Question about PS2

[edweird13]

I just recently got a PS2. It is the old kind. It wil play Guitar Hero 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance but will not play any version of Gran Turismo 4. Is there a firmware upgrade that I can do or should I send it off and get it chipped?

[dalton4life]

It's probably just the laser. PS2 lasers are notorious for being pretty crappy across the board.

[SpendTooMuchOnAtari]

It most likely won't play any of the game discs that have that blue bottom either, I'm sure that those kind of discs have a name but I'm technologically challenged.

 

I've never bought a used disc-based game system, mainly because I am....you guessed it.....

technologically challenged and would have no idea what to do with it. Good luck though, I hope you can get it straightened out.

[liveinabin]

The blue based discs are CD-ROMS (rather than DVD-ROM). I think the problem you're having is playing dual layer DVD-ROM discs.

Not really much of a solution to that AFAIK, looks like your laser is a bit off. That said, what better day for it as today, 16th May, back in 1960, the first ever laser beam was demonstrated. So, while yours is f****d, at least it's topical

[Ryanw]

I had a TON of problems with my laser for a three year period between 2003 and 2005 (got my PS2 in 02). After I cleaned it, I haven't had any problems reading games, but actual DVD movies, music CD's, and PS1 games... thats another story.

 

So if you know what your doing, just try to get the dust of your laser reader, that might be the problem.

[KrazyKaiju]

When the PS2 drive is getting ready to go, it usually looses the ability to read dual layer discs first. You can try adjusting the laser, but it's only a temporary fix. The drive will start sounding 'off' before it finally fails. Normally you hear the laser actuator move once or twice while it's seeking, then it quiets down while it reads. It's hard to describe, but there is a rhythm to it when the system is working properly. If the disc you're using is clean but you hear the drive seeking a part of the disc several times before finally reading, your console is boned.

 

The fat PS2 has one of the worst optical drives ever put into a console. Sony used the cheapest possible parts when they built these things and it shows.

[shadow460]

The blue based discs are CD-ROMS (rather than DVD-ROM). I think the problem you're having is playing dual layer DVD-ROM discs.

Not really much of a solution to that AFAIK, looks like your laser is a bit off. That said, what better day for it as today, 16th May, back in 1960, the first ever laser beam was demonstrated. So, while yours is f****d, at least it's topical

 

I thought blue bottom dicsc were all CD-ROM unitl I got Raiden III. The top label says DVD-ROM, yet the bottom is blue. Arctic Thunder is blue and it carries the CD-ROM label.

 

Anyway, I'd check to see if all your other games aren't CD-ROM. GT4 is on DVD, and the laser has two "modes" (if you will), one to read each type of disc.

 

Also, are there any USB devices plugged in, and are they working? GT4 acts really weird sometimes with the original Driving Force, and it's due to shoddy construction in the Driving Force wheel. This can be corrected with a soldering iron or a hammer--take your pick. Try booting the game with no peripherals attached and see what happens. Pull the hard drive/LAN brick while you're at it.

 

I don't recommend trying to adjust the laser at home. Proper adjustments require special tools that the home user probably won't have. Improper adjustment can kill the laser diode. It's better to obtain a new laser assembly and just drop that in place into the console.

Also, follow Ryan's advice--clean the laser first. If you open the console, put a bit of lithium grease on the gears that move the laser head back and forth, too.

 

IMO, since it refuses to play GT4, you're not really missing much anyway...

Edited May 17, 2008 by shadow460