Talk:PlayStation 2

Sold vs. Shipped?

In the section for the record of PS2 sold, it states it broke the number of PS2s sold, with 100 million shipped. Shipped would just mean putting them out on the market, and not actual sales. I'm not sure if this was how the record was recorded or not, but should it be altered here?

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.

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)

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))

Removing PS3

I'm removing the PS3 section, this doesn't seem like an appropriate place for it.

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
  • 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.

• 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.

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 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.

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.

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) .

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/

• 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?

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.

Ok. But what about the dimensions etc. Being mentioned under the specification?

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.

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

Forward in Format for

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.

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.

WOOT

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.

• The article was deleted, here is the archived discussion: Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/PS9.

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.

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)

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.

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)

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.

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)

Logo

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?

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.

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

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)

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)

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)

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. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.107.0.86 (talk • contribs)

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)

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)

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.

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.

DRAM bus width

Where's your source that says it's 256 bits, not 2560? Here's one that says 2560:

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/072/072873p1.html PSXer 07:21, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

Here are also several other sources-

GameCrazy, ZipZoomFly, Sonystyle USA all say it...

As well as Sony themselves- "The Graphics Synthesizer incorporates a massively parallel rendering engine that contains a 2,560-bit wide data bus--20 times the size of leading PC-based graphics accelerators. Very high pixel fill rates and drawing performance are achieved using embedded DRAM process technology pioneered by SCE for use in advanced graphics technology"

Daniel Davis 06:40, 30 January 2006 (UTC) (Doom127)

NPOV

I think the History section is higly POV negative and try to be justificative until the war with Xbox. Looks like a Xbox Fanboy invaded the article and trying to negativate the PS2 sucess. --Brazil4Linux 22:54, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

I removed this paragh, a extreme Fanboy POV vision "Despite the PS2's dominance, the advent of the Xbox and GameCube has hurt Sony's earnings due to all three rivals lowering their console prices (already below break-even point) in a price war, and because Sony Computer Entertainment became the subsidiary that accounts for over half of Sony's profits. Sony's heavy dependence on its gaming division has been closely watched by analysts; SCE had a loss when the Xbox finally outsold the PS2 in the fourth quarter of 2004". [1] - Ridiculous.. and a source with Sony Corp "losses" in 2004 and non-comproved SCEI losses (where the financial data sheets?). --Brazil4Linux 00:19, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

Actually, its been in there for a long time, and it had nothing to do with the Xbox war. ----GoldDragon 00:19, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

been there for a long time isn't a reason to keep. It's POV. Read Wikipedia:Neutral point of view --Brazil4Linux 00:53, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

Its sourced, so it ain't POV. --GoldDragon 22:00, December 2005 (UTC)

Don't be stupid GoldDragon. It's a ridiculous Fanboy POV your text and very redundant in the History section. --Brazil4Linux 09:13, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

Do not use your "POV" excuse indiscriminately just to get rid of what you don't like, this is well is backed up by sources. --GoldDragon 12:45, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

I made some corrections - limitating the quarter of 2004 but increasing the fact this wasn't sufficient to break PlayStation 2 strong sales during 2004. I realocated some of your editions follow by year 2003 and 2004. Let's respect the timeline and not confusing the reader. --Brazil4Linux 22:17, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

PS2 numeric code

i recently put a 4 digit numeric code on my PS2 and i want to remove it. i am the owner and i know the code, it's just annoying that every time i put in a movie to watch, even PG rated, i must enter in the code. is there a way to reset this? thanks for any help on this, BeanMan — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.153.240.74 (talk • contribs)

If you check the manual, it'll tell you the universal unlock code (which works regardless of what the real code is). If you can't find your copy then google for a .pdf version.

