Sony Says Final Goodbye To Legendary PlayStation 2 Console

The era of the Playstation 2 is over. Sony Japan’s aftercare service for the PlayStation 2 is ending after 19 years of operation. Aftercare services for the system will officially end on September 7th.

PlayStation 2 owners had roughly two-and-a-half months to fill out an online form to have their console repaired one last time. Those who did not register by the August 31st deadline were still able to physically send their consoles to the PlayStation Clinic service center in Japan. Any PlayStation 2’s that arrive after September 7th will not be repaired.


The PlayStation 2 was released in March 2000 in Japan and October 2000 in North America. It is considered the best-selling video game console of all time. Sony sold over 155 million units and over 3,000 PlayStation 2 game titles were made available. Some of its best-selling titles included Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Final Fantasy X, God of War, and Kingdom Hearts. The PlayStation 3 was launched in 2006, but the PS2 continued to be an incredibly popular console. The PlayStation 2 was officially discontinued in 2013.

Sony currently has a few consoles up its sleeve. The company just released a translucent blue PlayStation 4 Pro 2TB limited edition console to celebrate the sale of 500 million PS4 consoles since their launch in 2013. There is also a rumor that Sony may revive the PlayStation 1. It appears that Sony has been inspired by the success of the sales of other retro consoles such as the NES Classic and SNES Classic.

Sony has recently come under fire for its lack of console cross-play. PlayStation 4 gamers are unable to play games such as Fortnite with friends that own other consoles. Sony's new chief executive officer Kenichiro Yoshida argued that “On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play.” Most gamers are frustrated by Sony’s lack of cooperation and angered that games such as Bethesda’s upcoming Fallout 76 will not incorporate cross-play. Bethesda has even indirectly threatened that The Elder Scrolls: Legends will not be available on the PlayStation 4, because cross-play is an essential element of the game. It will be interesting to see whether or not Sony’s noncompliance will affect sales and if it will eventually loosen that grip.