Talk:PlayStation 2/Archive 1

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Archive 1 Archive 2 Archive 3 → Archive 5

NPOV?

I think this article skews ever so slightly to a pro-PS2 POV.

It was not until late 2001 that the Microsoft Xbox became the second console with DVD support, although playing DVD-Video titles on Xbox requires the purchase of an additional module (containing decoder software and a remote control). However most reviews claim that PS2's DVD capabilities are still top of line the line considering when it was released even if XBox has sharper imaging.

While it's not a bad idea to mention competing consoles, it seems like the writer is trying to defend the PS2's capabilities against the Xbox. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cvaneg (talk • contribs) 20:58, 23 April 2004 (UTC)

The last sentence was reversed a few days ago from: "Most reviews claim the PS2's DVD support to be mediocre at best." In my understanding, mediocre is a better description. Didn't Sony improve the DVD support in newer versions of the console? --Mrwojo 22:31, 23 Apr 2004 (UTC)
I don't think that that there should be any mention of quality at all unless it is amazingly good or horrendously bad, otherwise you'll just have far too much disagreement, since I don't think that's the case here, I'd just recommend removing any mention of the DVD playback quality and just make the statement that the PS2 is capable of DVD playback, and maybe that it was an early adopter of this feature. Also, I think that the text about the Xbox DVD playback should be removed entirel (and maybe placed in the Xbox article) as it has no real bearing on the PS2. Cvaneg 19:20, 24 Apr 2004 (UTC)
But the PS2 is famed for its bad DVD playback. This has to do with several discs failing to function (view or navigate) properly on the player. It is practically the only comment you ever see besides, though more often beside, "it can also play dvd's". --blades 01:37, May 11, 2004 (UTC)
The Playstation 2 console has a SOFTWARE UPGRADEABLE DVD player, (I don't understand why people can't seem to grasp this) that is updated constantly. This is easily verified by simply checking your PS2 browser screen upon boot up with no disk in the tray. Even a version 1 PS2 console can accept the software upgrade via memory card installation. The most notable update was the 3.02 version that became available with the Final Fantasy XI & HDD package. You simply installed the update on the PS2 memory card from the HDD installation disk. The update not only improved playability, and added features, it even improved picture quality and DVD9 playback. Easily giving the PS2 a better DVD player than that of the XBox. This upgrade did not add progressive scan, but even in 480i the newest version of the software gave better image quality than the Xbox. Also, the PS1 drivers can also be updated to improve compatibility via the memory card. The PS2 is NOT famed for its bad DVD playback. It IS famed for people that have no clue as to how DVD's are made. The only DVD's that gave problems on PS2 were either made from thinly layered disks, or DVD9's. The "thin" disks were not heavy enough to spin up fast enough to be read, and the PS2 had trouble reading the second layer of a DVD9. The software upgrades fixed, or atleast aleviated, these problems. But it goes much further than that, most of the DRE's had to do with what version laser was used. A version C laser would almost never give any problems at all, a version B (the most used), and a version A (the worst of the bunch) could cause problems after extended use. FYI, the new Slimline PS2's don't even use a Sony brand laser anymore as far as I know. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.19.146.153 (talk • contribs) 10:36, 21 December 2005 (UTC)
In my opinion a ps2's DVD playback quality does not compare well to even a very moderately priced standalone player... therefore I think "also plays DVDs" is an acceptable comment as it was never the ps2's primary function and the quality is not really the issue. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.46.210.206 (talk • contribs) 18:55, 14 March 2006 (UTC)
Isn't the upgradeable DVD player a Japan-only thing? AFAIK US and Europe PS2s are limited to the player version in their ROM.
Nope, I just updated my US PS2 DVD player with the FFXI utility disc. It's a version 7. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.19.30.45 (talk • contribs) 03:21, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Backwards compatibility?

