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PlayStation 2 (PS2)
Manufacturer Sony Computer Entertainment
Type Video game console
Generation Sixth generation era
First available JPN March 4, 2000
NA October 26, 2000
EUR November 24, 2000
NZ November 30, 2000
Controller input DualShock
Connectivity Ethernet/Modem adapter.
Units sold Worldwide: 120.10 million units shipped as of May 30,
2007.[1]
United States: 37.1 million,[2]
as of December 31, 2006.
Top-selling game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City [1]
Backward
compatibility PlayStation games
Predecessor PlayStation
Successor PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 2 (プレイステーション2, Pureisutēshon Tsū?, abbreviated "PS2") is
Sony's second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and
the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. Its development was announced in
March 1999, and it was first released in Japan on March 4, 2000, in
North America on October 26, 2000 and in Europe on November 24, 2000.
The PS2 is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles. It is
the most commercially successful, fastest selling home console in video
game history, with over 120 million units shipped worldwide by May 2007.
[1]
History
Only a few million people had obtained consoles by the end of 2000 due
to manufacturing delays. The PS2 was so popular after its release that
it was difficult to find units on retailer shelves. Another popular
option was purchasing the console online through auction websites such
as eBay. The PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength
of the PlayStation brand and the console's backward compatibility,
selling over 900,000 units in the first weekend in Japan. This allowed
the PS2 to tap the large install base established by the PlayStation —
another major selling point over the competition. Later, Sony gained
steam with new development kits for game developers and more PS2 units
for consumers.
A notable piece of advertising for the PS2 launch was accompanied by the
popular "PS9" television commercial. 9 was to be the epitome of
development, which the PS2 was the next step on the way towards. The ad
also presaged the development of a portable PlayStation (first released
in Japan on 2004-12-12.)
Many analysts predicted a close three-way matchup between the PS2 and
competitors Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube (which was the
cheapest of the three consoles and had an open market of games).
However, the release of several blockbuster games during the 2001
holiday season maintained sales momentum and held off the PS2s
rivals.[3]
Although Sony placed little emphasis on online gaming during its first
years, that changed upon the launch of the online-capable Xbox. Sony
adapted in late 2002 to compete with Microsoft, with several online
first–party titles released alongside it, such as SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs
to show its active support for Internet play. Sony also advertised
heavily, and its online model had the support of Electronic Arts.
Although Sony and Nintendo both started out late, and although both
followed a decentralized model of online gaming where the responsibility
is up to the developer to provide the servers, Sony's attempt made
online gaming a major selling point of the PS2.
In September of 2004, in time for the launch of Grand Theft Auto: San
Andreas (the best-selling game during the 2004 holiday season), Sony
revealed a new, smaller PS2 (see Hardware revisions). In preparation for
the launch of a new, slimmer PS2 model (SCPH-70000; also known
unofficially as the "PStwo"), Sony stopped making the older PS2 model
(SCPH-5000x) during the summer of 2004 to let the distribution channel
empty its stock of the units. After an apparent manufacturing issue
caused some initial slowdown in producing the new unit, Sony reportedly
underestimated demand, caused in part by shortages between the time the
old units were cleared out 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 totaled 6,000 units — compared to
70,000 units a few weeks prior.[4] There were shortages in more than
1700 stores in North America on the day before Christmas.[5]
Games
The PS2's brand strength has led to strong third-party support for the
system. Although the system's launch titles were unimpressive in 2000,
the Christmas season of 2001 saw the release of several best-selling and
critically acclaimed games. These games helped the PS2 maintain and
extend its lead in the video game console market, despite increased
competition from the launches of the Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo
GameCube. In several cases, Sony made exclusivity deals with publishers
in order to pre-empt its competitors. Critically acclaimed games on the
PS2 include the Grand Theft Auto series, several entries in the Final
Fantasy series, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3, the Devil May
Cry series, four SSXs , the Ace Combat series, Kingdom Hearts and
Kingdom Hearts II, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Gran Turismo 4, SOCOM:
U.S. Navy SEALs, the Sly Cooper trilogy, Ape Escape, the Splinter Cell
series, the Jak and Daxter series, ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, the God
of War series, Champions of Norrath, Champions: Return to Arms, five
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai games, six Tony Hawk games, the WWE SmackDown!
series, and the Rachet and Clank series. The PS2 has also been the home
to many music games, such as the latest Dance Dance Revolution games and
the guitar controller-based Guitar Hero series.
