Playstation 2 -- the Crushing Fist of Sony

These days, there are just about as many video games and video game systems as there are brands of toothpaste-they're common enough that a new game or system has to be pretty top notch if it's going to get noticed. Luckily, Sony has manufactured a system that is just that-the Playstation 2 (PS2).

The PS2, as its name implies, is the second in the Playstation series. First released in Japan in 2000, the sixth-generation PS2 is the fastest selling game console to date. At its initial release, the PS2 was so hot that stores had difficulty keeping the system on the shelves. The system proved to be the crushing fist of Sony in terms of dominating competition-the system still outsells both main competing systems, the highly anticipated Xbox and the Gamecube. In addition, the adaptation of the seventh installment of the Final Fantasy series for PS2 was instrumental in promoting role playing in the game world in the United States. Six years after the initial release, and with over 100 million systems sold worldwide, there is little doubt that the PS2 has become the gold standard of systems.

One reason for the success of the PS2 is the simple fact that the system's predecessor, the Playstation, already had sold well and had established a following prior to the PS2 release. Fans of the original Playstation and Playstation games were eager to see what Sony had done with the PS2, thus the PS2 release was a much-anticipated event by gamers everywhere who wished to keep up with the latest trends and system/game improvements.

Another reason for the success of the PS2 is the fact that it can read both PS2 games as well as DVDs. This has two benefits for the consumer. First, a person who purchases the system can use it to watch movies or other DVD entertainment-gamers who were looking to buy a new system and upgrade or purchase their first DVD player figured that they could kill two birds with one stone if they shelled out the money for the PS2. The slim PS2 design also helped promote this concept-consumers liked the idea of having both a game system and DVD player in a very compact amount of space. Secondly, the DVD capability really helped to close the gap between PC games and console systems. Prior to adding the DVD capability, PCs had dominated because they could hold and process more information more quickly, which had allowed for better environments, full motion video, etc. When DVD became linked to the PS2, consumers no longer had to depend on the PC for those better environments and the like. Games were longer and were able to employ better sound and graphics simply because the DVD could hold up to four times as much information than a CD.

Third, the PS2 is backwards compatible, which means that it can play any of the games for the original Playstation in addition to the new PS2 games. This means that those who want to update systems still can check out older games and makes the number of games the system can read total over 13,000. The backwards compatibility is supplemented by the fact that the PS2 has USB support and IEEE ports, and Sony has spared no expense to establish a huge line of PS2 accessories to facilitate game play of almost every kind. Currently, popular games include Guitar Hero, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and Kingdom Hearts.

Today, the PS2 can be found in as many as one in three homes, and Sony shows every sign of continuing to experience similar successes. Those who enjoy the PS2 can look forward to the Playstation 3 (PS3), the successor to the PS2 slated for release in November 2006. The PS3 will offer all the benefits of the PS2 while making use of Blue Ray technology. Blue Ray technology uses a more accurate blue laser (as opposed to the traditional red laser), which allows a disk to have smaller (and hence more numerous) grooves/tracks. This will allow the PS3 to read disks that can hold at minimum up to five times the amount of data currently held by DVDs. Just as the DVD allowed for better games in terms of environments, video, etc., the Blue Ray technology promises additional advances-the games can only get better, and that's terrific news for Sony and gamers alike.