I'm not so sure that the comment regarding backwards compatability being an important selling point is correct. According to some research (admittedly carried out by microsoft) only 10% of PS2 owners list backwards compatability as an important selling point. Reference: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/22/ms_xbox2_backwards_compat/ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Simmie (talk • contribs) 20:36, 24 June 2004 (UTC)

  • Hey! I never felt like buying an ancient old PSone, and so being able to play Final Fantasy VII and Crash Bandicoot on my PS2 had a major effect in me wanting one. That's just me, though. 71.145.208.158 21:41, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Mini PS2

Is there a seperate article on the new mini PS2, or is this something that needs addressing here? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Estel (talk • contribs) 16:04, 25 October 2004 (UTC)

It is still called PS2, so this should be the right place. And the article already contains information about the new PS2 model (SCPH-70000), it just needs a picture. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.146.166.42 (talk • contribs) 07:41, 26 October 2004 (UTC)
Ok. But what about the dimensions etc. Being mentioned under the specification? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Estel (talk • contribs) 10:08, 26 October 2004 (UTC)
Yes, why not? --Tjansen 23:03, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Can someone check the copyright on the picture that has appeared on here of it? Estel 19:39, Nov 14, 2004 (UTC)

  • Aw, you mean the Slimline or whatever? I'll stink dimensions up later, 'cause I can just measure the one I've got plugged in downstairs--beats the heck out of the original model. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.145.208.158 (talk • contribs) 21:42, 9 May 2006 (UTC)
  • Regarding the slim PS2 HDD - "due to the presence of USB 1.1 ports an external USB Hard disk can still be used" I never heard of this, can someone please conform this. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 141.151.89.36 (talk • contribs) 00:45, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

To disk or not to disk

The following paragraph was removed

The new slim PS2 would be a problem for certain game such as Final Fantasy XI which was released on a 40GB internal hard disk designed for the original thick PS2 console. Since the software was also published by SONY, it is unclear what SONY marketing direction is regarding the internal hard disk.

However, I think it is a relevant topic for Playstation 2. The Final Fantasy XI game was released by SONY Software on a 40GB internal HDD. However, SONY dropped the harddisk from the new slim console. i.e. SONY's software and hardware division is going in opposite direction. If the software were not released by SONY, then this would have been irrelevant. Kowloonese 23:45, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Fair point perhaps, I removed it mainly because of poor wording...(no offence) the FF11 reference was retained because it was a valid point. Could re-add the "confused" strategy thing; but I was wondering if it was the reader's resposnsibility to work out that the strategy seemed "confused" Estel 10:28, Nov 17, 2004 (UTC)

Modchip

I believe there could be a reference to the purpose of the modchip mentioned in the article. My understanding is that a PS2 modified with the modchip allows you to play titles that are copied, thus getting around the proprietary PS2 game format. These modchips require knowledge of soldering techniques. However, PS2 systems with the modchip already present are available on Ebay. --Gbeeker 07:04, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I just found the modchip article and created the reference. It contains all that I would have added and much more. --Gbeeker 07:15, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC)
A Modchip is NOT needed to play import/backup/homebrew applications on the PS2. You simply purchase a SwapMagic disk set and Slide Tool, then remove the front panel from the drive tray. This does NOT void the PS2 warranty. For the new Slimline PS2, you simply use a different type of Slide Tool, again this does NOT void the warranty. My PS2 is softmoded with the CogSwap Loader exploit so it's even easier to use. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.19.146.153 (talk • contribs) 10:44, 21 December 2005 (UTC)

PS9 - Teleport Yours Today

Sony heralds biotech in PlayStation 9

By Jeanne-Vida Douglas, ZDNet Australia 13 September 2002

Add your opinion Forward in Format for

In the run up to the launch of PlayStation 2, Sony set out its ultimate vision for gaming technology. In a series of commercials run in the US, the PlayStation 2 was hailed as a step in the evolution of the surgically implanted PlayStation 9 controller, tipped to hook up to the a transparent glassy globe which is the console through the retina.

With a launch date set for sometime around 2075, Sony has a good deal of time to iron out the technical and ethical issues surrounding such a proposition.

"The premise is that the PlayStation 2 is the beginning of a whole new evolution," Patrick Lagana, product manager for hardware and peripherals at Sony computer entertainment Australia explained. "There are all kinds of questions from an ethical point of view, and it is hard to see at this stage how they will release it, but the direction is clear."

In the meantime however, games console and peripherals vendors are focussing on providing ever more immersive technologies, enhancing the gaming experience through improved graphics, voice recognition, force feedback features, movement capturing technology, broadband connectivity and movement capture devices.

"Over the next couple of years we are going to see an even bigger jump in the quality of the graphics than we saw in the last generation of consoles," said Andrew Carter, vice president of development at games developer and publisher Infogrames Melbourne House. "Games graphic are not necessarily going to become more realistic, but they will certainly become more fantastic."

