Happy 10th PS2

[TheGam3r]

October 26th is the ps2's B-Day in NA. surprised they are still making games for it.

[fahlim003]

You're right, good reminder.

A happy birthday indeed to the console that really got me back into gaming.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Happy Birthday!

Now, retire the damned thing and make a PS2 backwards compatibility option for PS3 owners that don't have it standard.

Please. Thank you.

[diskoboy]

Now, retire the damned thing and make a PS2 backwards compatibility option for PS3 owners that don't have it standard.

Please. Thank you.

A-friggin'-men.

I was one of those rare individuals who didn't own a PS2, until I bought my 60GB PS3.

There are more of us out there, I'm sure....

I almost guarantee it would be more cost effective for Sony to just put the EE chip back in the PS3, instead of manufacturing new PS2's.

[Jaruff]

I went from a Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo/outdated PC to the PS2. I was amazed. Best console ever imo.

It's finally starting to die but it's lasted much longer than most anticipated.

[Leo_A]

Now, retire the damned thing and make a PS2 backwards compatibility option for PS3 owners that don't have it standard.

What does one have to do with the other?

Playstation 2 backwards compatibility isn't missing because Playstation 2 consoles, games, and accessories are still being produced. And it isn't going to magically appear in a firmware update someday when Playstation 2 production has ended.



I almost guarantee it would be more cost effective for Sony to just put the EE chip back in the PS3, instead of manufacturing new PS2's.

They're manufacturing $99.99 Playstation 2's for budget minded consumers. Someone on a budget isn't going to just spring for a $300-$400 Playstation 3 instead just because it suddenly includes Playstation 2 compatibility.

It's a budget console and people purchase it because it's cheap, not because they have some overwhelming desire with no regard to the price to suddenly play Playstation 2 games 10 years after it initially launched. The average Playstation 2 console buyer in 2010 isn't willing or even financially capable of paying hundreds of additional dollars to purchase a Playstation 3 just because it lets them play Playstation 2 games. The people willing to do that were the early adapters that Sony sold Playstation 3's to with PS2 support half a decade ago.

They're still selling Playstation 2's not because they have some love of the system and want to see something capable of playing PS2 titles remain in the marketplace, but because it's dirt cheap and affordable to a significant percentage of the population that can't consider paying several hundred dollars for a Playstation 3. It's profitable for Sony and fills a niche that the Playstation 3 is unable to at the present time due to it's steep price.

[woodsof]

If you have an PS2,but no new game to play,will you upset?

[Oldskool]

Why be upset? They are still periodically releasing new games for it. And I'm sure that when official support ends for it, more and more people will publish for it. ESPECIALLY if the PS3 never supports it again. Look at the Dreamcast, titles were released for that YEARS after official support ended.

Plus, it's not like the selection of games is small. What is there, about a 1000 games now? Best console ever made, period.

[Leo_A]

Why be upset? They are still periodically releasing new games for it. And I'm sure that when official support ends for it, more and more people will publish for it. ESPECIALLY if the PS3 never supports it again. Look at the Dreamcast, titles were released for that YEARS after official support ended.

Most of those Dreamcast titles, with a few pleasant exceptions, haven't been anything terribly special.

And unlike the Dreamcast, when Sony pulls the plug, that's the end of commercially producing games for it that can run in any Playstation 2 without modifications.

I doubt you'll ever see much unsanctioned publishing ever happen for it since only a small percentage of Playstation 2 owners with modded consoles would be able to enjoy it.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

What does one have to do with the other?

Playstation 2 backwards compatibility isn't missing because Playstation 2 consoles, games, and accessories are still being produced. And it isn't going to magically appear in a firmware update someday when Playstation 2 production has ended.

They're manufacturing $99.99 Playstation 2's for budget minded consumers. Someone on a budget isn't going to just spring for a $300-$400 Playstation 3 instead just because it suddenly includes Playstation 2 compatibility.

It's a budget console and people purchase it because it's cheap, not because they have some overwhelming desire with no regard to the price to suddenly play Playstation 2 games 10 years after it initially launched. The average Playstation 2 console buyer in 2010 isn't willing or even financially capable of paying hundreds of additional dollars to purchase a Playstation 3 just because it lets them play Playstation 2 games. The people willing to do that were the early adapters that Sony sold Playstation 3's to with PS2 support half a decade ago.