At the end of 2006, 8,571 PS2 titles had been released worldwide (4,745
in Asia, 1,375 in North America, and 2,451 in Europe),[6] accounting for
cumulative production shipments of 1.205 billion units.[7]
Hardware compatibility
The PS2 hardware can read both CDs and DVDs. It is backward compatible
with PlayStation games and allows for DVD video playback. The ability to
play DVD movies was an added incentive for consumers to be able to
justify purchasing the PS2 (the MSRP was US$300 in October 2000).
The PS2 also supports PlayStation memory cards (for PlayStation game
saves only) and controllers as well. There is also support for the
internal PlayStation 2 HDD which is placed in the expansion bay at the
rear of the console (model SCPH-5000x only).
The PS2's DualShock 2 controller is essentially an upgraded PlayStation
DualShock; analog face, shoulder and D-pad buttons replaced the digital
buttons of the original. All of the input buttons include the D-pad, the
right buttons (X, Circle, Triangle, Square), the back buttons (R1, R2,
L1, L2), and the middle buttons (Start, Select, Analog). This design has
been carried on to Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3), which is known as the
SIXAXIS controller. The DualShock 2 controller has force feedback, which
is commonly called the "vibration" function. It is usually used to tell
the user when they have been "attacked" in a game. It is also commonly
used in combination with an on-screen red mark, shake, blur, etc., to
tell the player of an attack in any direction (commonly used in shooting
games).
When it was released, the PS2 had many advanced features that were not
present in other contemporary video game consoles, including
DVD-playback functionality, USB support, and IEEE 1394 expansion ports.
It was not until late 2001 that the Microsoft Xbox became the second
console to include USB support (USB 1.1), with a proprietary Microsoft
Xbox-shaped socket) and DVD playback capabilities.
Compatibility with USB devices is dependent on the software supporting
said USB device. For example, the PS2 BIOS will not boot an ISO image
from a USB flash drive or operate a USB printer, as the machine's
operating system does not include this functionality. By contrast, Gran
Turismo 4 is programmed to save screenshots to a USB mass storage device
and print images to certain USB printers.
Software compatibility
Support for PlayStation games was also an important selling point for
the PS2, letting owners of an older system upgrade to the PS2 and keep
their old software, and giving new users access to older games until a
larger library was developed for the new system. As an added bonus, the
PS2 had the ability to enhance PlayStation games by speeding up disc
read time, adding texture smoothing to improve graphics, or both. While
the texture smoothing was universally effective (albeit with odd effects
where transparent textures are used — white borders would be seen around
sprites), faster disk reading could cause some games to fail to load or
play incorrectly. Additionally some titles have unique bugs even when
the enhancements are not used- for instance, the famous RPG Tactics Ogre
can not be used with the component video outputs.
A handful of PlayStation titles (notably Metal Gear Solid: Special
Missions) fail to run on the PS2 at all (Special Missions fails to
recognize Metal Gear Solid at the disc swap screen, for example). This
problem appears to have been rectified in the slimline versions of the
PS2, where most of the previously unplayable PlayStation games can now
be played. It is a common misconception that disc swapping in a game
(for example, for multi-disc games or expansion packs) is not possible
on the PS2 without modifying the console. The anomalous failure of the
above title at its disc swap screen may have given birth to this rumor.