Although Carter is enthusiastic about the prospects of bio-interactive games, he believes it will take a lot of work between the console developers and medical scientists before any such device could get off the ground.

"The limitation there is more medical understanding at this stage," Carter said. "A lot of games could work fantastically well with that kind of interface."

VFD of PS9

This article, PS9, is undergoing VFD at this time, 02:30, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC). It should probably be merged into the PS2 article.

Removed MGS: VR Missions reference.

I removed the statement that Metal Gear Solid: VR missions fails to run on the PS2. I have that game and it runs perfectly every time. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.218.189.100 (talk • contribs) 23:06, 23 January 2005 (UTC)

It's one of a small list of Original Playstation games that are known to have problems with some PS2s. The reason not all PS2s fail to play it is because there are multiple versions of the PS2 console, each successive one (for the most part) having slightly better manufacture, particularly within the laser reader. My old PS2, which was I think the third version to come out (they look the same on the outside) always had problems loading certain games, for example the radio communications in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater always stuttered and paused during loading, but this problem was never present on later models of the PS2 that I owned or my Slimline. I'm pretty sure that most of the complaints about VR Missions and the other games in that group originate from owners of the older versions of the PS2 that were admittedly less than perfect. TKarrde 18:52, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
I had a first shipment PS2 and MGS: VR Missions worked perfectly fine on it.Jondy 02:30, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

"Two extra levels of vibration"

A comment in the article regarding the controller. My understanding of the DS/DS2 controllers is that they just spin the motors at different speeds to get different vibration effects, so I don't really understand this comment. Could someone explain? Sockatume 22:27, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)

I thought that the controller used 2 diffrent motors for the vibration FX 141.151.89.36 00:51, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
News from Mar 28, 2005 says that SONY was ordered by a US Federal judge to pay $90 million in damage to a California company called Immersion for patent violation of the vibration features used in many of its games. The order also require SONY to stop shipment of the Playstation console with such feature. SONY is appealling and they plan to continue console shipment while the case is in appeal. Some also pointed out Microsoft settled similar case out of court with millions of dollars. Should this kind of information added to the article? It seems to be major event regarding the game console. 67.117.82.1 00:16, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)
I don't think so, it's a relatively minor patent infringement case (it's $90M or less against nearly $20 billion in hardware revenue. If the case is settled a note might be added. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Terrapin (talk • contribs) 22:45, 30 March 2005 (UTC)
That's also not really an answer to my question. ;) Apparently MS bought a 10% share in Immersion as well as settling. Sockatume 05:55, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Screenshots

God of War needs enter. IGN: 9.8, Game Informer Magazine: 10 Mateusc 01:54, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)
anyone know if ps2 modifies its screenshots...I see a resolution that is atleast 1200. Those screens are pre-release screens consoles don't have graphics that good. Companies put that out as an idea of how it looks like. marvelvsdc 07:44, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
Some ideas are God of War, and other screens being of 1024 x 999 pixels instead of the correct resolution. It would be nice to see better resolutions for some other pics. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.234.96.194 (talk • contribs) 00:13, 23 November 2005 (UTC)
Answer: A PS2 developement kit may render at a high resolution, however most PS2 games render at 640x480 or 640x448.
There are exceptions, GT4 blends two 640x540 frames to create a single 640x1024 frame that is drawn 30 times per second, matching the 30 hertz of an interlaced display (1080i). (There aren't any proper GT4 screenshots available) To get a proper screenshot of an actual PS2 game would require a PS2 connected to a computer or frameserver that is capable of accepting RGB or Component inputs and can record atleast 640x480 resolution at 60 frames per second. That said, only reference televisions, or properly calibrated sets will present games as they really look. For instance, here is a new racing game being made for PS2 in Europe.
Evolution GT_01
Evolution GT_02
Preview
As you can see it looks on par with Forza or better.
These are actual screenshots right from the PS2's framebuffer so you can see exactly what one frame of the game should look like on a properly calibrated television or reference monitor. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.19.146.157 (talk • contribs) 11:15, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

I hate galleries

Doesn't fit in 800x600. Whatever, I got tired of tweaking the images anyway. - RoyBoy 800 02:53, 4 May 2005 (UTC)

Ace Combat a "killer app"?

