PlayStation2, the advanced version of the world's most popular video game console, goes on sale today amid growing expectations that the new machine will serve as a powerful tool connecting homes to cyberspace in the near future.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has priced the new console at 39,800 yen for the domestic market. Its predecessor has sold more than 71 million units worldwide since its debut in Japan in December 1994.
"Core game users in their late teens and early 20s first bought PlayStation, and it later spread to other age groups. We hope that PlayStation2, equipped with a DVD player, will similarly attract new pockets of customers (beyond core game enthusiasts)," said Yuko Takano, a spokeswoman for SCE.