The PS2 Five Years Later 32
1up.com is running a feature on the now on-the-way-out PlayStation 2, exploring the hardware, the regional launches, and the hype. From the article: "Gamers were given a chance to see the machine in action for themselves almost exactly a year after its unveiling. Tens of thousands of Japanese gamers lined up across the country the evening of March 3, 2000, hoping for a chance to get their hands on the system. In just 48 hours, nearly 1 million PS2s were sold to giddy consumers, making it 10 times as successful as its predecessor. Its initial price was ¥39,800, roughly $360-slightly expensive, but actually a little cheaper than the price the original PlayStation launched at."
Re:Original PS2s (Score:1)
Re:Original PS2s (Score:1, Troll)
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
I gather from other Slashdot discussions that early US PS2s are rather infamous for disc reading problems, but SCEA were good at replacing them when they did have them.
(I have a mate with a "day 1" UK PS2, it plays DVDs and PS1 games fine, and indeed is still in perfect working ortder, but
Re:Original PS2s (Score:1)
Re:Original PS2s (Score:5, Informative)
I bought a US PS2 on day one. I had it reserved. I actually had two reserved by accident and told the store "never mind" on the second one. I am still kicking myself on that as I could have bad $300 EASY on eBay with that one.
Any way, my PS2 plays DVDs, and PS1 games. It has no problems at all. I pre-ordered it (as I said above). I don't know WHAT you are talking about with PS1 games.
What's that, you mean Japanese PS2s? Wrong again. They played PS1 games (I rented one from a local company that imports stuff just after the Japanese launch). It could play PS1 games (I tried it!). It could play DVDs, but the DVD player software had to be stored on a memory card (they gave you the software with the system). This software was built-in to the BIOS by the time the PS2 came to the US.
I'm sorry, but I don't know what you are talking about.
Side notes about the PS2:
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
I know that his PS2 was pre-ordered, and accquired day-of-launch. I know that it doesn't not play DVDs, and that it does not play PSX/PS1 games. He has attributed this to the machine being pre-ordered/launch-date-ready.
Forgive me for relating my experience with someone else's hardware, and his explanation for said experience, at this p
Re:Original PS2s (Score:5, Insightful)
If he's too stupid to return a defective piece of hardware that he paid almost $400 for a working unit PLEASE do not encourage him to come here to post. We have WAY more of those than we can already find a use for...
=tkk
PS If the plural of anecdote is not evidence then the singular REALLY isn't...
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
Based on my experience, and the experience of others here, I would be more likely to attribute it to either simple wear and tear or misuse.
I know that there have been other reports of disc read errors on early PS2's, and I'm not ready to discount these reports out of hand, but I have two PS2'
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
I expect Sony rev'd the chipset (usually improved integration/production, hence cheaper to make a PS2). They did that a few times with the PSX, and a few games that didn't follow the 'rules' would fail to run on later PSX models.
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
Are you really saying that you think the chipset hasn't changed because the machine looks EXACTLY the same from the outside?
The chips are, like, on the inside. Unless I'm missing something.
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
because then they couldn't sell you massively overpriced flash memory yet again.
if they just stick to compact flash for each console, they could have the ultimate in storage and compatibility (forget SD, the S stands for "secure" if you know what i mean).
greed. and the short-sighted "consumers" who bend over for it every 5 years.
Re:Original PS2s (Score:2)
One problem I see with CompactFlash is that its pretty fragile, not the CF card itself, but the slot. If some child inserts the card sideways it should be pretty easy to get a few pins bend and thus rendering the slot and probally the whole console unusable. With todays propritary memory cards on the other side that impossible, since there simply is nothing that you can easily bend.
With the nex
Re:Original PS2s (Score:1)
Re:Original PS2s (Score:1)
All I remember... (Score:1)
Cost Effective? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Cost Effective? (Score:1)
WAY better value. (Score:3, Informative)
That's a lot less than any arcade I've ever been to, assuming you actually go there to play and not watch. It's also a lot less than the cinema, or buying dvds. Renting films is close, but then you can rent games, and get even more value.
Re:And people complain about... (Score:3, Informative)
The price isn't that important thought, the games and add-ons is the expensive stuff.
Amazing how the world has changed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Amazing how the world has changed (Score:1)
Yah, you gotta love those Betamax players!
Re:Amazing how the world has changed (Score:1)
* Except for the ones Sony Music produces, of course. Those are rip-proof.
PC-Level Graphics? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:PC-Level Graphics? (Score:2)
Re:PC-Level Graphics? (Score:1)
Re:PC-Level Graphics? (Score:2)
Of course, this is if they decide to eat the library of games they already have.
PS2, five years later... (Score:1)