Gaming sure has changed. Can anyone else recall a previous generation where support continued for a platform years after its successor was released? The PlayStation 2 is that platform, as Sony Computer Entertainment America's John Koller attests. Koller is the director of hardware marketing at the corporation, and says the PS2 isn't going anywhere:

"It's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy; as it continues to sell, development continues, and consumers continue to buy. There's such a wide range of entertainment experiences available that I think it would be very difficult for people to complain, 'this console doesn't have anything that appeals to me'."

According to Koller, CEO Jack Tretton believes "the only way to kill the PS2 business is to stop supporting it." While he's not willing to reveal any key games, he says, "With the lineup for 2009 and 2010, the PS2 is not going away anytime soon."

The release list for the year shows dozens of games planned thus far, though most are licensed movie, music and sports games (SingStar, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Ghostbusters, Madden and The Beatles, for a few examples). Koller feels next year's lineup is "still fairly significant", saying, "We're tracking mainly social games and sports games, but there are a few outliers as well. In general I think the consumer's going to be very pleased. I think we'll see that tie ratio increase."

Sony announced yesterday sales for the console have reached 50 million in North America; as of July 2008 it has sold 140 million worldwide, making it the best-selling console to date.