Sony has ended its repair service for the PlayStation 2, more than 18 years after it first went on sale.

The console was first released in Japan in March 2000 and remains the best selling games console ever produced.

Sony gave up making the device in 2012, six years after the follow-up PS3 console was released.

The company said it could not offer repairs for the PS2 because it had run out of replacement parts for the ageing console.

Gamers seeking repairs will now have to try their luck with unofficial services.

More than 150 million PlayStation 2 consoles have been sold and the gear had a good innings.