The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 30 November 2000. It is the successor to the original PlayStation, as well as the second installment in the PlayStation brand of consoles. As a sixth-generation console, it competed with Nintendo’s GameCube, Sega’s Dreamcast, and Microsoft’s Xbox. It is the best-selling video game console of all time, having sold over 155 million units worldwide.
Announced in 1999, Hãng Sony began developing the console after the immense success of its predecessor. The PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor’s DualShock controller, as well as its games .
The PlayStation 2 received widespread critical acclaim upon release. A total of over 4,000 game titles were released worldwide, with over 1.5 billion copies sold.[15] In 2004, Sony released a smaller, lighter revision of the console known as the PS2 Slim. Even after the release of its successor, the PlayStation 3, it remained popular well into the seventh generation. It continued to be produced until 2013 when Sony finally announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production, one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for the console continued to be made until the end of its life.
History[edit]
Background[edit]
Released in 1994, the original PlayStation proved Khủng be a phenomenal worldwide success & signalled Sony’s rise Khủng power in the video clip game industry. Its launch elicited critical acclaim & strong sales ; it eventually became the first computer entertainment platform lớn ship kết thúc 100 million units. [ 16 ] The PlayStation enjoyed particular success outside Nhật Bản in part due Khủng Sony’s refined development kits, large-scale advertising campaigns, & strong third-party developer tư vấn. By the late 1990 s Hãng Sony had dethroned established rivals Sega & Nintendo in the global đoạn Clip game market. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] Sega, spurred on by its declining market chia sẻ và significant financial losses, [ 20 ] launched the Dreamcast in 1998 as a last-ditch attempt mập stay in the industry. [ 21 ]
Development[edit]
Though Hãng Sony has kept details of the PlayStation 2 ‘ s development secret, Ken Kutaragi, the chief designer of the original PlayStation, reportedly began working on a second console around the phút giây of the original PlayStation’s launch in late 1994. [ 22 ] [ 23 ] At some point during development, employees from Argonaut Games, under contract for semiconductor manufacturer LSI Corporation, were instructed lớn thiết kế a rendering chip for Sony’s upcoming console. [ 24 ] Jez San, founder of Argonaut, recalled that his nhóm had no direct tương tác with Hãng Sony during the development process. Unbeknownst Khủng him, Hãng Sony was designing their own chip in-house & had instructed other companies Khủng thiết kế rendering chips merely Khủng diversify their options. [ 24 ]By early 1997, the press was reporting that a mới ra PlayStation was being developed & would have backward-compatibility with the original PlayStation, a built-in DVD player, & Internet connectivity. [ 25 ] [ 26 ] However, Hãng Sony continued mập officially deny that a successor was being developed. [ 27 ] Chris Deering, then-president of SCEE recalled that there was a degree of trepidation among Hãng Sony leaders lớn produce a console which would recapture or exceed the success of its predecessor. [ 28 ]Hãng Sony announced the PlayStation 2 on March 2, 1999. [ 29 ] Sega’s Dreamcast enjoyed a successful US launch on September 9 of that year ; [ 29 ] fuelled by a large kinh doanh chiến dịch, it sold end 500,000 units within two weeks. [ 30 ] [ 31 ]
” PlayStation 2 ‘ s real-time graphics have no limitations. That’s why I chose the colour đen as it represents the infinity of the universe. The xanh represents the intelligence & life spouting up. ”
— Teiyu Goto reflecting on the PlayStation 2 ‘ s aesthetics
Sony unveiled the PlayStation 2 at the Tokyo Game Show on 20 September 1999.[33] Sony showed fully playable demos of upcoming PlayStation 2 games including Gran Turismo 2000 (later released as Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec) and Tekken Tag Tournament—which showed the console’s graphic abilities and power.[34]
Launch[edit]
The PS2 was launched in March 2 ngàn in Nhật Bản, October in North America, & November in ae.888