Software for all PlayStation consoles implements regional lockout by
containing one of four region codes: NTSC/J for Japan and Asia, NTSC-U/C
for North America, PAL for Europe and Oceania, and NTSC/C for China.[8]
Online play
With the purchase of a separate unit called the Network Adaptor (which
is built into the slimline model), some PS2 games support online
multiplayer. Instead of having a unified, subscription-based online
service like Xbox Live, online multiplayer on the PS2 is split between
publishers and run on third-party servers. However, this comes at a
price as any connection speed can be used to access the Internet with a
PS2, resulting in lag whenever slow connections are present. Most recent
PS2 online games have been developed to exclusively support broadband
Internet access. Xbox Live similarly requires a broadband Internet
connection.
All newer online PS2 games (since 2003) are protected by the Dynamic
Network Authentication System (DNAS). The purpose of this system is to
prevent piracy and online cheating. DNAS will prevent games from being
played online if they are determined to be pirated copies or if they
have been modified. Recently, however, methods have been developed to
get around this protection by modifying key files in the pirated game.
Hardware revisions
The PS2 has undergone many revisions, some only of internal construction
and others involving substantial external changes. These are
colloquially known among PS2 hardware hackers as V0, V1, V2, etc., up to
V14c[9] (as of 2006).
Original case design
Three of the original PS2 launch models (SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000, and
SCPH-18000) were only sold in Japan, and lacked the expansion bay (Dev9)
of current PS2 models. These models included a PCMCIA slot instead of
the Dev9 port of newer models. A PCMCIA-to-Dev9 adapter was later made
available for these models. SCPH-10000 and SCPH-15000 did not have a
built-in DVD player and instead relied on an encrypted player that was
copied to a memory card from an included CD-ROM (normally, the PS2 will
only execute encrypted software from its memory card, but see PS2
Independence Exploit). V3 had a substantially different internal
structure from the subsequent revisions, featuring several
interconnected printed circuit boards. As of V4 everything was unified
into one board, except the power supply. V5 introduced minor internal
changes, and the only difference between V6 (sometimes called V5.1) and
V5 is the orientation of the Power/Reset switch board connector, which
was reversed to prevent the use of no-solder modchips. V7 and V8
included only minor revisions to V6.
Assembly of the PS2 moved to the People's Republic of China during the
development of V9 (model numbers SCPH-50000 and SCPH-50001), which added
the infrared port for the optional DVD remote control, removed the IEEE
1394 port, added the capability to read DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs, added
progressive-scan output of DVD movies, and added a quieter fan. V10 and
V11 were only minor revisions to V9.
The PS2 standard colour is matte black. Several different variations in
color have been 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, and transparent blue (ocean blue).[10][11][12][13][14][15]
Slim case design
In September 2004, Sony unveiled its third major hardware revision (V12,
model number SCPH-70000). Available in November 2004, it is smaller,
thinner and quieter than the older versions and includes a built-in
Ethernet port (in some markets it also has an integrated modem). Due to
its thinner profile, it does not contain the 3.5" expansion bay and
therefore does not support the internal hard disk drive. It also lacks
an internal power supply, similar to the GameCube, and has a modified
MultiTap expansion. The removal of the expansion bay has been criticized
as a limitation[citation needed] due to the existence of titles such as
Final Fantasy XI, which require the use of the HDD. The official PS2
Linux kit also requires an expansion bay to function. Currently only the
modified MultiTap is sold in stores, meaning that owners of older PS2s
must find a used or non-Sony MultiTap in order to have 4 or 8 players
during a single game. Third-party connectors can be soldered into the
unit giving hard drive support, however IDE connections were completely
removed in the V14 revision, thereby eliminating this option.
Comparison of the slim PlayStation 2 design with the original.
Comparison of the slim PlayStation 2 design with the original.
There are some disputes[citation needed] on the numbering for this PS2
version, since there are actually two sub-versions of the SCPH-70000.
