Ps2 Play Station 2 System Sony
| | Reviews | | DVDs and Playstation games in a slick little package. |
| The Playstation 2 has been out in the USA for four years now, and has gone through a number of subtle redesigns, but none as dramatic as this. This new PSTwo is remarkably tiny, and you almost need to hold it in your hand to appreciate just how much Sony reduced the size of the machine. The design feels a lot like a laptop computer -- especially the top-loading optical drive -- and is doubtless cheaper for Sony to produce. This time I feel that we the consumers get a slick product in return for the company's increased profits. It's delicate, but no more so than the original PS2.
There are no major compromises in this machine: like the previous design, it has two memory card slots, two controller ports, two USB slots, a progressive scan DVD player, a built-in infrared remote receiver (for controlling and watching DVD movies), and the AV outputs as the original PS2. Optional video cables can change the signal from the default component to S-Video or composite, just as before. An optical audio jack is also present for digital sound output.
What's missing? Not much. The Firewire port of the launch PS2 has long been abandoned, and is also absent here. You will need to use a new multi-tap if you want to play one of the few games that support more than 2 simultaneous controllers. You'll also be unable to plug in the "PS2 HDD," the hard disk drive albatross that will likely never be supported by Sony again outside of the online Final Fantasy game. No great loss there.
As a DVD player, the new PS2 is at least as good as any other lowend machine that does progressive scan and has DTS and Dolby audio and digital output. I'm using it paired with an official Sony remote and plan to return the cheapo machine I bought when my old DVD player wouldn't change layers on the new Star Wars set properly. My new PS2 not only performs just as well, it also plays hundreds and hundreds of games for both Playstation 2 and the original Playstation. It also plays DVD-R movies, though not MP3 CDs or VCDs.
The machine has a built-in modem and Ethernet port for online play. There is no additional cost for most PS2 online games, but in my opinion Sony's online implementation is not nearly as easy or smooth as that of the XBOX.
Even after this redesign, the PS2 is still the "weakest" of the current game consoles (compared to Microsoft's XBOX, Nintendo's GameCube) in terms of graphical power, and despite this new design, is still the most expensive since you will need to purchase an 8MB Playstation 2 memory card in order to save your games and settings. Nevertheless, it's a great system even if you already own one of the competitors, because of the large software library with many exclusives and lots of quirky Japanese titles. The new design is cool enough to even warrant getting a second PS2 system even if you already own the original.
If you don't have a current-generation video game system yet, and you want one, this would be a good one to start you off. The PS3, when released, is likely to be little more than an evolution of the types of games represented on this system. There's a huge number of excellent low-cost games on this platform, with something for almost everyone who loves games.
| | Definitely good but still not GOD!!! |
| First off let me start by saying, this is NOT going to be a PS2 bashing. Though we all have our opinions on the three systems, the fact is that they are all great systems in their own right. That is to say you won't go wrong no matter which one you choose.
Let me reiterate, this is not a bad system. It has several great games (Final Fantasy X & X2, Grand Theft Auto Series, WWE Smackdown Series and several others). Though it must be noted that Gamecube and XBox both have great exclusive titles. The graphics are outstanding and they may not even be the best of the three, but they are great, certainly better than anything we had just a few short years ago. They definitely have more benefits than everybody else (free online gaming, the Eyetoy, and more games. As far as controllers go, I like Gamecube's a bit better, but this controller works wonderfully well too and is well laid out. (You won't be searching for the buttons like you do on XBox controllers, that is my one true complaint with that system).
One thing that irks me about the new design is the lack of support for the hard drive. It's not a huge issue unless you want to play Final Fantasy XI or take advantage of HDD capability as with ESPN NFL2k5. Not a big deal, but something could have been worked to support it.
I do like the smaller, slimmer design. It certainly helps when you have many systems old and new and are lacking in space to have them all setup at once. You almost have to see it in person to truly appreciate the size reduction this thing has undergone. While the old one is regarded as somewhat of a "clunker"; this thing is small, sleek, and powerful. I wish they could have found a way to include four controller ports (should be an industry standard) as opposed to just two. It's not a big issue but a bit annoying for those who enjoy playing multiplayer sports games.