pe. Sales of the console, games và accessories pulled in USD 250 million on the first day, beating the USD 97 million made on the first day of the Dreamcast. [ 35 ] Directly after its release, it was difficult bự find PS2 units on retailer shelves [ 36 ] due mập manufacturing delays. [ 37 ] Another option was purchasing the console trực tuyến through auction websites such as eBay, where people paid end a thousand dollars for the console. [ 38 ] The PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength of the PlayStation brand & the console’s backward compatibility, selling its entire inventory of 1.4 million units in Japan by 31 March 2 nghìn, less than a month after launch. [ 29 ] Backward compatibility had been widely seen as a desirable feature for consumers since the debut of the first successor đoạn phim game console, but prior bự the PlayStation 2 only one console had featured true backward compatibility ( i. e. without the use of add-ons ), the Atari 7800, due phệ the added hardware costs & industry concerns that backward compatibility could cause the console Khủng appear lớn be a merely a mới ra Mã Sản Phẩm of its predecessor or lead developers bự prefer making games for the predecessor system. [ 39 ]Later, Hãng Sony added mới ra development kits for game developers và more PS2 units for consumers. The PS2 ‘ s built-in functionality also expanded its audience beyond the game thủ, [ 6 ] as its debut pricing was less than many standalone DVD players on the market. This made the console a low-cost entry into the trang chủ theater market. [ 40 ] [ 41 ]Marketing for the PlayStation 2 reverted mập the same tactic used in the early days of the original PlayStation : use 17 – year-olds as the target audience, since younger audiences aspire bự be teenagers và older audiences enjoy đoạn Clip games at the same màn chơi they did when they were 17. [ 41 ]The success of the PS2 at the end of 2000 caused Sega problems both financially and competitively, and Sega announced the discontinuation of the Dreamcast in March 2001, just 18 months after its successful Western launch. Despite the Dreamcast still receiving support through 2001, the PS2 remained the only sixth-generation console for over 6 months before it faced competition from new rivals: Nintendo’s GameCube and Microsoft’s Xbox. Many analysts predicted a close three-way matchup among the three consoles. The Xbox had the most powerful hardware, while the GameCube was the least expensive console, and Nintendo changed its policy to encourage third-party developers. While the PlayStation 2 theoretically had the weakest specification of the three, it had a head start due to its installed base plus strong developer commitment, as well as a built-in DVD player (the Xbox required an adapter, while the GameCube lacked support entirely).[42] While the PlayStation 2’s initial games lineup was considered mediocre, this changed during the 2001 holiday season with the release of several blockbuster games that maintained the PS2’s sales momentum and held off its newer rivals. Sony also countered the Xbox by securing timed PlayStation 2 exclusives for highly anticipated games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.[43]
Hãng Sony cut the price of the console in May 2002 from US $ 299 phệ USD 199 in North America, [ 44 ] making it the same price as the GameCube và USD 100 less than the Xbox. It also planned bự cut the price in Nhật Bản around that thời gian. [ 45 ] It cut the price twice in Nhật Bản in 2003. [ 46 ] In 2006, Hãng Sony cut the cost of the console in anticipation of the release of the PlayStation tam. [ 46 ]
Unlike Sega’s Dreamcast, Sony originally placed little emphasis on online gaming during its first few years, although that changed upon the launch of the online-capable Xbox. Coinciding with the release of Xbox Live, Sony released the PlayStation Network Adapter in late 2002, with several online first-party titles released alongside it, such as SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs to demonstrate its active support for Internet play.[47] Sony also advertised heavily, and its online model had the support of Electronic Arts (EA); EA did not offer online Xbox titles until 2004. Although Sony and Nintendo both started 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 moves made online gaming a major selling point of the PS2.
In September 2004, in time for the launch of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Sony revealed a newer, slimmer model of the PlayStation 2. In preparation for the launch of the new models (SCPH-700xx-9000x), Sony stopped making the older models (SCPH-3000x-500xx) to let the distribution channel empty its stock of the units.[citation needed] After an apparent manufacturing issue—Sony reportedly underestimated demand—caused some initial slowdown in producing the new unit caused in part by shortages between the time Sony cleared out the old units 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 totalled 6,000 units—compared to 70,000 units a few weeks prior.[48] There were shortages in more than 1,700 shops in North America on the day before Christmas.[49]
Later years[edit]
In 2010, Hãng Sony introduced a TV with a built-in PlayStation 2. [ 50 ] [ 51 ]
The PlayStation 2 continued to be produced until 2013 when Sony finally announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production—one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for the console continued to be made until the end of 2013, including Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin for Japan, and FIFA 14 for North America.[52] The last game to be released on the PlayStation 2 is Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, which was released in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2013. Repair services for the system in Japan ended on 7 September 2018.