PS2 record-setting

I've noticed that the PS2 "setting a record" paragraph has appeared and disappeared several times by different users lately. It was my understanding that the majority consensus was that we were going to keep it in both the upper and lower paragraphs. So could we possibly get some discussion going here? I'm fine with it either way, getting a consensus would keep it from ping-ponging back and forth between revisions. Daniel Davis 11:56, 27 December 2005 (UTC) (Doom127)

The thing is, it's not factual. The PS2 is not the most sold gaming console. The Game Boy line is. Xizer 19:30, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

Comparing the PlayStation 2 with the Game Boy family is somewhat biased. Either compare the PlayStation line with the Game Boy line, or a single console from the family with a single console from the other family. It appears to be the best selling home console, though, although I believe Sony says PS sold 100m, while PS2 shipped 100m. PS2 broke the record of reaching 100m shipped consoles first, but I am not sure if they sold as many PS2 as PS yet. -- ReyBrujo 19:40, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

Seems that the blurb should be kept out then, it appears. The guy who last reinserted it hasn't put down a comment, so I have no idea what his reason for putting it in is. Daniel Davis 23:38, 27 December 2005 (UTC) (Doom127)

I'm here and agree with ReyBrujo. Gameboy isn't a home console, it's a portable console, so, keep the information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.29.241.105 (talk • contribs)

The only person who has been deleting that paragraph is Xizer. First of all he needs to source his claim, second the PS2 is the fastest selling console, period. It hasn't yet sold as many as the PS, but it reached a shipment of 100 million units almost 4 years quicker than the PS, thus it is the fastest selling console. Yes, the PS2 has sold even quicker than the Gameboy, which launched in 1989 and Nintendo stated in 1998 that they had sold about 66 million of them[2]. Dionyseus 07:55, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

I was always under the impression that the GBA sold more than the PS2, but if the opposite is true, then that is indeed an interesting fact. Daniel Davis 01:41, 30 December 2005 (UTC) (Doom127)

GBA sold around 70m worldwide. I don't believe Sony would ship 100m units if they had sold less than 70m. -- ReyBrujo 03:39, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

Actually only around 35m GBA, and 32m GBAsp have been sold worldwide, Nintendo likes to combine sales of the GBAsp with those of the GBA to make the numbers look more impressive. Also note how they don't list GBC in the sales charts, it's because they combine its sales with the Gameboy's. [3] Dionyseus 04:01, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

Combining GBA and GBASP sales (or Game Boy and its cousins) is just as valid as combining sales of both versions of the PS2. Either way, the Game Boy is the highest-selling gaming machine ever, followed by the original Playstation. PS2 comes in third, followed by (IIRC) the NES. 128.226.230.60 21:39, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

Excess fair use images

There were too many fair use images on this page, especially the gallery of game screenshots which are probable copyright infringement on this page. Please keep fair use images to a minimum. -Thanks Nv8200p talk 22:24, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

What is the problem with screenshots? You removed from Xbox article too.. Screenshots is totally fair use compilant and use widely in Wikipedia articles.

A limited number of screenshots is ok. This is just copyright paranoia. See Wikipedia:Screenshots#Copyright_issues. K1Bond007 19:55, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Thank you k1bond now these guys need leave article live with screenshots

Unmarked screenshots are acceptable to use by anyone. I should know, I'm a video game journalist. Wikipedia should have no trouble acquiring an account at the vgamin.com network to acquire screenshots. You can also check to see if a publisher has a press page with media for use.

Special Edition models

Any mention of special edition models like the white GT4 Prologue or the gold Z Gundam Hyaku Shiki edition late in 2003 WilliRennen 3 January 2006 (UTC)

See PlayStation 2 Special Editions

USB Compatability

I noticed a note was added about the compatability of USB devices. In reality, *most* USB devices do not function with the PS2. And although it is true that USB storage devices cannot be used in the manner noted (For uploading homebrew apps), they can be used in GT4 for storage of pictures taken in game, and with some Gameshark or Action Replay type products for transfering game saves. In my experience working with people to get their PS2 connected to the internet on various forums, I have found that many people are supprised that most USB devices don't work with the PS2, or that they can't do something like this:

[USB WiFi Device]--USB Cable--[USB-Ethernet Adapter]--Ethernet Cable--[PS2]

I usually have to explain to them that the USB they know is from their use of Windows XP or an Apple, and their implementation of Plug and Play. The PS2 however does not include drivers for their USB devices, they only work if their game includes support for them.

