The PlayStation 3 has already bolted out of the stable door (with a sputtering start, I might add), but it is its predecessor, the PlayStation 2 that still keeps on going strong after a seven year run. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) celebrates the console’s seventh birthday since its release in the US on October 26, 2000. Since then, more than 120 million of these consoles were sold, garnering more than a billion units of PS2 software sold worldwide, leaving us with an extremely healthy attach rate of approximately 10 games per console. Granted, the attach rate figure is probably much higher than that since many Third World countries that suffer from piracy sell pirated PS2 games for as little as $2 each.

Despite the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii being around for almost a year already, the PS2 is still maintaining quite a healthy momentum, often stripping the PS3’s weekly sales in Japan. According to Jack Tretton, President and Chief Executive Officer for SCEA, “While today’s anniversary celebrates PlayStation 2’s past, we’re very excited for its future. We look forward to the platform’s continued growth and expect to sell approximately 12 million units worldwide by the end of March, leading us to anticipate that PlayStation 2’s lifecycle will exceed that of the original PlayStation. Never before has an in-home game system experienced this type of worldwide success on such a long-lasting scale.”

Too bad the PS3 could not live up to its predecessor’s hype. Anyone wants to take a bet as to whether the PS3 will outlast the PS2 in terms of longevity?

Press Release

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