Hardware[edit]
Technical specifications[edit]
The PlayStation 2 ‘ s main central processing unit ( Chip xử lý ) is the 64 – bit R5900-based ” Emotion Engine “, custom-designed by Hãng Sony và Toshiba. [ 53 ] [ a ] The Emotion Engine consists of eight separate ” units “, each performing a specific task, integrated onto the same die. Thes e units include a central Chip xử lý core, two Vector Processing Units ( VPU ), a 10 – channel DMA unit, a memory controller, & an Image Processing Unit ( IPU ). There are three interfaces : an input đầu vào output interface béo the I / O processor running at a clock tốc độ of 36.864 MHz, a graphics interface béo the graphics synthesiser, & a memory interface mập the system memory. [ 54 ] The Emotion Engine CPU has a clock rate of 294.912 MHz ( 299 MHz on newer versions ) và 6,000 MIPS, with a floating point performance of 6.2 GFLOPS .
The GPU is likewise custom-designed for the console, named the “Graphics Synthesiser”. It has a fillrate of 2.4 gigapixels per second, capable of rendering up to 75 million polygons per second.[55] The GPU also runs with a clock frequency of 147.456 MHz (which is half the clock speed of the Emotion Engine), 4 MB of DRAM is capable of transmitting a display output of 1280 x 1024 pixels on both PAL and NTSC televisions. The PlayStation 2 has a maximum colour depth of 16.7 million true colours. When accounting for features such as lighting, texture mapping, artificial intelligence, and game physics, the console has a real-world performance of 25 million polygons per second. The PlayStation 2 also features two USB ports, and one IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port for SCPH-10000 to 3900x models only. A hard disk drive can be installed in an expansion bay on the back of the console, and is required to play certain games, notably the popular Final Fantasy XI.[58]
Software for the PlayStation 2 was distributed primarily on DVD-ROMs, with some titles being published on blue-tinted CD-ROM định dạng. In addition, the console can play audio CDs & DVD films & is backward-compatible with almost all original PlayStation games. The PlayStation 2 also supports PlayStation memory cards & controllers, although original PlayStation memory cards will only work with original PlayStation games [ 60 ] & the controllers may not tư vấn all functions ( such as analogue buttons ) for PlayStation 2 games .The standard PlayStation 2 memory thẻ has an 8 megabyte ( MB ) capacity [ 61 ] và features MagicGate encryption. There are a variety of non-Sony manufactured memory cards available for the PlayStation 2, allowing for a memory capacity larger than the standard 8 MB .
The PlayStation 2 can natively output video resolutions on SDTV and HDTV from 480i to 480p, and some games, such as Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy, are known to support up-scaled 1080i resolution[62] using any of the following standards: composite video[63] [should read component video – the higher resolution RGB connector for video ](480i), S-Video[64] (480i), RGB[65] (480i/p), VGA[66] (for progressive scan games and PS2 Linux only), YPBPR component [should read composite video – the single, lower resolution yellow connector for video] video[67] (which display most original PlayStation games in their native 240p mode which most HDTV sets do not support[68]), and D-Terminal.[69] Cables are available for all of these signal types; these cables also output analogue stereo audio. Additionally, an RF modulator is available for the system to connect to older TVs.[70]
Models[edit]
Rear of the slim Model, showing its built-in networkingThe PlayStation 2 has undergone many revisions, [ 71 ] some only of internal construction & others involving substantial external changes .The PS2 is primarily differentiated between models featuring the original ” fat ” case thiết kế & ” slimline ” models, which were introduced at the kết thúc of 2004. In 2010, the Sony Bravia KDL-22PX300 was made available Khủng consumers. It was a 22 ” HD-Ready television which incorporated a built-in PlayStation 2. [ 72 ] [ 73 ]The PS2 standard màu is matte Black. Several variations in màu were produced in different quantities và regions, including ceramic trắng, light yellow, metallic xanh ( aqua ), metallic silver, navy ( star xanh ), opaque xanh ( astral xanh ), opaque đen ( midnight đen ), pearl Trắng, sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow trắng, super red, transparent xanh ( ocean xanh ), và also Limited Edition màu Pink, which was distributed in some regions such as Oceania, và parts of Asia. [ 74 ] [ 75 ]
In September 2004, Sony unveiled its third major hardware revision. Available in late October 2004, it was smaller, thinner, and quieter than the original versions and included a built-in Ethernet port (in some markets it also had an integrated modem). Due to its thinner profile, it did not contain the 3.5″ expansion bay and therefore did not support the internal hard disk drive. It also lacked an internal power supply until a later revision (excluding the Japan version), similar to the GameCube, and had a modified Multitap expansion. The removal of the expansion bay was criticized as a limitation due to the existence of titles such as Final Fantasy XI, which required the HDD use.