I don't know how much, if any, of that can be used in the article, but what is included currently could use a revision.

Pretty much *ANY* non-pc device acting as a usb host is going to have this problem. Its easy for devices for which there is a standard device class (mice,mass storage devices etc) but anything that doesn't is only going to work if its explicitly supported.

Btw am i right in thinking that USB device support on the PS/2 is basically a function of the game itself not of the console?

As for

[USB WiFi Device]--USB Cable--[USB-Ethernet Adapter]--Ethernet Cable--[PS2]

that wouldn't be possible if it was a PC on the end either! USB (with the exception of the on the go variant) cannot be used for connecting two perheripherals directly together period. Plugwash 03:57, 3 February 2006 (UTC)

I noticed somebody stated that slim ps2's have USB 2.0 capability, I edited this to read USB 1.1 because that is what slim ps2's have just like the old big ones. In reality the whole comment seemed useless as it was pointing to the ability to use USB hard drives, which is possible however USB 1.1 is really too slow to make it worthwhile. Also that whole section on revisions seems like it needs a general cleanup, it looks like it's been edited into incoherence.

update request

update this "PS2" redirects here. For the similarly-named PS/2 computer system and its derived uses (including the PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors on most PCs), see IBM Personal System/2.

Not anymore ps2 redirecs here, now a webpage shows giving 3 options, playstation 2, ps/2, and another option. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.124.129.251 (talk • contribs) .

I was the person that added the disambig line. I don't believe that a separate disambig page would improve things at present.

If "PS2" was a disambig page, the "Personal System/2" would still take two steps to reach, "Playstation 2" would require 2 steps instead of 1, and we'd have another page to look after.

If there were three or more plausible disambig meanings, your suggestion would merit consideration. However, since "another option" wasn't specified, let's keep things simple until we outgrow the current setup.

Fourohfour 13:03, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

Development information

The article mentions homebrew development. I think it should also briefly describe professional development, since the PS2 is such a unique architecture. What tools and compilers to they use? Metrowerks? GCC? Something else? 130.233.173.8 14:35, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

USB Mice

Hi.

I'm basically just wondering, since the Playstation 2 has a USB port, and you can get a lot of USB mice for the PC, is it possible to use a USB PC mouse when you're playing mouse-compatible games on your Playstation 2? Or do you need a mouse that has been specifically designed for the Playstation 2? Thanks. Doom jester 13:11, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

ever consider just trying it? Plugwash 13:15, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

I tried it with the Playstation 1 version of Final Doom, which supports the mouse for the Playstation 1. That didn't work. I don't have any PS2 games that support the mouse though. I was hoping to find out before I buy one- Half-Life, specifically. Doom jester 14:17, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

I seem to remember watching a video on one of the first PS Underground disks for the PS2 that said you can use just about any USB mouse. If yours happens to be one of those cool ones with all sorts of buttons, I doubt they will all be functional.

However, to the best of my knowledge, there are verry few PS2 games that can take advantage of the moue. The only one I can think of right now is Silent Scope, one of the launch titles.HeavyD14 05:57, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I took a chance and bought Half-Life. It turns out my mouse works with it. If you're wondering, my mouse is a Logitech pilot mouse (corded, optical). So from this I guess we can say that at least some PC mice do work with the Playstation 2! I thought optical ones wouldn't, being fairly modern, but they sure do. It's a pity you can't use them with Playstation 1 games, though. Doom jester 13:39, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

why would the game care if its optical or not its just a usb human input device as far as software support goes. Plugwash 15:10, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

DVD Playback on 4:3 TVs - Always Zoomed In?

Hi.

I've been trying to play some DVDs on my Playstation 2, and I've noticed that when I put in a DVD that is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, my PS2 always puts a zoomed in image of the movie on my TV. BTW, my TV is an old square 4:3 one, and my PS2 is an old, European model (I bought it when the PS2 first came out). Does anyone know of a way to correct this, so that I see the full, wide image? I've tried changing all the options on my PS2 and on the TV, too. Cheers. Doom jester 15:23, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

Hello. There are a few tricks for changing the way DVD's are displayed with the PS2. What you need to do is put in your DVD movie and when you reach the DVD's menu press the select button and select stop from the onscreen PS2 menu. Now, from the same onscreen PS2 menu look for a settings button and select either 16:9, Pan Scan, or 4:3 letterbox. You will need to play around to see which setting works for your DVD and TV combination. You may also need to go into the PS2's browser and alter the display setting in there as well. Eventually you should find a setting that works.

