Sony ends service centre resource for PS2

Almost 20 years after it was first released, Sony has finally shut down its aftercare service for the PS2 – no more official repairs or customer service is available, except for the few owners who got their requests in on or before August 31.

The last PlayStation 2 console was manufactured in 2012 – which is later than you might think, with it launching in 2000 (and the PS3 coming in 2006), but this is the best-selling console ever released we’re talking about here – so Sony’s offer of console servicing isn’t quite as overly generous as it sounds, instead just making sense for how long the machine was produced.

The report came via IT Media (translated over at Kotaku), and marks the end of an era for Sony’s world-conquering device, as the PlayStation Clinic closes its doors to faulty PS2s.

In its time the machine sold over 155 million units worldwide, with around 48 million of those ending up in European homes. No other home console even comes close to these numbers, with the original PlayStation managing 102 million worldwide, and Nintendo’s wildly successful Wii hitting 101 million.

PS2 owners were required to fill in an online form requested a repair or servicing by August 31, and no more servicing will be carried out on the old machine after September 7. It’s officially the end of an era. An era we’d all moved on from, admittedly, but it still gives you a pang of nostalgia right in the gut.

Regardless, if your PS2 breaks down on you now – if you still use it – it’ll be up to you, or a friendly local person handy with screwdrivers and soldering irons, to fix the thing. Good luck.