They're still selling Playstation 2's not because they have some love of the system and want to see something capable of playing PS2 titles remain in the marketplace, but because it's dirt cheap and affordable to a significant percentage of the population that can't consider paying several hundred dollars for a Playstation 3. It's profitable for Sony and fills a niche that the Playstation 3 is unable to at the present time due to it's steep price.

While I don't think that it's going to "magically appear in a firmware update" simply due to the console's retirement (whenever that does happen), I do think that Sony is holding off on releasing any level of PS3 PS2 compatibility until it's no longer worth it to them to continue to manufacture/sell the actual PS2 units.

PS3's may be out of the point in production where money is lost on them but the PS2 likely makes twice or three times profit what a PS3 purchased at retail makes Sony (if they make them anything in profit at all) ... so I can see the resistance to retire the things. BUT, it has to happen sometime. They're not going to continue to produce them indefinitely, and when they do decide to let them go, I'm SURE they're going to want to continue to sell the software that will inevitably remain on retail shelves for years after the PS2 consoles go away.

Your estimations are all logical for sure, and I don't strictly disagree with them ... I just have my own theories/suspicions as to what the long term plan will be.

I think WHEN Sony retires PS2 we'll see an option pop up for added PS2 compatibility (be it USB device or otherwise) on PS3s and ONLY after the PS2 is retired.

[Rob2600]

Best console ever made, period.

That's debatable.

[CRTGAMER]

Happy Birthday!

Now, retire the damned thing and make a PS2 backwards compatibility option for PS3 owners that don't have it standard.

Please. Thank you.Happy Birthday PS2.

I prefer this with a PS2 Fat over a PS3 backward compatible system.

http://www.hdadvance.com/hda3.jpg

[j_factor]

Most of those Dreamcast titles, with a few pleasant exceptions, haven't been anything terribly special.

And unlike the Dreamcast, when Sony pulls the plug, that's the end of commercially producing games for it that can run in any Playstation 2 without modifications.

I doubt you'll ever see much unsanctioned publishing ever happen for it since only a small percentage of Playstation 2 owners with modded consoles would be able to enjoy it.

Didn't they do something in Europe to allow unlicensed releases? (Essentially sanctioning unsanctioned publishing.)

[Vectorman0]

Didn't they do something in Europe to allow unlicensed releases? (Essentially sanctioning unsanctioned publishing.)


I'm pretty sure they just did away with their approval process, making it so publishers can release buggy shovelware without issue.

[NayusDante]

It's been a decade and the little black box is still profitable. I would really like to see an up-to-date price breakdown on the current-revision PS2s, to see how much they're really making on that $99 tag. The NES was only $49.95 in 1994 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LZfnA_Ww6Y), so adjusting for inflation I would expect it to have been in the $80 range or lower last year. Since it still sells in the thousands every month that I've seen the charts, they must making a decent profit.

What bothers me, though, is the software lineup. Check out the list of games released in 2010 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_PlayStation_2_games#2010), and what's scheduled for 2011. I count 26 games for the NA market in 2010, and most of them are the annuals. Compare that the the PlayStation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_PlayStation_games#2005) ten years after release, which had three games of little impact. The NES had no releases after 1994, but even at the 9 year mark, it still had some high profile releases. What I'm getting at here is that the PS2 is riding on annual sports and kids movie games ten years into its life, a feat that no console has done before. The PS2 used section at GameStop probably isn't going anywhere for a long time, but I can see them cutting off trade-ins for stuff like Madden 2002 soon.

This isn't even touching on the fact that this is an amazing time to get into the PS2s huge library, with tons of great games below the $10 used price point. Just for the heck of it, I threw together a little PS2 "Starter Pack," with a limit of $150~155 including tax. I made sure to give it a variety, and kept in mind the need for a second controller and memory card. You can probably get a cheaper used controller in the store, and a memory card will run you $7 shipped on Amazon if you can't find one in the store.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5120790611_81aa65ac72_z.jpg

So $150 gets you a NEW console, a controller, a memory card (maybe not in the store though), with Toy Story for the kids, an RPG, a mech game, a fighter, and an action-adventure. Go used for the console, and you save $30 but don't get Toy Story, which is going to retail for $40. You can't do this with a GameCube, since even though the consoles are around $30, the desirable games are more in the $20 range. Xbox doesn't have the same diversity, and GameStop is removing/has removed the Xbox section. Happy 10th birthday PlayStation 2 indeed.

[DuckTalesNES]

That's debatable.

Extremely. I almost stopped playing games entirely during the PS2 days.