I've tried changing all the settings in the start up menu, but nothing has any effect. I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed this problem when using a PS2 with a 4:3 TV because it's kind of annoying. It's difficult to notice at first, but it's definitely for real- with my Playstation 2 and TV, at least. By the way, my TV is a 28 inch Matsui. Has anyone else noticed this problem? The easiest way to check, obviously, is to get a stand alone DVD player and compare what you see to your PS2's output. Cheers. Doom jester 11:13, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

DVD-R and other backup media

It was stated that DVD-R and other type of "pirated" media actually damages the laser and lens...

In order to supply an accurated information regarding this, more details are requiered like generation of modchips, console versions, voltage levels. One cannot simply claim something just because one heard it from someone. Furthermore people who install modchips usually add some circuitery(resistors) to prevent laser burns, it is then debatable the fact that in modern consoles, using modern modchips with additional resistors, there will be laser/lens burns/damages. C trillos

Emulation?

How about adding a section concerning emulation of the PS2? --193.11.124.244 17:52, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Baised Listing

the games section on this thing must have beeen writen by an x-box owner or somthing cause it says that all the ps2 games are crappy and good ones like GTA or Timespliters are really crappy. i think some one should change that cause its not like that on the x-box articile

Polygon Fillrate

The 7 million polygon figure for the PS2 is incorrect. According to the SCEE article HowFarHaveWeGot in 2003. Some developers were already pushing the boundaries of 7.5 Million Polygons or 125K polys per frame at 60 frames per second in a gaming environment. The 7.5 Million Polygon figure equates to about 13-15 Million polygons at 30 frames per second. According to a document published by Tramell Ray Isaac of Sony Online Entertainment for Gamasutra.com the Playstation 2 is capable of rendering 50 million polygons per second peak (48-pixel quads, 24-bit color, Z-buffering, alpha blending) in a real world scenario. According to another article written at 1up.com in 2005, the Playstation 2 is capable of rendering about 13 Million Polygons in a gaming environment. Finally, another document published by Dominic Mallinson, Director of Technology, R&D Sony Computer Entertainment America proved the Playstation 2 could render between 10-16 million polygons in a gaming environment.

It should be safe to assume that the Playstation 2 is capable of rendering 13-16 million polygons in a gaming environment. Far more than the 7 Million polygon figure listed.

--66.19.146.157 11:16, 4 March 2006 (UTC)````GameGaia.com

I agree that the numbers need to be increased. I upped the numbers under gaming condition to 10-16 mil, but editors lowered to 6-9 mil. Those numbers would make the PS2 weaker at polygons than the Sega Dreamcast.

The Dreamcast can generate 3-5 million in a game, but because of the tile based architecture (which elimnates overdraw, or rendering polygons which aren't in view) it ends up being equivalent to at least twice as much. PS2 isn't as efficient with polygons (overdraw wastes polygons), meaning it needs a higher polygon output to produce the same effect. 6-9 mil on the PS2 would be as blocky as the Dreamcast which isn't the case (meaning the number is wrong).

I'm updating the numbers to a very conservative (should probably be higher) number of 9-13 mil.

--Person

Profit

At what point did the ps2 finally sell at a profit? what hardware revision? ~~frank~~

Well Sony doesn't like giving exact numbers so we don't know exactly when. It was somewhere around a year or two or even three years ago. Jedi6-(need help?) 17:19, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

The price wars and game bundles make it tricky to determine exactly, if ever. Some have suggested that the GameCube was perhaps the only console of this generation to make a small profit, but that was likely before they slashed the price and threw in games. GoldDragon 03:39, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Best-selling game

