Sony Finally Kills the PS2

It was the console that seemed like it would never die, but after 12 years, Sony has finally ceased production on the PlayStation 2, the Guardian reports. (We know what you're thinking: Yes, they were still making PS2s.) The console, originally launched in 2000, ends its run as arguably the most successful system of all time, selling 150 million units worldwide.

The move comes as the next generation of consoles winds down, with Nintendo launching the Wii U, and Microsoft expected to announce a new XBox this summer. The PS2's successor, the PS3, has sold about 70 million units since its 2006 launch, but has never matched the PS2's success—a major blow given how expensive it was to develop. Some believe that when Sony finally unveils the PS4, it will be the last traditional console. "Certainly the idea of console cycles that last seven years seems like a busted flush now," says a former PlayStation Magazine editor. (More video game console stories.)