Every Sony PlayStation console is a titan of the era it was created in, but none were as devastatingly successful as the PlayStation 2. Selling 160 million units across its lifespan, the PS2 is the highest-selling console in video game history, and it came out 26 years ago today in North America. For people who grew up with the PS2, it’s hard to believe it’s over a quarter-century old, but its legacy still looms over every succeeding PlayStation.

The PlayStation 2 was the first video game console that made gaming a mainstream hobby. With a built-in DVD drive, giving consumers the ability to watch movies was a genius avenue to grab new fans who maybe had never played a game before. They buy the system to watch DVDs, and then they give video games a try.

And the games were excellent. Yes, there was a lot of shovelware on the PS2, as well. When you have over 4,000 published titles on the console, there’s going to be a lot of duds.…