Though that Grand Theft Auto San Andreas would have sold more than Vice City, although the Hot Coffee mod might have potentially cut into sales (but that would more likely be the PC version which could be hacked easier). Another alternative is just to list the Grand Theft Auto series in the slot, rather than a particular game, since GTA III was the best-seller in 2001 and runner up in 2002 and still keeps selling as part of the Double Pack. GoldDragon 03:39, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

No its definitly Vice City, though San Andreas is getting closer. Vice City is actually in the top 25 best selling games of all time. Jedi6-(need help?) 03:44, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

As an aside, Vice City (PS2) might have sold more than San Andreas (PS2) since Vice City was the first game under the Sony-Take2 exlusivity deal for the GTA series. At the time Vice City came out for PS2, there was uncertainty at whether there would be a PC version and the Xbox was out of the question. By San Andreas's release for PS2, everyone knew that the PC and Xbox would be getting their own version next year. GoldDragon 17:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Actually, neither of them are the best-selling PS2 game. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is. Refer to this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_game

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (14.36 million)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (13.70 million)
Both of these figures are backed up with sources. I'm going to fix this mistake. Phediuk 05:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

These figures make sense, GT3 sold like hotcakes. Dionyseus 16:10, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

The top game was Vice City. You can't use Wikipedia as a source for itself. Jedi6-(need help?) 01:10, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I took a look at the supposed source for the 14.36 million figure for Gran Turismo 3, and it does not mention 14.36 million, instead it mentions 11 million. I have thus edited it to the proper figure of 11 million. GTA: Vice City is apparently the top selling game for PS2. Dionyseus 06:56, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

50cent bulletproof is the best game ever

For your info, 50 Cent: Bulletproof is horrible. It is the most bottom-of-the-barrel shooter ever concieved. Sure, it may have the most incredibly soundtrack ever forged, but it sucks, and to prove my point go read the March GameInformer issue and look at the review score. In my opinion, even Daikatana is better.--TraceTheKriken--71.145.162.231 18:41, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Clashing Info?

I was just wondering, has anyone noticed that on this article it says that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the 'top-selling game' but the List of Best-Selling Computer and Video Games declares that the killer app for the PlayStation 2 is Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Can someone please verify which of these sources is correct? --RedZion--

To the anonymous person putting the "Xbox outsold PS2 5 months in 2004"

Don't keep putting it in, it is unsourced. Saying that "according to the NPD group" does not make it a source, you need a valid citation. Anyone can say "according to Sony," "according to Microsoft," "according to God," it doesn't confirm nothing if you don't provide a source we can read. Dionyseus 21:45, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Mentioning "PStwo"?

Actually, I'm not 100% sure if the name was even official by Sony/SCE Most of the gaming community refers the slim PS2 as "PStwo" in relation to the first Playstation slim "PSone" console. Anyone wanna consider this(PStwo) to main PS2 article? I know someone has added "PStwo" on Wiki as a redirect to this article. Maybe just a brief mention about it? At least it's an easier way of mentioning the slimmer models by typing out "PStwo" than "slim PS2"
HighEnergyProtons 14:57, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

• It's called a 'Slimline', people. RedZion71.145.208.158 21:49, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Units shipped/sold

In the infobox for this article, it declares that the PS2 sold 103.6 million units as of March, 2006. The May 10 Wall Street Journal has an article stating that the PlayStation 2 sold 101 million units. Could somebody please verify which of these numbers is correct? --RedZion-- May 10 2006 (UTC)

The 103.6 million figure is straight from the E3 2006 Sony conference. Dionyseus 01:29, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Slimline and Initial look

When the PS2 was first advertised, it was slimmer than the original PS2, and was vertical. Later on, it was twice as thick as advertised, and you needed to buy the vertical stand seperately. Even later, they came out with the slim PS2. I think this info should be included in the article. 71.250.35.123 19:41, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Didn't it just look thicker because it was horizontal rather than verticle? You don't need the vertical stand for it even on the slimline. Just much easier to fall over. Citizen erased 23:13, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

AFD of PlayStation 9

This article, PlayStation 9, is undergoing AFD at this time, 14:13, 25 May 2006

It should probably be merged into the PS2 article.