Anyway Playstation 2's biggest downfall is in the fragility of the system itself and though I have experienced no problems personally, I have heard of a few from close friends.
1. Disc Reading Error (This is very likely a non-issue with this newer model.)
2. Malfunctioning Disc Door (This is no longer an issue because the system is now top-loading.)
3. The power cords tend to wear out faster than average. (Not a big deal, the cords are fairly cheap, but it could present a fire hazard.)
None of these things would be a huge deal except that the PS2 comes with a measly 90 day warranty (Do I hear 1 year anyone?)
I'm not trying to say this system is junk. It does have durability issues more than anything. Some of these problems should be lessened/eliminated with the new model. I personally prefer Gamecube but only by a small margin. All of you who immaturely spout "PS2 rules, Gamecube & XBox suck" are not only lying to yourselves, you're doing a great disservice to the readers who depend on these reviews to make an important decision.
The bottom line is the Playstation 2 is a great system and definitely worth the money, but it is not gaming perfection as some make it out to be. Try Gamecube & XBox as well. All three are extremely fun!!!
| | Granted I have spent countless hours holding a PS2 controller, but this just seems stupid to me. The PSone was a cutsy remake of the original, but the PStwo just seems like it's asking for trouble. The "70% quieter" function isn't just because they figured out they should remove some parts that were banging together, they are using a smaller (or no, I haven't opened one up yet) internal fan. You know those famous disc errors you hear about? A lot of thsoe are because of excess heat... and they are making the fan smaller, that means even more heat for your disc error pleasure. Secondly, I understand the power source is now on the cable as opposed to being in the PStwo box itself. That means there is a bix box on your power cable, but it makes the actual console itself smaller and lighter. Well, for all those touting how great the smaller box is, slap that big ol' power box on there too, because you are not traveling without the power cord if you actually want to use the PStwo for anything more than showing off.
I fortunately didn't drop the $90 on Final Fantasy XI and the accompanying HDD (which was hyped up hugely that it would make the PS2 comparable in function to the xbox) only to have Sony remake the console without the ability to actually use the HDD!?! That makes absolutely no sense to me.
Sony: "Lets make a new game in the series that is the most widely known in the world and bundle it with a piece of hardware that you need to play it... then make a new system that runs all the other games we have ever made... except this one! (maniacle laughter)
Personally I look at it like this... was your old PS2 drowning out the sound from your game? Were you traveling so much that the not-so-huge PS2 was inconvenient to lug everywhere you had to go? Did you buy FFXI? Do you want to possibly deal with the overheating and disc error issues that Playstations have had for years, but now with less fan to help?
Don't get me wrong... the sheer volume of games for the PS2 makes it a great console to own, but this smaller, sleeker, sexier design junk just sounds like an attempt to make more money.
| | This is my second PS2. I traded my first on in on a Xbox 360, which only lasted 91 days before it died (read all about it in my 360 review). Leary of version 1.0 PS3, I opted to go back to the PS2 and its proven reliability and copious games for less money. I got a set of HDTV cables, a wireless controller, and have not looked back. What a fool I was to fall for Microscams empty promises! This is the best game system! You can even play online for free! The games are more challenging and last a lot longer than the 360 games ,which I could beat in a week, playing an hour a day. The warranty is awesome at 1 year parts and labor! I am not worried,however, because I had my original PS2 for 10 years without issue before trade-in! A fantastic system at an unbeatable price! I will keep this one for at least a year before trading it in on a PS3 ,once all of the bugs are fixed and the price goes down to $400..........Until then, long live the PS2!!!!
| | Slim, streamline, and stylish |
| A great buy for anyone looking to purchase a Playstation 2. The size has been reduced by more than half, and it's about half as heavy (about the size and weight of a book). There have been rumors of a overheating issue, but mine hasn't gotten as warm as the old PS2 because I keep it on a cookie cooling rack. It didn't even get warm after 8 straight hours of playing Kingdom Hearts. The top-loading drive is more convenient than the tray drive, however the first time I put a CD in, it came up with a disc read error. It turns out that I hadn't pushed the CD in until it snapped into place, and I haven't gotten an error since then. I have had no issues with my unit, and would recommend it to anyone out there who has been considering this model. Sony outdid themselves on this one. Great product!
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