Twenty years later, I finally learnt that the PlayStation 2 console icon could be rotated

Twenty years ago, the PlayStation 2 launched in Japan. If the original PlayStation was a glorious benchmark in what video games could be for a mainstream audience, then Sony’s follow-up was a glorious leap forward at the time that went on to be the best-selling console ever made. It’s not hard to see why: The machine provided a substantial boost in visuals, you could watch DVDs on it and the games available ushered in a new golden age for the industry.

Something else that the PS2 could do which no other console was purposefully capable of at the time? Sit in a horizontal and vertical position. It was a neat touch, and seeing a PS2 propped up next to a TV looked downright futuristic back in the ay. Here’s something equally as impressive, that I had absolutely zero idea was possible: The PlayStation icon on the tray could be rotated.

SERIOUSLY HOW DID I MISS THIS? I had my OG silver PlayStation 2 for a good couple of years before I eventually switched allegiances in the great console war of the last decade, by going for an Xbox 360. In all my many hours of playing games, swapping the console’s position and having it stare me directly in the face when I inserted other games into it, I never once thought to check the icon. Not once.

My worldview has been shaken, I’m sitting here with my mouth open and my initial gasp could be heard as far away as Australia at this almighty revelation. What other secrets did the PS2 hide from me? Clearly, and for science, I need to get a console and bust it wide open to find out.

Last Updated: March 5, 2020