Sony PlayStation 1’s successor was the PlayStation 2 or PS2, which is well-made and backward compatible with its predecessor. This means that it can play almost all PlayStation games.
This was made possible by embedding important PS 1 parts inside the PlayStation 2 console design. This beat the PS emulators because it contains the original PS processor that allows games to run in exactly the same way as they do on the PlayStation. This IOP processor is used for the inputs and outputs of the console, for example memory cards, network, DVD drive and hard drive. The PlayStation 2 also has Sony-developed hardware.
The development of the PS 2 was announced at the beginning of 1999 and it took another year before it was released in Japan. The PlayStation 2 forms part of the 6th generation era, and is the best-selling console of all time, to date. It had sold over 120 million units in 2007 alone.
The PS2 also became the fastest selling game console and reached 100 million units shipped by the end of 2005, accomplishing this feat in only five years and nine months from its launch. It took the Playstation nine and a half years from launch to reach this benchmark.
After the PS2’s promising launch, consumers found it difficult to actually find the consoles on shop shelves. Only a few million consumers had been able to obtain the consoles by the end of 2000 due to a delay in manufacturing.
