Playstation 2 to sell for $99.99 starting tomorrow, April 1

For the first time ever, popular gaming console PlayStation 2 will be offered at $99.99 MSRP starting April 1, Sony announced today.

The new price comes at a good time -- with a global recession raging and Sony's gaming marketshare dropping, the company needs every chance it can get to remind consumers who used to be king of the console wars, way back in 2000 when Playstation 2 was originally introduced.

[Read ZDNet's review of Sony Playstation 2]

(The typical lifecycle for a gaming console is around five years, but Sony hasn't quite subscribed to that model, and has come out with new consoles considerably farther apart. Its Playstation 3 console was introduced on Nov. 17, 2006.)

PlayStation 2's massive gaming library will grow to almost 1,900 titles from both first-party studios and publishing partners this year, with a focus on the social and sports genres that are so popular with families, Sony writes. New games include MLB ’09, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Guitar Hero Metallica and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, as well as a suite of "Greatest Hits" titles.