This article is to be merged with and redirected to Playstation 2 as a result of an Articles for Deletion debate. The discussion can be found here. -Splash^talk 21:32, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

Article was merged into PS2 132.205.45.148 17:57, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

PCMCIA

PCMCIA support was in japanese consoles SCPH-10000 SCPH-15000, SCPH-18000. You give out the arbitrary number "v0" which doesn't make sense because:

> No one refers to the first three Japanese launch editions as v0, the SCPH codes are used.
> It implies there was only one "japanese launch" hardware design (there were three and they are all very different from one another because the 0day Mars2 chip needed to be blocked)
> So many of these consoles got out that sony marketted an external Hard Disk and PCMCIA -> DEV9 adapter to allow the many many people with these early consoles access to later addons. Your article as currently written makes it seem as though not many of these early models were released.

I'd edit myself but this seems to be an important article, so i'll leave it up to the frequent contributors to decide what to do.

71.224.246.205 03:14, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Question to ps2 freaks

Does the PS2 support 5.1 Surround Sound in DVD movies? And will a PS2 purchased in one region play DVDs from another? If not, what does it take to make it play? A modchip? --Idleguy 06:47, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes (needs a certain cable). No. - . For Example --84.184.88.31 21:47, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Immersion Lawsuit

Sony is appealing for the third (and final time) at this point and it seems they will lose again. Consequences (such as ps2 hardware and software being pulled from stores in US) notwithstanding, does anyone want to add a section mentioning the suit? This issue seems to get little to no coverage despite it's importance. Tani unit 05:20, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

Top-Selling game

The Top-Selling game was not Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. The Top-Selling game will be Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City. Gran Turismo 3 only has 150 cars. In Gran Turismo 4, they have over 600 cars. I'll say that Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City will be the Top-Selling game.Some guy

The Top-Selling game is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, not Kingdom Hearts 2. even though GTA: San Andreas has a mod, it is not supposed tobe AO and for some reasons, peoples should not buy PC games because it is harder to use, and way insecure, and the Pings make it hard to communicate. Unless if you know how to play PC games, don't even try it. The PC freezes up a lot. Some guy

the real top-selling game

i went to sony's official website, and looked under top selling games. kingdom hearts 2 is without a doubt the topseller because it is ranked #1 on the list. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carbonox-infernox (talk • contribs) .

Please, give us the link. It is possible you saw the 2005 best selling game only. -- ReyBrujo 04:14, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

okay you want a link? well here it is http://www.us.playstation.com/GM just copy and paste it on your web browser. when you get to the page, look for a collumb on the right that says top selling games. kingdom hearts 2 is on the top of the list. this is straight from the official site for sony, so i don't want to see someone changing the top selling game because this is solid proof. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carbonox-infernox (talk • contribs) .

Have you noticed that in no place it is stated they are the top 10 best selling games? Those are currently the "hottest" games, but that doesn't mean they are sorted by amount of sold games. -- ReyBrujo 03:40, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

oh my god seriously. do you have any idea how they do sort out the hottest games? they call them the hottest games because they are the ones that sell the most, meaning they are the most popular games, which is the same thing as hottest games. and well since they are the top sellers that means they are the top games. obviously, they all mean the same thing. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carbonox-infernox (talk• contribs) .

Hottest game means it is currently selling the most, not that they are the best selling of all times. Don't you find it curious that, curiously, 7 of those 10 games have been released in 2006? Just curious, do you think a game could break all record sales of a 6 year old console with over 5,000 titles selling only for 3 months in Japan and USA, without having been released in Europe? That is pretty hard, you know :-) -- ReyBrujo 02:13, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

you're really giving me a hard time about this aren't ya? i don't really care if its beating 6 year old console games because maybe those old ones just weren't that popular. theres really no way to prove what the top selling game is then if theres no list, it would all be based on opinion which would just start world war 3. so maybe this top game thing should just be changed to hottest game because thats the only one anyone can prove. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carbonox-infernox (talk • contribs) .

ya know what? i'm willing to call a truce between us ok? if you can get solid proof on what the top game should be we'll leave it at that and i will create another tab on that for what the hottest game should be. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carbonox-infernox (talk •contribs) .

