The Playstation 2 discussion thread!

[+save2600]

Wish you could just use the USB ports in front of the machine with an external HD, but not possible I guess?

[RARusk]

I've heard of some people using the USB port to run software but that is using the old USB 1.0 standard which is pretty slow by today's standard and you can't upgrade that since that is built into the motherboard. Probably best to use the Network Adapter as a form of USB 3.0 adapter if that can be done at all. Again, I'll do some research on that.

[jhd]

Wish you could just use the USB ports in front of the machine with an external HD, but not possible I guess?

 

I don't know if the driver software exists to support this. I doubt it. As RARusk noted, it would be painfully slow.

 

I think the only "official" use for the USB ports is a keyboard for use with a handful of MMOs (e.g. Everquest). I have only ever seen one for sale; they seem to be rare (or at least not in demand).

 

I have a GameShark that supports moving game saves between a memory card and a USB flash drive, and it will also play MP4 video files from a flash drive. I do not think it supports running games from an external drive.

[Games Of Reference]

I leave this thread for a day and a myriad of posts spring up. Better get to work!

 

I was quite late getting my PS 2 -- I only bought it in 2008. The slim model was still available at retail, if not especially plentiful, and the games were still widely available, both new and used.

 

I subsequently bought another slim (new in open box) as a spare/backup system.

 

Before the PS 2, I had an original PlayStation; I bought it second-hand in about 2004. There are a few games that will not work on the PS 2 -- among them Final Fantasy Tactics -- so it still gets some use.

 

I have no desire to own a system that requires regular software updates (or online DRM, etc.), so I do not ever see myself moving on to a PS 3 or 4.

 

I would like to get PS 2 with the hard drive installed, but so far I have not found one. I check every console that I see at thrift shops, just in case.

 

I was also fairly late in getting my PS2 (it was around 2006-ish, if I remember correctly). And the constant software updates do get annoying on later consoles. Nothing worse than trying to play Battlefield for the first time only to be confronted with an 8-hour long download (although admittedly my internet isn't all that good).

 

You're not going to find a PS2 with a hard drive installed out in the wild - it's mainly a DIY project. It's a bit of effort but once you get it working properly you will never want to use the DVD-ROM drive again. However, not all games will work with a hard drive but I have not heard of anything regarding an SD Card reader replacement for the DVD-ROM drive. My PS2 modification "wish list" includes, in addition to the SD Card DVD-ROM replacement, a device that will allow me to use my PS3 and PS4 controllers on the PS2 and a true HDMI mod that uses the raw digital signals off of the motherboard not upscaling the Component Video to HDMI. I intend to put an SD Card reader into a second Network Adapter I acquired and use those for my games but I have been busy with other gaming projects to do that.

 

I am entirely clueless on the modding scene for consoles, so probably best not to ask me on that subject. Seems like others are much more knowledgeable on the subject than I.

 

 

I bought it on launch, after the PS1 and Dreamcast I was waiting to get my hands on it. I think the first few games I played were Metal Gear and Onimusha. God of War blew me away late in its life cycle, I bought it mainly for action games like Devil May Cry and RPGs...there's a hidden Gem of a western RPG called Drakhen the Ancients gates and of course Champions of Norrath and Baldur's Gate.

Lots of good stuff to play forever, Shadow Hearts, Persona, Ratchet & Clank...... weird stuff too like mister mosquito etc. I have a modded slim and a modded fat with a drive but also have my original. The PCSX2 emulator on PC is pretty damn sweet if you can get it to work.

 

 

There are a lot of hidden gems released for the PS2, which people don't talk about, as well as the classics. Guess that's why it has endured so long!

 

While it isn't exactly a 'gem' (and possibly not that hidden) is Road Trip Adventure. In these days where most racing games are fairly realistic, this game focuses mainly on exploration, with a surprisingly big world for the PS2. You can discover hidden mini-games, and do a bit of racing as well. While the driving may not be stellar, I remember liking it a lot as a kid.

 

 

What about Final Fantasy 11?

 

The game package include a hard drive (albeit a small one). It was clearance priced at Radio Shack (in Canada, at least) ca. 2006 when the Slim model replaced the original, and it ceased to be supported. Perhaps they are all still in the hands of collectors, but I will continue to search.

 

Huh, I never knew any game on the PS2 was bundled with a hard drive. That is actually quite the cool and useful bit of info.

[Games Of Reference]

Hey guys! I have found a video by a guy named ColourShedProductions on YouTube. I have been subscribed to him for a while, and I felt that his content was so good that I needed to share it. Here you go, a review of Gran Turismo 4!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMrhesoD1R8

 

This has got me thinking: What is your opinion on Gran Turismo 4? It was one of my first ever racing games, so it is fairly special to me. I have lost many, many hours to it. The difficulty is weird in it though, as you could theoretically use overpowered cars in any event, but the driving in it is fantastic for the PS2.