[DuckTalesNES]

So $150 gets you a NEW console, a controller, a memory card (maybe not in the store though), with Toy Story for the kids, an RPG, a mech game, a fighter, and an action-adventure. Go used for the console, and you save $30 but don't get Toy Story, which is going to retail for $40. You can't do this with a GameCube, since even though the consoles are around $30, the desirable games are more in the $20 range. Xbox doesn't have the same diversity, and GameStop is removing/has removed the Xbox section. Happy 10th birthday PlayStation 2 indeed.

I agree that it sucks that GameStop is getting rid of the XBox section, but there's still quite a bit of diversity for that original system, and you inspired me to put together a similar "bundle" on amazon. I'm not as fancy with the screenshots but here's what I came up with (I tried to list only exclusives)

The system - price is debatable but I saw some from the $40-60 range. No memory cards needed either.

A lineup of some games:
Halo - $10.99 (new)
Halo 2 - $19.99 (new)
KOTOR - $15 or so (used)
Jade Empire - $4.79 (new)
Chronicles of Riddick - $5 or so (used)
Fable - $10 or so (used)

There really is a good library for both systems, and buying games from the console generation from one generation ago is usually pretty cheap.

[NayusDante]

Well, I was trying to emphasize the diversity of the PS2 library, and how a $150 bundle could still leave a lot of room to expand once you finish those games. Xbox, not so much. If I had to put together a similarly diverse bundle, it would probably be:

Xbox - $50 used
GunGriffon Allied Strike - $7
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload - $6
KOTOR - $10
Breakdown - $4
Beyond Good & Evil - $5
Mortal Kombat Deception - $8
Extra Controller - $10

That adds up to $108 with tax, and you get an FPS, a mech game, two fighters, an RPG, and an action-adventure. Once you finish playing those, though, there's not as much of a diverse library to go into. With the PS2, there's at least ten more in each genre, AND the continued support for annual mainstream releases.

[Leo_A]

PS3's may be out of the point in production where money is lost on them but the PS2 likely makes twice or three times profit what a PS3 purchased at retail makes Sony (if they make them anything in profit at all) ... so I can see the resistance to retire the things. BUT, it has to happen sometime.

It will happen when it's no longer profitable for them to produce it. When the Playstation 2 market reaches that point, they're certainly not going to then invest in developing and producing PS2 compatible Playstation 3's. PS2 compability was important in the early days for the early adapters and has decreased in importance since then as people upgrade and leave the console behind (The Playstation 2 becomes less important in this marketplace everyday). Someone buying a Playstation 3 in 2010 is doing it because they want to play Playstation 3 games and play Blu-Ray movies, they could care less that it could play what they view as ancient software.

They're certainly not suddenly going to make the investment after years of producing PS3's without BC (When the PS2 marketplace was healthy and they might've even enticed a few of them to upgrade and encourage some PS3 owners into trying the occasional PS2 release like Motorstorm Arctic Edge) when the PS2 market reaches such a weak point that it's killed off. They would've done it when it mattered to a lot of PS3 buyers and when it could've helped prolong the life of the platform, not when it dies.



They're not going to continue to produce them indefinitely, and when they do decide to let them go, I'm SURE they're going to want to continue to sell the software that will inevitably remain on retail shelves for years after the PS2 consoles go away.

What makes you think that? What console has ever acted like that? You'll always find a few stragglers, junk games appearing years later in drug stores and dollar stores because no one ever wanted them in the first place and they were suddenly dug out of a warehouse after years of storage. But the vast majority of games disappear right around when the hardware does. PS2 development is already very close to ceasing and there's barely any publishing of new runs of older games now. When Sony ceases to produce PS2 games, it will probably happen right around when the hardware is discontinued like every console we've seen before.

It's not going to happen. They're out to make money and suddenly releasing a version of your current console that increases your cost that plays games for a platform you've killed off commercially that most of your userbase has left behind, is clearly not going to make you money. If it was viable to roll PS2 compatibility through software into current PS3's, they would've undetaken that investment years ago when the PS2 marketplace still mattered and they might've convinced a few people to upgrade and a few PS3 owners to purchase the occasional new PS2 release.

Furthermore, they're in the early stages of making money off remastered HD versions of their PS2 library. What will they gain by releasing a emulator that plays PS2 games after the platform is dead (Don't tell me they will be able to sell digital versions of PS2 games, every PS3 and PSP can play PSOne games and their support of that program has been half hearted at best)? What's to gain increasing their unit cost by restoring a PS2 chip into their hardware? So people can walk into a GameStop 5 years from now and buy a beat up second hand game that Sony made their money off years ago, and support a commercial distribution system that they're not crazy about and would rather see go away?

