Stalvern wrote:I think the main reason is that the system just didn't have a lot of character. It was the functional but basic console that everyone had, essentially an appliance. It even looked like an appliance; entirely regardless of its playing DVDs, you could confuse the thing for a low-end DVD player. People remember the GameCube and Dreamcast fondly because they were distinctive, memorable systems; even the Xbox had a more definite image (big, powerful, serious) than the PS2. You could play a lot of cool games on the PS2 in the same way that you could watch a lot of cool movies on it - great content, but the system was just a box that let you get to it. Jack of all trades, master of none. Lowest common denominator. Other clichés - you get the idea.
I agree the PS2 was nothing special compared to the other 6th Gen Consoles and was the lowest common denominator of the bunch, the Sega Dreamcast and the Nintendo GameCube where very special and unique, and even though I do not like the Xbox brand, that was more special compared to the PS2, the only thing that totally impressed me on the PS2 was the Kingdom Hearts series, otherwise it was very plain compared to the others, but that just me.