More than eight years after it first landed on North American shores, Sony's Playstation 2 video game console has reached a staggering milestone: To date, over 50 million units have been sold in North America.
The most interesting thing about this story isn't that the Playstation 2 is alive and well; we've previously reported that it was the most-played console in 2008, and it's already the best-selling console of all time. What's truly fascinating is that people are still actively purchasing it.
Looking at the most recent sales figures, the PS2 consistently sells more than half as many units as its successor, the Playstation 3, every month. That's not bad for a console that launched before the iPod.
The PS2 jumped out to an early lead when it was first released by offering a DVD player. Exclusives like the Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy series cemented hardcore gamers.
CVG points out that the console has refocused in its later years, shifting towards family audiences with the EyeToy and party games like Buzz! and SingStar.
As a former PS2 owner who sold it away for the Xbox and Halo, I've been temped to pick the console up once again. Games like Grand Theft Auto III, Virtua Fighter 4, Contra: Shattered Soldier and the underrated Transformers (not the inferior movie tie-in version) were prized additions to my library. And with new games that came out even after the Playstation 3's release, such as the PS2-exclusive God of War II, there are plenty of reasons to go back.