I'd love to see it happen, but they're a business out to make a profit and I just don't see any way to spin this that would allow them to make a healthy return on their investment. When the platform dies, it's going to be dead. It's not a little gold mine waiting to appear when actual PS2 manufacturing becomes unprofitable.


I'm pretty sure they just did away with their approval process, making it so publishers can release buggy shovelware without issue.

That's exactly what they did.

[diskoboy]

They're manufacturing $99.99 Playstation 2's for budget minded consumers. Someone on a budget isn't going to just spring for a $300-$400 Playstation 3 instead just because it suddenly includes Playstation 2 compatibility.

It's a budget console and people purchase it because it's cheap, not because they have some overwhelming desire with no regard to the price to suddenly play Playstation 2 games 10 years after it initially launched. The average Playstation 2 console buyer in 2010 isn't willing or even financially capable of paying hundreds of additional dollars to purchase a Playstation 3 just because it lets them play Playstation 2 games. The people willing to do that were the early adapters that Sony sold Playstation 3's to with PS2 support half a decade ago.

They're still selling Playstation 2's not because they have some love of the system and want to see something capable of playing PS2 titles remain in the marketplace, but because it's dirt cheap and affordable to a significant percentage of the population that can't consider paying several hundred dollars for a Playstation 3. It's profitable for Sony and fills a niche that the Playstation 3 is unable to at the present time due to it's steep price.

But think about it.... You may be paying extra, but you're essentially getting 3 consoles - 1 classic, one last gen, and one current gen. You can upgrade it for the price of a notebook laptop, and it's still one of the best blu-ray players on the market.

It's about choice...

[megasdkirby]

As long as the console continues to make money for Sony, I highly doubt they will pull it anytime soon. Heck, if it made money and they pull it from shelves, wouldn't that be a terrible bussiness decision?

Don't answer that...I forgot about the PSPGo. :D

Seriously, I was never a PS2 fan until fairly recently. In fact, I've been playing more PS2 lately than any of the newer consoles (sans DS). It really does have some fantastic games and I am really happy owning the console.

Heck, I own a few "phat" and a few "slim" units. Most of my "phat" units were purchased as "DAMAGED" on Ebay and I just simply fixed them up by either cleaning and/or calibrating the pot on the laser. ALL are still in perfect working condition!

And with the HDD/Network adapter combo, it's a perfect gaming machine for me. Plus the lens lasts a lot longer since it's loading from the HDD.

Great console and I hope it stays a few more years in the market. :)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

It will happen when it's no longer profitable for them to produce it. When the Playstation 2 market reaches that point, they're certainly not going to then invest in developing and producing PS2 compatible Playstation 3's. PS2 compability was important in the early days for the early adapters and has decreased in importance since then as people upgrade and leave the console behind (The Playstation 2 becomes less important in this marketplace everyday). Someone buying a Playstation 3 in 2010 is doing it because they want to play Playstation 3 games and play Blu-Ray movies, they could care less that it could play what they view as ancient software.

They're certainly not suddenly going to make the investment after years of producing PS3's without BC (When the PS2 marketplace was healthy and they might've even enticed a few of them to upgrade and encourage some PS3 owners into trying the occasional PS2 release like Motorstorm Arctic Edge) when the PS2 market reaches such a weak point that it's killed off. They would've done it when it mattered to a lot of PS3 buyers and when it could've helped prolong the life of the platform, not when it dies.

What makes you think that? What console has ever acted like that? You'll always find a few stragglers, junk games appearing years later in drug stores and dollar stores because no one ever wanted them in the first place and they were suddenly dug out of a warehouse after years of storage. But the vast majority of games disappear right around when the hardware does. PS2 development is already very close to ceasing and there's barely any publishing of new runs of older games now. When Sony ceases to produce PS2 games, it will probably happen right around when the hardware is discontinued like every console we've seen before.

It's not going to happen. They're out to make money and suddenly releasing a version of your current console that increases your cost that plays games for a platform you've killed off commercially that most of your userbase has left behind, is clearly not going to make you money. If it was viable to roll PS2 compatibility through software into current PS3's, they would've undetaken that investment years ago when the PS2 marketplace still mattered and they might've convinced a few people to upgrade and a few PS3 owners to purchase the occasional new PS2 release.

