Portal:Sony PlayStation/Selected article/4

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The PlayStation 2 (abbreviated PS2) is Sony's second video game console and is the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor of the PlayStation 3 as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was released a year later in Japan.

The PS2 is part of the sixth generation era, and is the best-selling console of all time, having reached sales of over 120 million units by the beginning of 2008. On November 19, 2005, the PS2 became the fastest game console to reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9 months from its launch. This achievement occurred faster than its predecessor, the PlayStation, which took 9 years and 6 months after launch to reach the same benchmark.

Only a few million people had obtained consoles by the end of 2000 due to manufacturing delays. After its release, it was difficult to find PS2 units on retailer shelves. Another option was purchasing the console online through auction websites such as eBay, where people paid over $1000 for a PS2. The PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength of the PlayStation brand and the console's backward compatibility, selling over 980,000 units by March 5, 2000, one day after launch, in Japan.