[MarioX]

Hey guys! I have found a video by a guy named ColourShedProductions on YouTube. I have been subscribed to him for a while, and I felt that his content was so good that I needed to share it. Here you go, a review of Gran Turismo 4!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMrhesoD1R8

 

This has got me thinking: What is your opinion on Gran Turismo 4? It was one of my first ever racing games, so it is fairly special to me. I have lost many, many hours to it. The difficulty is weird in it though, as you could theoretically use overpowered cars in any event, but the driving in it is fantastic for the PS2.

 

I hated both Gran Turismo 3 and 4. Just too slow for my taste. After playing Forza 1 on the original Xbox I couldn't go back and play them as I felt Forza did everything better. I do find Tourist Trophy extremely fun though, which is like Gran Turismo but with motorcycles.

[spacecadet]

This has got me thinking: What is your opinion on Gran Turismo 4?

 

It's probably the last driving game I got *really* into. Driving games used to be probably my favorite genre, and the original Gran Turismo was definitely one of the games responsible for that. GT3 was kind of stripped down, as seems to now be the pattern for GT games (first GT on a console is barebones, second one builds it back up). But GT4 was insane with the number of cars and stuff to do. I probably put 100 hours into that game.

[Games Of Reference]

 

I hated both Gran Turismo 3 and 4. Just too slow for my taste. After playing Forza 1 on the original Xbox I couldn't go back and play them as I felt Forza did everything better. I do find Tourist Trophy extremely fun though, which is like Gran Turismo but with motorcycles.

 

I do agree that both games are quite slow to progress, but I personally believe that the amount of content outweighs this. I can see how that that would turn off many people. However, I also prefer Forza, because irs progression makes for a better overall game, ​while Gran Turismo makes for a great simulation. ​It's a matter of preference really.

 

 

It's probably the last driving game I got *really* into. Driving games used to be probably my favorite genre, and the original Gran Turismo was definitely one of the games responsible for that. GT3 was kind of stripped down, as seems to now be the pattern for GT games (first GT on a console is barebones, second one builds it back up). But GT4 was insane with the number of cars and stuff to do. I probably put 100 hours into that game.

 

I totally agree. 700 cars on a PS2 with only a single disc? How'd they manage that?

 

Gran Turismo, while a bit dry at times, normally makes up for it with sheer amounts of content.

[iesposta]

I got my PS2 (fat) from a friend who owes me money. An ex-girlfriend left it at his house.

He didn't use it so I took it home and I am still using it.

I bought new games for it as it this was the last few years new games were still coming out.

I liked the Rockband / Guitar Hero / Karaoke games too, up until The Beatles game did not get a PS2 release.

 

I know most will not play DVD movies to save the laser operation for the games.

I always heard that the PS2, compared to a DVD player, has a poor DVD movie playback.

I was stunned to see how great a movie looks connected with the PS2 RGB output!

Sony blocks DVD movie playback through RGB by making the movie green!

I needed to buy DVD Region X that allows the PS2 to play DVD movies through the R G B connection. And then to learn there are DVD players that connect with RGB actually sold, but just aren't well known in the U.S.A.

My model is too old and doesn't have the 480p option for DVD movie playback.

 

Also, RGB can't carry 480p, so games like Burnout 3 Takedown look better in 480p output through good Component cables.

That and God of War 2 both have 480p options. Grand Turismo 4 has 1080i.

 

Anyone ever try those wide-screen mods? I have only read about them.

I know Sony knew about 4:3 and 16:9 because you have that option in the setting screen.

I bet they didn't foresee that since a game like God of War is programmed in a 3D world, that people would hack the output to show the far right and far left sides in full 16:9 that is in the game but "cropped".

The game hacks that show more of the game in 16:9, and the RGB output are my 2 "mind=blown" PS2 moments.

 

I recently took it completely apart, cleaned the laser lens (and the lens underneath the lens - yes there are 2 that get dirty), and replaced the 80GB Hard Drive with a 128GB SSD.

A USB laptop drive plays PS1 games (because Sony released then quickly pulled a PS3 or was it a PS4 game that was actually an emulation of the of the PS1). That immediately let people play PS1 back-ups from USB which was impossible until very recently. The real PS1 games always played in the DVD drive.

I recently discovered PS1 Asteroids, which is a 3D evolution, that also has the vector original game. It unlocks when you get a bit into the levels!