Furthermore, they're in the early stages of making money off remastered HD versions of their PS2 library. What will they gain by releasing a emulator that plays PS2 games after the platform is dead (Don't tell me they will be able to sell digital versions of PS2 games, every PS3 and PSP can play PSOne games and their support of that program has been half hearted at best)? What's to gain increasing their unit cost by restoring a PS2 chip into their hardware? So people can walk into a GameStop 5 years from now and buy a beat up second hand game that Sony made their money off years ago, and support a commercial distribution system that they're not crazy about and would rather see go away?

I'd love to see it happen, but they're a business out to make a profit and I just don't see any way to spin this that would allow them to make a healthy return on their investment. When the platform dies, it's going to be dead. It's not a little gold mine waiting to appear when actual PS2 manufacturing becomes unprofitable.

Again. Logical conculsions and educated assumptions that I won't strictly disagree with ... BUT Sony is a company that has many eggs in many baskets. They're constantly researching and developing things that we have no clue about.

I still think we'll see BC in the future in some way/shape/form.

Perhaps it won't be an update or an add on that allows for games to be played on disc ... maybe it will only be for DLC software where each game released will need to be tweaked for full compatibility but not need to go through the whole "remastering" process.

I'm sure that a company that's looking to make big profit with very little work would be interested in the prospect of continuing to sell games that they're not willing to put the time/effort into remastering/re-coding for "remastered" PS3 Blu Ray release.

Just Look at the PSOne section of the store ... if they could, via added backwards compatibility, suddenly have a huge PS2 section generating similar profits I don't see how that would be an unrealistic prospect.

BUT hey ... neither of us actually work for Sony and neither of us really know what the hell is going on behind closed doors. I could be wrong, but we won't know that until the day that they either release a BC option or stop production on PS3 without it ever coming back.

And with the recent "jailbreaking" of the system ... hackers might even figure out a way to make a decent PS2 emulator, which might spur Sony into giving us a legit option. (It wouldn't be the first time that hackers have layed the groundwork for Sony giving us things that consumers have hacked their way into.)

Ultimately I suppose the future of playing PS2 games on the PS3 will just have to remain a mystery for the time being.

And you don't have to try to go through point-by-point to pick apart my opinion on the matter any further, you absolutely might be right about the whole thing, I've just got my own outlook on what MIGHT happen and I'm totally fine with agreeing to disagree.

[Leo_A]

I still think we'll see BC in the future in some way/shape/form.

I hope so, this is a case where I'd certainly love to be proven wrong.


And you don't have to try to go through point-by-point to pick apart my opinion on the matter any further, you absolutely might be right about the whole thing, I've just got my own outlook on what MIGHT happen and I'm totally fine with agreeing to disagree.

Just doing it for fun. I respect your opinions, I just happened to be bored and disagreed with your views. Ended up being a long winded response unintentionally, I wasn't out to upset you.


But think about it.... You may be paying extra, but you're essentially getting 3 consoles - 1 classic, one last gen, and one current gen. You can upgrade it for the price of a notebook laptop, and it's still one of the best blu-ray players on the market.

It's about choice...

They sold that already half a decade ago to those people willing to pay the premium price. The people interested in the Playstation 2 in 2010 aren't capable of paying a premium price, no matter how feature packed it may be. They're gaming on a budget and interested in the Playstation 2 because it's dirt cheap. They're not in a position to consider tripling the cost of their new console purchase (If not more) just because Sony suddenly reintroduced PS2 compatibility to the PS3. And those that are in a position to consider purchasing a PS3 in 2010 are doing so for Blu-Ray and Playstation 3 games and wouldn't be utilizing the PS2 compability anyways (Beyond a very small minority of users like ourselves).

[NayusDante]

Does it bother anyone else that the new Toy Story bundle doesn't include a memory card? Seriously, it's 2010 and we still have a system on the market that isn't ready-to-play out of the box. I thought those days were behind us...

[kupomogli]

There are two things that Sony has patented that look like they're trying to bring back backwards compatibility.

Recently they patented an external device that connects to the PS3 to allow backwards compatibility. While I have nothing to worry about as I own a 60GB PS3, I personally would rather have something internal rather than external.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6275835.html

The second thing was about a year ago. They patented the ability for the cell processor to make the system recognize PS2 games. Looks like this new patent is here because nothing came of this one.

Anyways. The PS2 is an amazing system and when it comes to the diverse amount of games it has for it, it's the greatest system of all time. The original PSX is my favorite system still though, as most of my favorite games are on that system.

