Sony Stops Shipping The PS2 In Japan

We all knew that eventually Sony would have to kill the PS2 despite the fact that it still had a decent sales numbers. The original Sony PlayStation 2 launched in March of 2000 and quickly became one of the most popular game consoles ever built. It looks like the PS2 is ready to head into the sunset.

Sony's PlayStation 2 sold 150 million units globally making it incredibly successful since it launched. The PS2 is reportedly no longer shipping in Japan, marking the end of an era for many gamers who grew up with the console. It's unlikely that the Sony PS3 will be a viable and popular console for over a decade as its predecessor was.

Sony is promising to support the PS3 only through 2015. The PS3 launched in Japan in November of 2006. If Sony phases out the PS3 in 2015, that console would have only been supported for nine years. A few years back Sony replaced the original "fat" PS2 with the new slim design.

Despite how old the PS2 is, many developers were still creating games for the console due to the wide user base. Sony may not be shipping any more new PS2s, but it will be a long time yet before gamers toss that console into the closet.

[via Kotaku]