One of them includes the old EE and GS chips, and the other contains the
newer unified EE+GS chip, but otherwise they are identical. Since the
V12 version had already been established for this model, there were some
disputes regarding these sub-versions. Two propositions were to name the
old model (with separate EE and GS chips) V11.5 and the newer model V12,
and to name the old model V12 and the newer model V13. Currently, most
people just use V12 for both models, or V12 for the old model and V13
for the newer one.
The V12 model was first released in black, but a silver edition is
available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, France, South
Africa, and most recently, North America. It is unknown whether or not
this will follow the colour schemes of the older model.
V12 (or V13) was succeeded by V14 (SCPH-75001 and SCPH-75002), which
contains integrated EE and GS chips, and different ASICs compared to
previous revisions, with some chips having a copyright date of 2005,
compared to 2000 or 2001 for earlier models. It also has a different
lens and some compatibility issues with a different number of
PlayStation games and even some PS2 games. (see the list of incompatible
games as documented by SCEA).
In 2006, Sony released the latest hardware revisions (V15, model numbers
SPCH-77001a and SPCH-77001b, ). It was first released in Japan on
September 15, 2006, including the Silver limited edition. After its
release, it was then shipped to North America and to other parts of the
world. The new revision uses an integrated, unified EE+GS chip, a
redesigned ASIC, a different laser lens, an updated BIOS, and updated
drivers. This revision is currently shipping in retail game stores. The
V15 model still has compatibility issues with some PS2 games and
PlayStation games, and it has been criticized due to overheating
problems and disc read errors.
Later hardware revisions had better compatibility with PlayStation games
(Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions works on most silver models); however,
the new Japanese slim models have more issues with playing PlayStation
games than the first PS2 revisions.[citation needed]
In the beginning of 2005 it was found that some black slimline console
power transformers bought between November and December 2004 were faulty
and could overheat. The units were recalled by Sony, with the company
supplying a replacement model made in 2005. Users can determine if their
systems are affected by this recall by visiting http://www.ps2ac.com.
Sony has also made a consumer device called the PSX that can be used as
a digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to playing PS2
games. The device, which was only released in Japan and Australia, was
poorly received, with some major features absent from the first
revisions of the hardware, and has thus far experienced very weak sales
in Japan, in spite of major price drops.[16] The machine's future
continues to be uncertain, with North American and European launches
considered to be distant, if at all, especially since the release of the
PS3.
Accessories
The PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller is largely identical to the
PlayStation's DualShock, with the same basic functionality; however, it
includes analog pressure sensitivity on the face and shoulder buttons,
is lighter and includes two more levels of vibration. The L2 and R2
buttons are also significantly larger. The fact that the design did not
change pleased some consumers who were already used to the DualShock
controller.
Optional hardware includes DualShock or DualShock 2 controllers, a PS2
DVD remote control, an internal or external HDD, a network adapter,
horizontal and vertical stands, PlayStation or PS2 memory cards, light
guns (GunCon), fishing rod and reel controllers, and various cables and
interconnects: Multitap for PlayStation or PS2, S-Video, RGB, SCART, VGA
(for progressive scan games and PS2 Linux only), component and composite
video cables, RF modulator, USB camera (EyeToy), Konami microphone for
use with the Karaoke Revolution games, dual microphones (sold with and
used exclusively for SingStar games), "guitar" controllers (for Guitar
Hero, Guitar Hero II and a different model, for Guitar Freaks), Onimusha
3 katana controller, Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller, USB keyboard,
USB mouse and a headset. Unlike the PlayStation, which required the use
of an official Sony PlayStation mouse to play mouse-compatible games,
the few PS2 games with mouse support work with standard PC-compatible
USB mice. Early versions of the PS2 could be networked via an iLink
port, though this had little game support and was dropped. The original
PS2 multitap cannot be plugged into the newer slim models (as the
multitap connects to the memory card slot as well as the controller slot
and the memory card slot on the slimline is shallower). New slim-design
multitaps exist for these models, however third-party adapters exist to
permit original multitaps to be used.