If you're someone who goes and purchases a PS2, it's probably the most affordable system to purchase for. The reason for this is that Gamestop still has a ton of used games and regularly does their buy two get one free or buy one get one free. For example. In a single Gamestop around me, Armored Core 2 and Mark of Kri can be purchased for $3 each, and Wild ARMs 3 is $5. All three being good games If you can't find them at Gamestop you can get a bunch of good PS2 games $5 or less on Ebay with reduced shipping if you purchase from the same seller. I don't know how the used game prices are at Amazon because I only purchase new there.

[retroman]

i still play mine every now and then...Just beat Dragon Quest 8 again not to long ago..Plus.its still a great system for little kids getting into gaming.

[Spartacus]

It's the PS2 library that keeps me devoted to the console. Plus I've been using the Dual Shock controller for so long that it's probably the most natural feeling controller ever.

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love and Syphon Filter: Logans Shadow were the last two PS2 games I've picked up new. The later being a PSP port, but still - Syphon Filter just says PlayStation to me. As does Grand Theft Auto - even though it was eventually picked up on the Xbox. I'm not sure why Nintendo felt nobody wanted to play Grand Theft Auto. Resident Evil is done very well on the Wii & GameCube, still it seems nostalgicaly PlayStation to me for some reason too.

Some other series of games that just seem to say PS2 are:
Armored Core
Devil May Cry
Dragonball Z
Dynasty Warriors
Final Fantasy
Jak and Daxter
Metal Gear Solid
Mobile Suit Gundam
Onimusha
Ratchet and Clank
Silent Hill
SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals
Time Crisis

And I love compilations, which are pretty much console neutral, but the PS2 has a few exclusives worth checking out. ie;
World Heroes Anthology
Fatal Fury: Battle Archives
Art of Fighting Anthology

If you can manage to pick up a Japanese PS2 then you're REALLY in for a treat. I did at first just for the scrolling shooters like Dodonpachi, Espgaluda, Homura, Ibara, Mushihimesama, ect. But that just opened the door to all sorts of other stuff. Compilations like the Vampire Darkstalkers Collection, Psychic Force Complete, ADK Tamashii (Ninja Combat, Ninja Commando, Ninja Masters, Aggressors Dark Combat and Twinkle Star Sprites) and Fuuun Super Combo (Savage Reign and Kizuna Encounter)

And there's plenty of unique offerings such as Akira Psycho Ball, Berserk Millennium Falcon, Blood+, Fear, Gantz, Kaena, Mister Mosquito 2, Phase Paradox - the sequel to Philosoma, PuchiCopter 1 & 2, Raging Bless, and Shadow Tower Abyss.

The Oretachi Geasen game series will get your retro blood up on the cheap and the Sega Ages series are well worth looking into. Not to mention the Simple 2000 series where you can find the origins of Onechanbara and Chikyuu Boueigun (Earth Defense Force) and a whole host of unique budget games.


Yeah, so I guess in my opinion - for the library alone, the PS2 could quite possibly be the greatest system ever. And that's a tough thing to say because I still have more PS1 games than PS2 games and I'm quite fond of those too. Anyway, Happy B'Day PS2!

[duffmanth]

The greatest system of all time!

[heybtbm]

The question is...when will it hit $49.99? I remember the unbelievable deals going on everywhere in the last year of the PS1's life. I still have unopened 1st party memory cards with $4.99 price tags on. I bought two Sony PS1 LCD's for $15 each. I even have two systems unopened sitting in my closet.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8377/ps1a.jpg

I'd love to pick up a extra PS2 (or two) for when my silver slim finally bites the dust 10 years from now. $99.99 is still a good price...but not a great "stock up on" price.

[otaku]

I'll point out for some reason that the dreamcast is still going to. Now about the ps2. Yay! 10 years. loads of good games. great hardware. etc etc. and I agree they need to kill the hardware and make the ps2 games work on ps3!!!

100 bucks is high imo they should drop to 75 or maybe less

[bcks007]

I currently have 7 ps2's, yes i picked up the toy story 3 bundle. I would love to see a few games that haven't been reprint in some time(or ever), get that. There are a few games I would love to own a new copy of, but not pay a arm and a leg, for a mediocre to decent game.

[Xtincthed]

if you buy 2nd hand, PS2 is defo the best system to go for indeed
SO many great games are found at $5 and even rare and in demand games aren't really expensive yet