The PS2 is the first console to be added to Japan’s Future Technology Heritage registry

The PlayStation 2 is the first console to be added to the Future Technology Heritage registry in Japan.

The list, which is maintained by the National Museum of Nature and Science, covers all of Japan’s science and technology accomplishments.

Started in 2008, the list now has more than 380 items which were created in Japan and “have had a significant impact on the state of people’s lives, economy, society and culture”.

Previous entries have included the VHS format, the Sony Walkman, the first LCD calculator, the PC-9801 computer, the first CD player, the first DVD player and the CD-R format.

The PlayStation 2 is one of 18 new additions to the registry, representing 2024’s selection. This makes it the first ever games console to make the list.

Given number 365 in the registry, the museum says the console was selected because “its beautiful graphics were on par with those of arcade game consoles at the time, and allowed for realistic expressions”. It states that after the release of the PS2, the evolution of video game graphics was led by home consoles rather than arcades.

The museum also credits the PS2 with contributing to the popularity of the DVD format, because it was priced lower than most other DVD players at the time, therefore making it “important as a product that realised practical use of multimedia”.

According to its entry on the register, the console was chosen because it falls under two criteria for selection – “those that demonstrate important aspects and stages of the development of science and technology”, and “those that have played an oustanding role in the development of people’s lives and the creation of new lifestyles.

Other items added to the registry this year include the Seiko Chariot Quartz watch, MIDI-equipped synthesisers, the Opus 8 computer sewing machine and the Trinilight light-emitting element used in Jumbotrons.