I am wondering if anyone agrees or disagrees with Ace Combat's inclusion in the second paragraph as a "killer app". I myself am quite certain the series is nowhere near to the Metal Gear, Final Fantasy or GTA games in sales; it is in fact quite a niche game. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rdysn5 (talk • contribs) 01:58, 30 June 2005 (UTC)

Flight sims have never been huge in the console arena, even combat flight sims. PC has always dominated that particular genre, and this is unlikely to change. Still, some quality air combat games have come out in recent years. The Ace Combat series has been making large improvements in the game's physics engines in the last three or so iterations, and if I recall correctly there was a air combat game on the Dreamcast a while ago (Delta something-or-other) that had extremely realistic simulation of air combat - to the point that you rarely actually SAW your opponent during combat, had the ability to look up, left and right within the cockpit to attempt to see where the enemy was (because your radar only looked forward, a rarity in air combat games and much more similar to real life).. not to mention training missions teaching you to use real-life dogfighting maneuvers and a flight ceiling several thousand meters above sea level (instead of the few hundred feet most games give you). I wish I could remember the name of this game, as it really struck me as being a high-quality dogfighting simulator that never really got any attention. In any case, Ace Combat doesn't warrant the "killer app" designation IMO, as far as I know that term only applies to games that sell far more than other ones. And total sales alone aren't enough to distinguish a game (just about every game on the original Playstation made it to Greatest Hits status just from total sales alone, not from any particularly high popularity of most of them), it has to actually rise above the rest and become a defining game of the period or genre to be a "killer app" in my eyes. I could be wrong though :) TKarrde 18:59, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
EDIT: Remembered the name of the Dreamcast game I liked so much: Air Force Delta. Check it out if you've got a DC and actually manage to find a copy. TKarrde 19:01, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Old logo, placed here for months seems better. Someone disagree? --Mateusc 23:08, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

It's ok, I'm back with the name logo because is used more wide in market. --Mateusc 01:46, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

Price?

Did the PS2 really cost $500 on release? I thought it was only around $200-$250? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 198.203.175.175 (talk • contribs) 14:03, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

I fixed the price history for North America (US).
http://money.cnn.com/2002/05/14/technology/ps2_pricecuts/
Somebody should check and fix the Japanese prices, if necessary. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.13.56.195 (talk • contribs) 01:34, 16 September 2005 (UTC)

Removing PS3

I'm removing the PS3 section, this doesn't seem like an appropriate place for it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Pielover87 (talk • contribs) 02:05, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Shipped does not mean sold

The pdf states Worldwide Shipment: 90.00 million units. Sony is known to use "shipped" instead of "sold" to give the wrong impression (in example, see Nintendo report, where it states "sold" units, not "shipped"). I am correcting the 90 million units shipped sentence. -- ReyBrujo 01:49, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Actually when a unit is shipped to the store, the store has paid for that unit, so in a way shipped really does equal sold. You see, when Sony ships a Playstation 2 unit to a store, Sony has gotten all the money it would ever get from that unit regardless of whether or not the store is capable of selling it, it is the store's responsibility to sell the unit THEY have bought, not Sony's. But I agree that the word that should be used in the article is "shipped", not "sold." Dionyseus 06:51, 1 December 2005 (UTC)
The question would be, if a new PS2 is broken, is sent to Sony, and Sony replaces it, do they include this one as shipped? I believe Microsoft counts it as shipped, even if they did not get money from that particular Xbox. While I admit the amount of these cases is trivial compared with the total amount of sold consoles, it would explain why they don't talk directly about consoles sold. Alas, I wonder if Nintendo includes those ones in their sales information, although the use of the world sold implies they got money out of it. -- ReyBrujo 08:25, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Really now?

"(indeed, it could be said that the success of the DVD format was partly down to the PS2's ability to play DVDs, as the format seemed to appeal more to consumers after the console's launch)"

But this was only after PS2 was widely adopted for its ability to provide unlimited clean energy. :-P —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.81.58.56 (talk • contribs) 12:02, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

Playstation 2 Logo with Picture

I think that the PlayStation 2 logo looks a little weird with the picture of the PS2 underneath. It also makes the entire introduction to the article seem... I dunno... wacky... what do you all think? PantherFoxie 03:27, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

I think that there should be a seprate picture for each of the consoles (Slim and Regular). Is The EyeToy pic necessary? 141.151.89.36 00:57, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Europe price revisions

Is anybody going to add the Europe price revisions? There is only North America and Japan at the moment. PlayStation_2#Price_history. -- Thorpe talk 13:50, 30 October 2005 (UTC)

Criticism?

