It was under the leadership of Phil Harrison that Sony conquered Europe with the PS2, which set that console on its path to the history books. So what does Harrison, now long departed from Sony, think of the PS3's chances?
"I hope PS3 can match PS2, but I think the market dynamics are slightly different" the former Sony Europe boss tells Eurogamer. "It's much more competitive. For a large chunk of its life cycle PS2 didn't really have any competition anywhere in the world, so Sony was able to sell a huge number of units. If PS3 does reach the same level it will take longer and it will be a more difficult challenge."
You just hurt the Dreamcast's feelings, Phil.
For reference, in ten years the PlayStation 2 sold just shy of 150 million consoles. Four years into its lifecycle, the PlayStation 3 has sold around 42 million.
That quote is just a tiny part of a great retrospective on the success of the PS2, which for gaming history buffs is well worth a read.
PS2: The Insiders' Story [Eurogamer]