Hãng Sony also manufactured a consumer device called the PSX that can be used as a digital Clip recorder & DVD burner in addition béo playing PS2 games. The device was released in Japan on 13 December 2003, và was the first Hãng Sony hàng hóa phệ include the XrossMediaBar interface. It did not sell well in the Japanese market & was not widely released anywhere else. [ 76 ]
Online tư vấn[edit]
PlayStation 2 users had the option mập play select games kết thúc the Internet, using dial-up or a broadband Internet connection. The PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor was required for the original models, while the slim models included built-in networking ports. Instead of having a unified, subscription-based trực tuyến service lượt thích Xbox Live as competitor Microsoft later chose for its Xbox console, trực tuyến multiplayer functionality on the PlayStation 2 was the responsibility of the game publisher & ran on third-party servers. Many games that supported trực tuyến play exclusively supported broadband Internet access .
Controllers[edit]
The PS2 ‘ s controller, the DualShock 2, had the same size factor as the PlayStation DualShockThe PlayStation 2 ‘ s DualShock 2 controller retains most of the same functionality as its predecessor. However, it includes analogue pressure sensitivity mập kết thúc 100 individual levels of depth on the face, shoulder and D-pad buttons, replacing the digital buttons of the original. [ 77 ] Like its predecessor, the DualShock 2 controller has force feedback, or ” vibration ” functionality. It is lighter & includes two more levels of vibration .
Specialized controllers include light guns (GunCon), fishing rod and reel controllers, a Dragon Quest VIII “slime” controller, a Final Fantasy X-2 “Tiny Bee” dual pistol controller, an Onimusha 3 katana controller, and a Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller.
Peripherals[edit]
EyeToy camera DVD remote 8MB memory thẻ SingStar microphone Composite cables Network adaptor Optional hardware includes additional DualShock or DualShock 2 controllers, a PS2 DVD remote control, an internal or external hard disk drive ( HDD ), a network adapter, horizontal và vertical stands, PlayStation or PS2 memory cards, the multitap for PlayStation or PS2, a cổng tiếp nối USB motion camera ( EyeToy ), a cổng USB bàn phím và mouse, và a headset .The original PS2 multitap ( SCPH-10090 ) cannot be plugged into the newer slim models. The multitap connects lớn the memory thẻ slot và the controller slot, và the memory thẻ slot on the slimline is shallower. New slim-design multitaps ( SCPH-70120 ) were manufactured for these models ; however, third-party adapters also permit original multitaps phệ be used .Early versions of the PS2 could be networked via an i. LINK port, though this had little game tư vấn và was dropped. Some third-party manufacturers have created devices that allow disabled people phệ access the PS2 through ordinary switches, etc .Some third-party companies, such as JoyTech, have produced LCD màn hình và speaker attachments for the PS2, which attach lớn the back of the console. Thes e allow users béo play games without access béo a television as long as there is access béo mains electricity or a similar power source. Thes e screens can fold xuống dốc onto the PS2 in a similar fashion mập máy tính screens .
There are many accessories for musical games, such as dance pads for Dance Dance Revolution, In the Groove, and Pump It Up titles and High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance. Konami microphones for use with the Karaoke Revolution games, dual microphones (sold with and used exclusively for SingStar games), various “guitar” controllers (for the Guitar Freaks series and Guitar Hero series), the drum set controller (sold in a box set (or by itself) with a “guitar” controller and a USB microphone (for use with Rock Band and Guitar Hero series, World Tour and newer), and a taiko drum controller for Taiko: Drum Master.
Unlike the PlayStation, which requires the use of an official Hãng Sony PlayStation Mouse phệ play mouse-compatible games, the few PS2 games with mouse tư vấn work with a standard cổng USB mouse as well as a cổng tiếp nối USB trackball. [ 78 ] In addition, some of these games also tư vấn the usage of a USB bàn phím for text input đầu vào, game control ( instead of a DualShock or DualShock 2 gamepad, in tandem with a USB mouse ), or both .
trò chơi library[edit]
PlayStation 2 software is distributed on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM; the two formats are differentiated by their discs’ bottoms, with CD-ROMs being blue and DVD-ROMs being silver. The PlayStation 2 offered some particularly high-profile exclusive games. Most main entries in the Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid series were released exclusively for the console. Several prolific series got their start on the PlayStation 2, including God of War, Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, Devil May Cry, Kingdom Hearts, and Sly Cooper. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game on the console.