Home development
Sony released a version of the Linux operating system for the PS2 in a
package that also includes a keyboard, mouse, Ethernet adapter and HDD.
Currently, Sony's online store states that the Linux kit is no longer
for sale in North America. However as of July 2005, the European version
was still available. The kit boots by installing a proprietary
interface, the run-time environment, which is on a region-coded DVD, so
the European and North America kits only work with a PS2 from their
respective regions.
In Europe and Australia, the PS2 comes with a free Yabasic interpreter
on the bundled demo disc. This allows simple programs to be created for
the PS2 by the end-user. This was included in a failed attempt to
circumvent a UK tax by defining the console as a "computer" if it
contained certain software.
A port of the NetBSD project is also available for the PS2.
It is also possible to listen to MP3 music and watch DivX movies with
homebrew programs running in consoles that have a modchip installed or
with network software like GameShark's Media Player.
Technical problems
Owners of early PS2 models purchased from launch until spring 2003 often
reported faulty optical drives in their consoles. The earliest drives
suffered from a constantly misaligning laser lens, but later defects
were the result of a shift in voltage to the laser. The first problem
was easily remedied by opening the console's casing and tweaking a cog
that controlled the lens' distance from the disc. However, this action
voided the console's warranty. The second problem could be fixed by
using an oscillator. After many consoles had broken down, a class action
lawsuit was filed against Sony. Sony agreed to provide free repair or
replacement for the faulty consoles and continued to do so until
February 2005.[17]
Another problem that could cause a disc read error is wear on the
coupling in the head assembly to the worm gear that moves the laser. A
symptom of this is a loud repetitive clicking sound. However, this
problem rarely occurs on newer consoles.[citation needed]
Controversy
* Before the PS2 was even released in Japan, there were controversies
over the capabilities of the PS2. Japan initially imposed export
restrictions on the PS2. The PS2 was even said to contain parts,
especially its powerful graphics hardware, which could be used in the
guidance systems of military ballistic missiles.[18]
* In 2000, four thousand PS2 units ended up in Iraq after being
purchased from the USA and delivered by different couriers.[19] Iraq was
then ruled by Saddam Hussein.
Technical specifications
The specifications of the PlayStation 2 console are as follows, with
hardware revisions:
* CPU: 128-bit "Emotion Engine" clocked at 294 MHz (299 MHz on newer
versions), 10.5 million transistors
o System Memory: 32 MiB Direct Rambus or RDRAM (note that some computers
use this type of RAM)
o Memory bus Bandwidth: 3.2 Gigabyte per second
o Main processor: MIPS R5900 CPU core, 64 bit
o Coprocessor: FPU (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator × 1, Floating
Point Divider × 1)
o Vector Units: VU0 and VU1 (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator × 9,
Floating Point Divider × 1), 128 bit, at 150 MHz.