A clarification: Just add ~~~~ at the end of your posts to sign them. No need to copy the unsigned stuff, that is actually a reminder for others about who had written a comment. If you have been the one writing it, you should delete all that stuff and replace it with ~~~~. I will take myself some minutes to consider a reply, if possible finding sources to backup me. -- ReyBrujo 02:45, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Ok, how about this? On May 24, 2006, Square Enix released the Financial Results for Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2006 PDF document. This document informs that:

During this fiscal year under review, conditions in the Japanese market were generally harsh, however, such major title releases as “FINAL FANTASY XII” for PlayStation2 (2,380 thousand units in Japan as of March 31, 2006) and “Kingdom Hearts II” (1,150 thousand units in Japan and 1,260 thousand units in North America, ditto) achieved robust sales.

In other words, according to Square Enix, the company that created the game, Kingdom Hearts 2 sold "2,410 thousands" (that is, 2.4m) units as of March 31, 2006. Now, if we take a look at Take-Two Interactive Software press release on March 3, 2005 [4] (that is, released over a year before than Square Enix statement), they state that:

The Company's life to date sales of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas through the end of the first quarter have exceeded 12 million units.

Note that both are official information from game developers. I guess that makes them qualify as "solid proof". Grand Theft Autho: San Andreas sold 12m units until March 2005, while Kingdom Hearts 2 sold 2.4m until March 2006. Is that proof enough for you to probe that Kingdom Hearts 2 is not the best selling game for PlayStation 2, existing at least one title (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) that has sold more than it? -- ReyBrujo 04:27, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Just to clarify things on the official website for sony they stated that kingdom hearts sold 7.5 million units in just the usa. look it up on that link i gave you and click on kingdom hearts 224.15.154.181 15:23, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the link states The KINGDOM HEARTS series has sold over 7.5 million units worldwide. In other words, adding up Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. And even adding both up, they don't match Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sales, do they? Are you convinced now that Kingdom Hearts II isn't the best selling game for PlayStation 2? -- ReyBrujo 22:19, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

hmm, well it looks like i'm beat... or not. lets take a look at sony shall we? assuming they know the difference between top game and hottest game, they would know what to name the list. all that matters now is the list, now wrap your mind aroud it while i say this. the name of the list, the great list of sony, is titled topgame. ya know what? so is the tab we're arguing about. because right now, nothing either of us have said matters. the only thing is sony. even if there is a difference between topgame and hottest game, then sony knows. so i suggest we should just take sony's word for it and stop poking our heads around in conflicted data. And if you don't believe me, i will send an e-mail to sony and get this straightened out, ok? i will then post the e-mail here and it will automatically end this discussion, no more arguing, because from now on, sony's word is law. either i'm wrong, you're wrong, or we're both wrong. we could argue about it for ages, or we can settle this.Carbonox-infernox 13:57, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

Unluckily, sending a mail to Sony to get a reply is original research, and can't be accepted as reference as it lacks a reliable source (Sony is a reliable source, wikipiedian editors are not). I have given you the proofs, documentation from the game developers and links where it is stated that KH2 is not the best selling game. Must all this information be found in the Sony page so that you would consider it valid? ReyBrujo 16:45, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

no, thats not what its about. we just have so much conflicting data that i think instead of sticking around with the smaller companies, we should just go right to the top, because like i said, sony is the best way to go. obviously, these other companies are going to say their games are better than the rest. sony is on neither side and obviousaly they won't have conflicting data. i'm sorry but like i said, we can't base our opinions on these smaller companies. if sony said kingdom hearts 2 is the top game we should take their word for it. and yet again like i said if you still don't believe me and sony then there must be a way to settle this.Carbonox-infernox 22:58, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

alright since i havn't heard from you for a few weeks now i declare this disagreement settled. unless anyone else has any info they would like to argue about, stop changing the top game. i have already made my point.Carbonox-infernox 13:21, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

Vandlasim

Yesterday I removed the vandlasism from this talk page (see history). I don't know if any further action needs to be taken but I thought I would point it out. Oli 17:23, 26 June 2006 (UTC)