PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2, or PS2, is Sony's successor to the original PlayStation (PS1). It features an improved CPU and better graphics compared to its predecessor, online gaming capabilities for certain games, two USB 1.1 ports, two Memory Card ports and two DualShock ports. The PlayStation 2 is also backwards compatible with most original PlayStation software and hardware. It was first released in Japan in March 2000 and was released in North America, Europe, and Australia by the end of 2000.
In 2004, the PS2 received a redesign, dubbed the PS2 "Slim". The PS2 slim had its network adapter integrated, while the original model PlayStation 2 required a separate network adapter. The original model's network adapter also had support for a 40GB 3.5" IDE hard drive; however, only a handful of games in North America and Europe had support for the hard drive and one game, Final Fantasy XI, explicitly required the hard drive.
Despite its successor, the PlayStation 3, being released in 2006, the PS2 remained available until its discontinuation worldwide on January 4, 2013. It is the best selling video game console of all time, selling over 155 million units worldwide during its nearly 13 year lifespan. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the best selling PlayStation 2 game of all time, while Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City rank among the top ten best selling games for the platform.
The PS2 was superseded by the PS3, the platform for Grand Theft Auto IV, its episodes The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Grand Theft Auto games released on the PS2
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2006)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2007)