+ VU0 typically used for physics and other gameplay type things
+ VU1 typically used for polygon transformations, lighting and other
visual based calculations
o Floating Point Performance: 6.2 gigaFLOPS (single precision 32-bit
floating point)
+ FPU 0.64 gigaFLOPS
+ VU0 2.44 gigaFLOPS
+ VU1 3.08 gigaFLOPS
o 3D CG Geometric transformation: 66 million polygons/sec
+ 3D CG Geometric transformations under curved surfaces: 16 million
polygons/sec
o Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG-2
o I/O Processor interconnection: Remote Procedure Call over a serial
link, DMA controller for bulk transfer
o Cache memory: Instruction: 16 KiB, Data: 8 KiB + 16 KiB (ScrP)
* Graphics: "Graphics Synthesizer" clocked at 147 MHz
o Pixel pipelines: 16
o Video output resolution: variable from 256x224 to 1280x1024 pixels
o 4 MB Embedded DRAM video memory bandwidth at 48 Gigabit per second
(main system 32 MiB can be dedicated into vram)
o DRAM Bus bandwidth: 48.0 Gb per second
+ Texture buffer bandwidth: 9.6 Gb/sec
+ Frame buffer bandwidth: 38.4 Gb/sec
o DRAM Bus width: 2560-bit (composed of three independent buses:
1024-bit write, 1024-bit read, 512-bit read/write)
o Pixel Configuration: RGB: Alpha:Z Buffer (24:8, 15:1 for RGB, 16, 24,
or 32-bit Z buffer)
o Dedicated connection to: Main CPU and VU1
o Overall Pixel fillrate: 16x147 = 23.52Gpixel/sec(rounded to
2.4Gpixel/sec)
o Pixel fillrate: with no texture, flat shaded 2.4(75,000,000 32pixel
real-world triangles)
o Pixel fillrate: with 1 full texture(Defuse Map), Gouraud shaded 1.2
(37,750,000 32-bit pixel real-world triangles)
o Pixel fillrate: with 2 full textures(Defuse map + specular or alpha or
other), Gouraud shaded 0.6 (18,750,000 32-bit pixel real-world
triangles)
o Multi-pass rendering ability
+ Four passes = 300M pixels/second (300M pixel/sec divided by 32pixel =
9,375,000 triangle/sec lossed every four passes)
* Sound: "SPU1+SPU2" (SPU1 is actually the CPU clocked at 8 MHz)
o Number of voices: 48 hardware channels of ADPCM on SPU2 plus
software-mixed channels
o Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz (selectable)
o Output: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, DTS (Full motion video
only), later games achieved analog 5.1 surround during gameplay through
Dolby Pro Logic II
* I/O Processor
o CPU Core: Original PlayStation CPU (MIPS R3000A clocked at 33.8688 MHz
or 37.5 MHz)
o Sub Bus: 32 Bit
o Connection to: SPU and CD/DVD controller.
* Interface Types:
o 2 proprietary PlayStation controller ports (250 kHz clock for PS1 and
500 kHz for PS2 controllers)
o 2 proprietary Memory Card slots using MagicGate encryption (250 kHz
for PS1 cards, up to 2 MHz for PS2 cards)
o Expansion Bay (PCMCIA on early models for PCMCIA Network Adaptor and
External Hard Disk Drive) DEV9 port for Network Adaptor
o Modem and Internal Hard Disk Drive
o IEEE 1394 (only in SCPH 10xxx - 3xxxx)
o Infrared remote control port (SCPH 5000x and newer)[20]
o 2 USB 1.1 ports with an OHCI-compatible controller.
* Disc Drive type: 24x (PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format
CD-ROM) 4x (Supported DVD formats) Region-locked with anti-copy
protection (Can't read "Gold Discs" aka normal CD-ROMs)
* Supported Disc Media: PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format
CD-ROM, Compact Disc Audio, PlayStation 2 format DVD-ROM (4.7 GB), DVD
Video (4.7 GB). Later models are DVD-9 (8.5 GB Dual-Layer), DVD+RW, and
DVD-RW compatible.
