Last year saw the long-awaited release of Sony's latest gaming console, the PS5. 2020 was also marked by the 20th anniversary of the PS2, which remains the best-selling console of all time; with over 155 million units sold, it was no mean feat.

Success aside, you would think that the PS2 would be obsolete by now: it was discontinued worldwide in 2013 and was replaced by three different game consoles, four if you count the PS4 Pro as its own. the biggest draw of the PS2 was its DVD player, but Blu-ray, Not to mention that the DVD player, which was the main attraction of the PS2, has long since been replaced by Blu-ray, streaming, and digital downloads.

In other words, the PS2 is practically obsolete. Yet I recently found myself dusting off my PS2 and hooking it up to my TV to play old games, and as I tried to find the adapter I needed to connect my PS2 to my 4K TV, I thought about the absurdity of this

. by PlayStation 2 Not that it wasn't there at all, even before it was popularized.

It had been around since at least 1985, when the Sega Master System was released. Its predecessor, the SG-1000, could be played, and likewise Master System games could later be played on the Sega Genesis. Sadly, that trend did not continue when the CD-based Sega Saturn was released.

The PS2 is old by technical standards, but I still actively try to play it when I feel like it. It really shouldn't be. We live in an age where you can buy a PS5, which is (theoretically) infinitely more powerful than its ancestors; the PS2 shouldn't be necessary just yet.

The problem is backwards compatibility, which Sony has faced many times over the past 14 years. I wanted to play classic PlayStation titles, but a more modern PlayStation console might as well be a brick.

The PS5 is backwards compatible to a point, in that it can play all PS4 games, whether on disc or downloaded from the PlayStation Store. Some games from previous generation consoles can be purchased digitally, but discs from those consoles will not work on the PS5.

The Xbox Series X, on the other hand, can play games dating back to the original Xbox, which was released in 2001. Not all of them, but enough to be a major selling point for this console. Once the disc is loaded, you can sit back and enjoy the games.

Things weren't always that way: while the Xbox 360 could play nearly the entire Xbox catalog, the Xbox One did not at launch; Xbox 360 games were not supported until two years later, in 2015. And gamers had to wait another two years before they could play original Xbox titles on the newest machine. Fortunately, Microsoft did not repeat that mistake with Series X.

While I still have an Xbox 360 (three of them, in fact; I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to getting one), I'm not a big fan of the Xbox 360. It sits on the shelf sometimes, just for decoration. So, in anticipation of playing the still unfinished "Gears 4", I decided to play "Gears of War 1" through "Gears 3", and I did. Similarly, playing "Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order" made me nostalgic for the days I spent playing "The Force Unleashed."

Sony would not let me do that. If you still want to play the original "Wanda and the Colossus," or the tie-in to the "Spider-Man 2" movie, or other great titles, the PS5 (and PS4) are completely useless; you'll have to dust off your PS2 or, as my colleague Imad Khan suggested, find a backwards compatible PS3. We can only hope that we don't buy the wrong one.

Of course, backward compatibility issues are not limited to Sony game consoles. In fact, Nintendo is probably the worst offender as they are constantly changing their physical media formats and digital game store.

If you want to play Wii games, you should have a Wii or Wii U. Gamecube games can be played on the Wii, but only on the first generation models with proper controllers and ports for memory cards; newer models, including the Wii U, cannot play older titles unless the software is changed. [What about digital titles purchased on the Wii or Wii U? Those are only available on older models, and since Nintendo is in the process of shutting down a special feature of the eShop, you should make sure you have a copy saved on your console. Some games, like "Bayonetta 2" and "Pokken Tournament," have been ported to the Switch, but in those cases you have to pay for them again.

Whether or not you keep your old console on hand, it's still not unreasonable to expect console manufacturers to design their consoles with backwards compatibility in mind; everyone has heard about how powerful and fast the PS5 is, which is great, but November 2013 If you are eagerly awaiting one manufactured before, you are out of luck.

Given the size and cost of the PS5, I expected more. No need to look up the adapter needed to connect a dusty old PS2. But it isn't.