a multiplayer. Even if you were watching someone play it feels like you’re the one playing.

Interesting adventures

Interesting adventures like God of War, Resident Evil, and some popular games that were upgraded to other PlayStation consoles. Till date, millions of game lovers still play these adventures.

Sheet of cheat codes : Just like “Sega” cheats, there was a pyramid of cheats for stunts in PlayStation 2. Compiling lists of cheat codes among friends made PlayStation 2 very interesting.

All these memories are familiar with that of millions of people around the world who celebrate 20 years of PlayStation 2.

To all gamers in the world,  Habanaija says happy 20th birthday to PlayStation 2. Thanks for giving so much to millions of Nigerians, and to millions of people all over the world.