A sixth-generation console, it competed with Sega's Dreamcast, Nintendo's GameCube, and Microsoft's original Xbox.Īnnounced in 1999, the PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor's DualShock controller, as well as its games. It was first released in Japan on March 4, 2000, in North America on October 26, 2000, and in Europe and Australia on November 24, 2000, and is the successor to the original PlayStation, as well as the second installment in the PlayStation console line-up. The PlayStation 2 (officially branded as PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment.
