The Legendary Console That Launched The Gaming Industry Into Stardom

PS2 launch day in 2000.

You can imagine the intensity looking at this.

The very first set of PS2 consoles were rolled out of the factories in Japan on March 4th, 2000. Because of this, it won't be wrong to refer to this date as "the day that started next-generation gaming."

Not only is this day considered to be one of the most significant dates in video game history, but also an indicator of how far it has come since its infancy.

After Japan, North America followed seven months later, on October 26th, before Europe and Australia in November. It was a launch that spanned four continents and caused pandemonium in the gaming industry, similar to Tokyo's famous scramble crossing, which was inundated with people eager to be among the first to experience this new technology.

Sony's extravagant PlayStation Meeting in March 1999 was barely recognizable in comparison to the modest, developer-focused launch of its first console five years earlier.

At Tokyo's International Forum, over a thousand journalists had gathered for a grandiose celebration replete with pomp and fanfare for Sony's second gaming system, the PlayStation 2. Sony certainly did not disappoint the packed reporters in the opulent music hall.

However, despite the fact that no console was unveiled, and its name had yet to be selected, a series of spectacular, if not a little misleading, tech demos supplied more than enough fodder for writers to use in their stories.

The same day, Sony published a press statement announcing "the development of the World's Fastest Graphics Rendering Processor," one which they claimed would be able to render visuals "comparable to movie-quality 3D graphics in real-time".

With extraordinary demand during the PS2’s Japanese launch on March 4th, 2000, Sony sold out all one million units in just one weekend, capping off a hectic but ultimately successful launch for the console.

Some tens of thousands of people gathered in Tokyo on the day of the game's premiere, according to one local publication.

People crowded stores, waiting to get their hands on the PS2 console.

Several weeks before that, the PlayStation site crashed at the very moment pre-orders for the console went live. Many stores had already sold out via pre-order, while a few still had units available for first-come, first-served.

Sold out!

Before arriving in the West in October 2000, the PlayStation 2 had already sold three million units in Japan within five months. Due to the unprecedented demand for the console, Sony was forced to cut its North American allocation by 50%, thus canceling out some pre-orders.

Across the pond, things were far worse. When PlayStation Europe discovered that the promised 200,000 consoles would not arrive in time for Christmas they had to hire a Russian Antonov plane, normally used to transport tanks to Afghanistan, to fly to Japan and carry P2's back to the United Kingdom.

The PlayStation 2 eventually sold over 155 million units, making it the best-selling home console in history.

People camping out optimistically for a piece of the magic.

Here's what people had to say about their memories of the legendary PS2 console.

Sony definitely had so much confidence in the PlayStation 2.

Using your first paycheck wisely.

Developers put in serious passion and creativity.

If you followed the PS2 trend back in 2000, you're probably above 30 by now.

Camping out for what you love.

This would make anyone's jaw drop.

Only with the PS2!

Sony's launch of the Playstation 2 in 2000 revolutionized gaming and ushered in a new era for console gamers. But where would we be without it? 

It will be interesting to see how the gaming industry changes over the next decade as we go from current generation hardware into new console launches.

What are your thoughts on this legendary console? Do you remember purchasing one back in the day? Let us know in the comments below!