AI PS2 Filter

About

AI PS2 Filter refers to a trend in which social media users utilize an AI-generation app called Replicate to alter images of themselves such that they'll resemble PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game graphics. The trend started in a Midjourney Reddit channel in November 2023 but was popularized in early March 2024 on TikTok and Instagram.

Origin

On November 20th, 2023, Redditor^[1] @Wear_A_Damn_Helmet made a post on the /r/midjourney subreddit sharing a prompt called "PlayStation 2 aesthetics." The user showed some examples of images he created using the prompt (shown below), amassing nearly 1,000 upvotes and 70 comments in four months.

Spread

Although it's unclear who started the PS2 filter trend, on March 18th, 2024, TikTok^[2] user @hurtabdu1 posted the earliest viral slideshow featuring images of him in a PS2-style aesthetic (shown below). The post amassed over 1 million plays and 117,000 likes in two days.

@hurtabdu1 posted a tutorial video for the PS2 filter trend on the same day, explaining that he used an app called Replicate^[3] and detailing all the prompts he used to generate the video game filter style. The video (shown below, left) amassed roughly 214,000 plays and 30,000 in two days.

On March 19th, 2024, TikTok^[4] user @maxcameos posted a video showing some of the AI images she created using the PS2 filter (shown below, right), which garnered more than 43,000 plays and 509 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References