The PlayStation 2 was once classified as a military threat because its processing power rivaled that of supercomputers.

When Sony released the PlayStation 2 in March 2000, it featured the 'Emotion Engine' CPU, a 128-bit processor running at 294.9 MHz capable of performing 6.2 gigaflops of floating-point calculations per second. This processing speed was comparable to supercomputers from the mid-1980s, such as the Cray-1.Because of this computational power, Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) applied the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act to classify the PS2 as a dual-use product with potential military applications. The hardware could handle the complex 3D mathematics required for ballistic missile guidance and satellite image processing.Export restrictions were imposed on countries including Iraq, Iran, and North Korea to prevent the hardware from being repurposed for weapons development. Media coverage from outlets including the BBC and The New York Times highlighted concerns that a cluster of consoles could theoretically function as a low-cost supercomputer. In late 2000, unverified reports suggested that Saddam Hussein was acquiring hundreds of PS2 units for this purpose.While the 'Emotion Engine' was eventually surpassed by standard PC hardware, its launch represented a pivotal moment when consumer entertainment technology outpaced military-grade export controls. The restrictions were eventually lifted as newer, more powerful processors became globally available. This event remains a landmark example of the dual-use dilemma in high-tech manufacturing.