There is a section on the PS1 entry about the hardware problems experienced by the users of the console, so why isn't there a similar section on the PS2 entry? it's well know that many people experience some problems with the DVD drive and getting DREs (disk read error) with the normal use of the console. There is even a Class Action Suit going on against Sony for this reason, and again, no mention of such an event. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.208.74.147 (talk • contribs) 08:18, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

I just noticed this was removed from the discussion page, and I really don't know why. It is an honest question, not an attempt of vandalism or flamebait. There is such a section on the PS1 entry, and I honestly do think the PS2 entry needs one too. Again, I am not trying to attack the console or the company (I am a PS2 user, and a happy one at that), but those problems are real and well documented. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.208.104.98 (talk • contribs) 08:51, 1 November 2005
Feel free to add/modify any section you want. However, remember to always put links to trusted sites with more information about the topic. In example, if PS2 read errors are common after a determined amount of time for regular users, and it is documented in Sony site, add a comment about it and put a link to the site so that anyone can verify the information. -- ReyBrujo 11:16, 1 November 2005 (UTC)
Added a section on the console's history of broken equipment. The free fix: http://forums.blasteroids.com/thread_view.cfm/73 , was found at GameFaqs. Other sources are hard to come by. I know they stopped offering the free fix in February because an operator at Sony named Dennis told me so. (Momus 20:36, 19 December 2005 (UTC))

MGS: Special Missions playable on the PS2 slimline?

In the article, under 'Software Compatibility' Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions is mentioned as a game that is somewhat problematic when running on the PS2:

A handful of PlayStation titles (notably Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions) fail to run on the PS2 at all (Special Missions fails to recognise Metal Gear Solid at the disk swap screen, for example). This problem appears to have been rectified in the slimline versions of the PS2, where most of the previously unplayable PSone games can now be played.

I called the Dutch Sony Playstation service line a few days ago (I'm thinking about buying a PS2 and wanted to know if I could play Special Missions on it). They confirmed that Special Missions on the PS2 is indeed a known problem. The person I spoke to didn't know anything about the Slimline PS2 solving the problem though. Maybe they haven't updated their costumer service database yet for the Slimline information. Still, could anyone provide a source for this bit of information? And, as an aside, anyone actually tried playing this game on the Slimline PS2? --Codemonkey 20:53, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

I know it's kinda late, but I ended up trying it out myself on my Euro PAL slimline PS2. And it worked perfectly. :) --Codemonkey 15:06, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

Price drop?

Several of my close friends that work at various retail outlets have said that the PS2 will drop to $99 this week. Can anyone confirm/deny? . -- JoeBam  10:34, 05 November 2005 (EST)

If I recall correctly, since early this year Sony left retailers to sell without a recommended price. -- ReyBrujo 16:25, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

Infact, FYE had it for $99 after a $30 rebate a while back. Payam81 05:25, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Incorrect information on v14 PS2

The v14 PS2 does not have an intigrated EE and GS. Proof here: http://www.neoasic.com/images/75001-logo.jpg Also the modem has been dropped from this model. It only has an ethernet port. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 131.107.0.86 (talk • contribs) 21:18, 8 November 2005 (UTC)

Response: There are several revisions of the V14 console, the GH-037 has seperate EE and GS, while the GH-040 has a combined EE+GS processor. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.212.192.59 (talk • contribs) 16:56, 8 May 2006

Regarding modem

There was no modem to begin with, it was simply an expansion bay allowing an ethernet port. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.140.44.186 (talk • contribs) 11:15, 17 November 2005

Ethernet, Modem, and Harddisk adaptor. 65.190.205.72 07:54, 26 November 2005 (UTC)
Slim ps2's originally came with a built in modem and ethernet port, this somewhat compensated for the lack of an expansion port in these revisions, however with the advent of v14 the modem was removed. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.46.210.206 (talk • contribs) 19:08, 14 March 2006 (UTC)
Actually, the modem was added to newer models and it was only absent in the first model run of the slimline PS2. If you go to Sony's official website about their Playstation 2 you will see that the first model, 70001 (the first slim line model) only came with a broadband connection. All newer models, the 70011, 70012, and 75001 have both the modem and broadband connections. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.157.94.131 (talk • contribs) 03:30, 8 April 2006 (UTC)
My 75001 lacks a modem port. The specs on Sony's PlayStation are updated to 70011 and 70012. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Payam81 (talk • contribs) 05:23, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
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