Game releases peaked in 2004, but declined with the release of the PlayStation 3 in 2006. The last new games for the console were Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin in Asia, FIFA 14 in North America,[52] and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 in Europe. As of 30 June 2007, a total of 10,035 software titles had been released worldwide including games released in multiple regions as separate titles.[79]
Reception[edit]
Initial reviews in 2000 of the PlayStation 2 highly acclaimed the console, with reviewers commending its hardware and graphics capabilities, its ability to play DVDs, and the system’s backwards compatibility with games and hardware for the original PlayStation. Early points of criticism included the lack of online support at the time, its inclusion of only two controller ports, and the system’s price at launch compared to the Dreamcast in 2000.[80][81] PC Magazine in 2001 called the console “outstanding”, praising its “noteworthy components” such as the Emotion Engine CPU, 32MB of RAM, support for IEEE 1394 (branded as “i.LINK” by Sony and “FireWire” by Apple), and the console’s two USB ports while criticizing its “expensive” games and its support for only two controllers without the multitap accessory.[82]
Later ra mắt, especially after the launch of the competing GameCube & Xbox systems, continued lớn praise the PlayStation 2 ‘ s large game library and DVD playback, while routinely criticizing the PlayStation 2 ‘ s lesser graphics performance compared lớn the newer systems và its rudimentary trực tuyến service compared phệ Xbox Live. In 2002, CNET rated the console 7.3 out of 10, calling it a ” safe bet ” despite not being the ” newest or most powerful “, noting that the console ” yields in-game graphics with more jagged edges “. CNET also criticized the DVD playback functionality, claiming that the console’s đoạn phim chất lượng was ” passable ” và that the playback controls were ” rudimentary “, recommending users Khủng purchase a remote control. The console’s two controller ports & the high cost of its memory cards were also a point of criticism. [ 83 ]The slim Mã Sản Phẩm of the PlayStation 2 received positive ra mắt for its incredibly small kích thước và built-in networking, but received criticism for easily overheating due bự exclusion of the original model’s built-in người hâm mộ. The requirement for a separate power adapter was criticized while the top-loading disc drive was noted as being less likely lớn break compared Khủng the tray-loading drive of the original Mã Sản Phẩm. [ 84 ] [ 85 ]
Sales[edit]
Demand for the PlayStation 2 remained strong throughout much of its lifespan, selling kết thúc 1.4 million units in Japan by 31 March 2 ngàn. Over 10.6 million units were sold worldwide by 31 March 2001. [ 86 ] In 2005, the PlayStation 2 became the fastest game console mập reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years & 9 months from its launch ; this was surpassed bốn years later when the Nintendo DS reached 100 million shipments in bốn years và 5 months from its launch. [ 87 ] By July 2009, the system had sold 138.8 million units worldwide, with 51 million of those units sold in PAL regions. [ 88 ]Overall, kết thúc 155 million PlayStation 2 units were sold worldwide by 31 March 2012, [ 89 ] the year Hãng Sony officially stopped supplying updated sales numbers of the system. [ 90 ]
Homebrew development[edit]
Using homebrew programs, it is possible mập play various audio và video clip tệp tin formats on a PS2. Homebrew programs can also play patched backups of original PS2 DVD games on unmodified consoles & install retail discs bự an installed hard drive on older models. Homebrew emulators of older computer và gaming systems have been developed for the PS2. [ 91 ]Hãng Sony released a Linux – based operating system, Linux for PlayStation 2, for the PS2 in a package that also includes a bàn phím, mouse, Ethernet adapter & HDD. In Europe và nước Australia, the PS2 comes with a không lấy phí Yabasic interpreter on the bundled tổng quát disc. This allows users lớn create simple programs for the PS2. A port of the NetBSD project & BlackRhino GNU / Linux, an alternative Debian – based distribution, are also available for the PS2 .
Successor[edit]
The PlayStation ba was released in Nhật Bản và North America in November 2006 và Europe in March 2007 .
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
Source: https://leowiki.com
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