[RARusk]

The reason that you get a green screen when trying to play movies in RGB is because the PS2 will switch back to Component Video for as long as the movie is in the drive. This is what causes the green screen effect. The reason the PS2 does this is because the MacroVision copy protection signal can be embedded in Component Video but not in RGB. In addition, the PS2 can do 480p RGB but you need a Composite Sync-on-Green monitor. Sony did not make a Composite Sync line for their AV plugs so, if you want to use RGB, you need to extract the sync from regular video if you use 480i RGB. This is generally done with easy to use chips such as the popular LM1881. A handful of monitors will allow you to put in regular video for sync thus eliminating the need to build your own circuit. However, for 480p, the PS2 shuts off the standard video and puts the sync on the green line. Only a handful of monitors can do 480i RGB, 480p RGB, and Composite Sync-on-Green. I actually have one which is a bit old and I don't know if it can still work but I intend to keep it until there is some kind of HDMI solution for the PS2. Also, there is a disc called the HDTV Player by Blaze that will allow you to force 480p on a lot of games even if they don't have the option built in. Makes a lot of games, including the GTA series, look a lot better and you can use it with Component Video if your TV supports progressive scan.

[iesposta]

That makes sense. I knew there would probably be a hardware solution.

 

I thought I had to order the correct PS2 to SCART with sync-on-green to use RGB, but you are saying it doesn't even the signal on the green? Maybe DVD Region X reroutes that signal in software, because it works?

 

I'm upscaling with the Framemeister XRGB-mini, and the software:

DVD Region X allows the PS2 to play DVD movies through the R G B connection.

I needed to buy the real DVD. I could find no way to use a disc image of it to play DVD over RGB.

You just boot DVD Region X, choose the region of your movie, and swap it with the movie and it just works.

Also it is not changing the hardware Region because that can only be done so many times before it locks, right?

 

Probably very few people have done this in the US. Even users of DVD Region X would have bought it to play imported DVD's, but probably not using RGB.

[RARusk]

Sync-on-Green only happens when you use progressive scan in RGB. DVD Region X shuts off the PS2's ability to do Component Video forceback when watching movies so you don't get the green screen effect. The PS2 didn't have any kind of firmware so there was nothing to mess up in regards to changing regions for movie watching. If your PS2 motherboard is old enough you can attach a ground wire to a specific point on the motherboard to permanently shut off Component Video forceback. However, this won't do anything regarding region changing for DVDs.

[Mulletino]

I love the PS2. I couldn't afford one when it came out as my then gf couldn't work due to VISA restrictions (for her Fiance VISA) and I was supporting us both while paying a mortgage and facing redundancy.

I'd been after Duke Nukem Land of the Babes on PS1 but held off getting it, anyway, my gf could work again and got her first office job, she got her first paycheck and surprised me with the Duke Nukem game, followed by a PS2 and two games!

 

I have many fond memories of gaming on that system, including being part of the Sony beta trials where they'd send us discs to test, back when nearly every game required a different gamertag/logon so you had to get in quick to nab your usual one every time a new network enabled game came out! You also had to do a fair bit of config to get the Network Adaptor to work with different ISPs etc.

 

Anyway, I still have that very same PS2, my first, still working and powering the arcade table I made with an internal HDD (connected to the NA) with as many retro compilations I can get my hands on:

 

[vw57drvr]

What about Final Fantasy 11?

 

The game package include a hard drive (albeit a small one). It was clearance priced at Radio Shack (in Canada, at least) ca. 2006 when the Slim model replaced the original, and it ceased to be supported. Perhaps they are all still in the hands of collectors, but I will continue to search.

 

I have this hard drive ff11 bundle.

[Byron's Reviews]

Hello everyone!

 

I have just uploaded a review to my YouTube channel, Byron's Reviews of Asteroids on the PS1. The creator of this thread, Games Of Reference also starrs in it!

 

It may not be specifically related to the PlayStation 2 but seeing as the PS2 is backwards compatable, I thought I would post a link to the video here in case it peaked the interest of any PlayStation fans!

 

I would appriciate it very much if you could check the review out. It can be found linked below.

 

Feedback is greatly appreciated and I hope you all have a great day.

 

Edited February 26, 2017 by Byron's Reviews

[Games Of Reference]

Hello everyone!

 

I have just uploaded a review to my YouTube channel, Byron's Reviews of Asteroids on the PS1. The creator of this thread, Games Of Reference also starrs in it!

 

It may not be specifically related to the PlayStation 2 but seeing as the PS2 is backwards compatable, I thought I would post a link to the video here in case it peaked the interest of any PlayStation fans!

 

I would appriciate it very much if you could check the review out. It can be found linked below.

 

Feedback is greatly appreciated and I hope you all have a great day.

 

 

This game is fantastic! I absolutely loved the PS1 Asteroids when we played it. Anyone who liked the original should at least try this more modern version, as it adds many new hazards and gameplay elements. It even has the original Asteroids, which unlocks less than an hour into the single player. Thanks for sharing the review Byron!

