PS2
Image: Gemma Smith / Time Extension

The National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan has announced that the PS2 will be among the 18 new additions selected to be part of its 'Future Technology Registry' (thanks VGC for the spot!).

This makes it the first console to appear on the list of devices that have been chosen since the initiative first began back in 2008.

The Future Technology Registry is an initiative that is focused on cataloging important Japanese scientific and technological accomplishments, with previous entries to the registry including the VHS format, the world's first CD and portable CD players, the world's first LCD calculator, and the PC-98 computer, among others.

According to the Japanese website GameSpark (as translated by Automaton), the PS2, which was originally released in Japan in 2000, was selected for a few different reasons, which include being "the world's first home video game console with DVD playback capability", having "the most advanced basic specifications of game consoles at the time", and being "released at a lower price than the typical DVD players of the time".

Other entries this year include the Seiko Quartz Chariot watch, the JUPITER-6 and JX-3P MIDI synthesizers, two early computerized sewing machines, and the light-emitting element Trinilight, which is used in Jumbotrons.

[source kahaku.go.jp, via videogameschronicle.com]