After many years, Sony is finally ending their PlayStation 2 aftercare service.
Japanese publication IT Media is reporting that Sony Japan has asked all PlayStation 2 owners to request any necessary PS2 repairs by 31st August (which you will no doubt notice has passed). Any PlayStation 2s the company receives after 7th September will not receive the requested service. It also appears that Sony has suspended their official PS2 customer service program.
In any other instance, this would hardly qualify as news. After all, the PS2 is now an 18-year-old console (its 18th anniversary for the system’s Japanese release occurred in March). It’s hard to think of any technology provider that will continue to service a product nearly 20 years after its debut. Sony also ceased production of the PlayStation 2 in 2012, which is just all the more reason for them to rightfully suspend any official tech support programs.
Yet, the PlayStation 2 has proven to be remarkably resistant to such tech world traditions. As the world’s best-selling video game console (over 158 million units sold), the PlayStation 2 holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. More importantly, it holds a special place in the homes of many gamers who still use the PlayStation 2 as their primary source of video game entertainment.
As such, we can’t imagine that it was really that easy for Sony to set a date that marks the end of their official support of the console. The likely cause for their decision to do so now is the impending arrival of the next PlayStation, which might finally have been the moment that encouraged them to devote all aspects of their operations to the support and development of current gen technology.
For all intents and purposes, though, this does seem to be the earnest end of the PS2 era. You may start sharing fond memories of the console at your earliest convenience.