Best-selling videogame console

The best-selling videogames console is the PlayStation 2, made by Sony (JPN). Between its initial Japanese release on 4 March 2000, and 31 March 2012, when Sony stopped collecting sales data, the console sold a total of 155 million units worldwide. It was superseded by the PlayStation 3 in 2006 but Sony did not completely cease production until 2012.

The PlayStation 2's success was due to a number of factors. Firstly, it was backwards-compatible with the massively popular PlayStation (or PlayStation One), meaning that existing controllers and games could be used with the new console. Secondly, it had a DVD player built in, at a time when standalone DVD players were not significantly less expensive than the PlayStation 2. Finally, the success of the original PlayStation had allowed Sony to build up strong relationships with third-party developers, ensuring that it had a large library of high-quality games almost from launch.