[Games Of Reference]

I love the PS2. I couldn't afford one when it came out as my then gf couldn't work due to VISA restrictions (for her Fiance VISA) and I was supporting us both while paying a mortgage and facing redundancy.

I'd been after Duke Nukem Land of the Babes on PS1 but held off getting it, anyway, my gf could work again and got her first office job, she got her first paycheck and surprised me with the Duke Nukem game, followed by a PS2 and two games!

 

I have many fond memories of gaming on that system, including being part of the Sony beta trials where they'd send us discs to test, back when nearly every game required a different gamertag/logon so you had to get in quick to nab your usual one every time a new network enabled game came out! You also had to do a fair bit of config to get the Network Adaptor to work with different ISPs etc.

 

Anyway, I still have that very same PS2, my first, still working and powering the arcade table I made with an internal HDD (connected to the NA) with as many retro compilations I can get my hands on:

 

 

That is a very cool arcade cabinet you have there, it certainly looks the part. It makes me want to make one myself, even though I lack any technical know-how . An innovative way to play retro classics!

 

Thanks for sharing your cool creation with all of us, Mullentino!

[LutzfromOz]

I went to the store to buy a used PlayStation and a copy of Twisted Metal. I wound up getting a ps2 and tm2 instead. Great times. That was my first DVD player, too.

I stuck with Namco museum and similar compilations, the tm series, and tomb raider 1. And demolition racer.

 

that demolition racer is an underrated gem, got it on the ps1 and dreamcast, just a little history that game was published by infogrames in like 2000, but at the time infogrames owned the rights to atari

[dj_convoy]

 

that demolition racer is an underrated gem, got it on the ps1 and dreamcast, just a little history that game was published by infogrames in like 2000, but at the time infogrames owned the rights to atari

Our minds were blown when we found the Dreamcast version, which is essentially Demo Racer 1.5. Love that game!

[LutzfromOz]

Our minds were blown when we found the Dreamcast version, which is essentially Demo Racer 1.5. Love that game!

 

oh hell yeah, I got it on dreamcast pretty late, but better late than never. I got it on the ps1 back in Christmas 2001, then that new years a couple of my mates come over and we played it, managed to total my mates car by landing on him after getting some air, and he was like can I borrow this game? and I'm like hell no... ive had this game for less than a week, and also he did not look after his ps1 games at all, they were scratched to the max beyond repair. why I was friends with someone so negligent... its a complicated story that spans many years

[SiberianSpForces]

I'm on my 3rd fat PS2, as the other 2 had A/V problems making it unplayable. I have a Flip top lid for the 30001 that I had to modify for my current 39001. Then a whole flip top clear shell for a 50001. Along with Swap Disc, I have burned a few rare games and imports. My big reason for the flip top(s) was to play the PAL Ico I have. The latest pick ups are the Fatal Fury and Capcom collection games. I'm also thinking of doing up a hard drive for it. I believe I have the program on the PC and a spare IDE HDD.

[RARusk]

I'm on my 3rd fat PS2, as the other 2 had A/V problems making it unplayable. I have a Flip top lid for the 30001 that I had to modify for my current 39001. Then a whole flip top clear shell for a 50001. Along with Swap Disc, I have burned a few rare games and imports. My big reason for the flip top(s) was to play the PAL Ico I have. The latest pick ups are the Fatal Fury and Capcom collection games. I'm also thinking of doing up a hard drive for it. I believe I have the program on the PC and a spare IDE HDD.

Have you made up a Free McBoot card with Open PS2 Loader installed? You'll need that first before you can do hard driving on the PS2. Also, how big is your HDD?

[SiberianSpForces]

Have you made up a Free McBoot card with Open PS2 Loader installed? You'll need that first before you can do hard driving on the PS2. Also, how big is your HDD?

I've heard of McBoot, though I have yet to look into it. I'll have to check the space on the hdd.

[RARusk]

I've heard of McBoot, though I have yet to look into it. I'll have to check the space on the hdd.

Yeah, you're going to need to do a FMCB card with OPS2L before you can use hard drives. Apparently there is a way to install FMCB onto the hard drive and use in in conjunction with the HDD OS that came with Final Fantasy XI. However, that OS was only designed to use 40GB drives. But, at last check, it was patched to use up to 128GB drives which is good enough for a small collection. When they finally manage to patch it to use 2TB drives then I will play with it and eliminate the need for a card.

[SiberianSpForces]

Cool. Got a Maxtor 120GB drive. I looked at r/PS2 and a redditor sells loaded Sony cards for $10+shipping. I've messaged them and am waiting for the PayPal invoice.