Price history
Japan[21]
* JP¥39,800 (March 4, 2000, SCPH-10000, Launch Price)
* JP¥39,800 (December 8, 2000, SCPH-18000)
* Open price (April 18, 2001, SCPH-30000)
* JP¥35,000 (June 29, 2001, SCPH-30000)
* JP¥29,800 (November 29, 2001, SCPH-30000)
* Open price (JP¥25,000 avg.[verification needed]) (May 16, 2002,
SCPH-30000)
* Open price (November 21, 2002, SCPH-39000)
* JP¥25,000 (May 15, 2003, SCPH-50000)
* JP¥19,800 (November 13, 2003, SCPH-50000 NB)
* JP¥17,800 (June 2004)[verification needed]
* Open price (November 3, 2004, SCPH-70000)[22]
* JP¥16,000 (September 15, 2006, SCPH-77000)[23]
North America[24]
* US$299.99 (October 26, 2000, release date) (CAD$449.99)
* US$199.99 (May 14, 2002) (CAD$299.99)
* US$179.99 (May 13, 2003, "temporary" pricing) (CAD$249.99)[2]
* US$179.99 (August 18, 2003, official pricing)[3]
* US$149.99 (May 11, 2004) (CAD$179.99)
* US$129.99 (April 20, 2006) (CAD$139.99)
Europe[25]
* €500 (November 23, 2000)
* €249-€279 (August 27, 2002)
* €199 (June 2003)
* €149 (August 2004)
* €129,99 (August 23, 2006)[26]
United Kingdom (including VAT, currently 17.5%)[25]
* GB£299 (November 24, 2000, Launch Price)
* GB£269 (June 2001)
* GB£199 (September 28, 2001)
* GB£169.99 (August 27, 2002)
* GB£139.99 (October 1, 2003)
* GB£104.99 (August 18, 2004)
* GB£94.99 (August 21, 2006)[4] (current RRP)
* GB£69.99 (November 19, 2006)
France[25]
* ₣2,990 (November 24, 2000, Launch Price)
* ₣2,790 (June 2001)
* ₣1,999 (September 28, 2001)
Germany[25]
* DEM 869 (November 24, 2000, Launch Price)
* DEM 799 (June 2001)
* DEM 599 (September 28, 2001)
Australia
* AU$749.95 (Original Price; the price had begun to drop within weeks of
its launch)
* AU$499.95 (September 28, 2001)[5]
* AU$399.95 (June 15, 2002)[25]
* AU$249.95 (October 29, 2004, slim PS2 launch)[6]
* AU$199.95 (June 1, 2006)[7]
Finland
* EUR 500 (Launch)
* EUR 149 (current)
Sweden
* SEK 4499 (November 24, 2000, Launch Price)
Hungary (Including VAT, currently 20%)
* HUF 37000 (November 2006) €149
India
* Rs. 19000 (2004)
* Rs. 15000 (2005)
* Rs. 10000 (2006)
* Rs. 7,500 (April 2007 by NHS2008)
Republic of Ireland (including VAT, currently 21%)
* IR£ 379.99 (€ 482.58) (Launch)
* €149.99 (Early 2006)
Middle East (in Saudi Riyals)
* SAR 2200 (Launch) US$550
* SAR 1200 (September 2002) US$450
* SAR 800 (August 2004) US$ 210
* SAR 550 (Current 2006) US$149
Pakistan
* RS 9,000 (January 2007)
Philippines
* PHP 8,000 (current price)
Poland
* PLN 2,599,00 zł (starting)
* PLN 499,00 zł for Black Slim and 525,00 zł for Silver Slim (current)
Russia
* RUR 4700 (current)[27]
Serbia
* CSD 16000 (October 2006) €200
Republic of China (Taiwan)
* NT$10,900 (January 24, 2002, SCPH-30007, Launch Price)
* NT$ 7,980 (January 1, 2003, SCPH-30007)
* NT$ 6,980 (2003, SCPH-39007)
* NT$ 6,980 (October 10, 2003, SCPH-50007)
* NT$ 6,480 (January 1, 2004, SCPH-50007)
* NT$ 5,888 (June 1, 2004, SCPH-50007)
* NT$ 5,888 (November 3, 2004, SCPH-70007)
Turkey
* YTL 370 (August 2006) US$255
Norway
* NOK 999kr (June 2007)
References
1. ^ a b Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware / PlayStation®2.
Sony Computer Entertainment.
2. ^ Brightman, James (2007-01-11). Updated: Breaking: U.S. Video Game
Industry Totals $12.5 Billion in 2006. GameDaily Biz. Retrieved on
2007-01-11.
3. ^ Chris Morris. "Sony slashes PlayStation prices: Pre-emptive move
undercuts competition and could spark video game price war", CNN, May
14, 2002.
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14. ^ http://www.consolecolors.com/sony_current_news.html
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19. ^ http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21118
20. ^ IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port removed and Infrared remote port added
in SCPH-50000 and later hardware versions.
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