I have been owning Sony Playstation 2 for about 2 months now and so far I am mostly very, very satisfied.

Despite its initial great design and looks (it weighs about 4 pounds) this blue and black beauty hides a very powerful hardware inside it.

Most of you already know almost all of the specifications of this wonder machine, but if some of you don't know them, you can alwasy visit the address below:

http://www.scea.com/news/press_example.asp?ps2=ps2&ReleaseID=9

Many people still confuse the Sony Playstation and Sony Playstation 2. And due to the fact that their names differentiate only in the number behind the name, that is naturally very logical. The number 2 behind the name should logically mean a successor, but in this case, Sony should have named this machine something like Sony PlayWonder as PS2 really does have little in common with PS1.

PS1 offered its users "just" playing games, but PS2 offers much, much more.
Sony Playstation 2 offers its users:
-PS2 games (also playing them over the internet)
-DVD movies
-CD-Audio
-Many very useful add-ons (so far PS2 Memory Card, Multitap for up to 4 players, various cables, DVD remote controller etc.)

Lets go a step at a time...
Games are the reason many people buy consoles. And I was also one of them (but far from being the only reason).
So far, there have been many very good PS2 titles such as:
SSX, Tekken Tag Tournament, NBA Street, EA Sports titles (FIFA 2001, NHL 2001, NBA LIVE 2001 etc.), Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore etc., but somehow I am still waiting for some more great titles, especially the driving genre, where games are few and far between, not to even mention strategies.

Games are the only thing which bothers me about PS2, especially coming from a small country in Europe, where many of the newer games haven't even hit the stores, and probably won't for quite a while too.
PS2 really is a multi-device which has in contrast to PS1 a different target group (adults and children as oppose to just children), but I still think Sony has chosen bad tactics regarding PS2's games department.
Even those who buy it for watching DVD movies, will also want it for playing games (such as myself), but if the games are rare (which they are) and especially if the good games are rare (which so far they are) they will not be satisfied.
There are many good titles coming to PS2, but that is at the end of this year or at the beginning of the next. Imagine when they will be coming to my country!
I have bought PS2 for many reasons, not just for playing games, but I am really disappointed with Sony's tactics regarding PS2 games as I intended to play them right away or maybe wait for a month or two, not wait for 2 years to play its games.
But if I can judge the games or the good games for PS2 so far, I can safely say, that PS2 can offer great games and with graphics which won't be seen on PC for at least 2 years. And considering the fact, that you will be able to buy add-ons for your PS2, such as hard drive, LCD monitor, mouse, you are basically also owning a PC.
And also with the mouse, this also opens the gate for strategy games wide open, which many complained and criticised the PS2 for not having. And this also means better playing those first-person shooters. Basically the PC, besides the more powerful hardware (which leads to many crashes and conflicts) and business programs (Word, Excel etc.) offers nothing that PS2 can't match or surpass!

On to the next goodie...DVD movies

Though I am not a computer expert, I can tell you that the DVD picture quality while also depending on your TV is great on the PS2. It is crystal clear and it has no colour problems or any other graphical problem for that matter.
But as I wrote, that also depends on your TV and also on the cable for the connection between the PS2 and your TV.
People will argue and recommend you various cables, but in my opinion, if you have a port for S-Video, buy the S-Video cable for best picture quality. And also if you can afford it, buy a TV with as much refresh frequency as possible (100 HZ is very good).
The only thing that bothers me here, is that if you want to move on or move backwards the movie, it takes a long long time, as the "search" is very low on the PS2. But then again, all DVD movies have scene selections, though I know that is a bad comfort.
I also feel the need to warn you, if you will be trying to watch erotic DVD movies, the PS2 has a special code called "parental control", which means that you can't watch the movie, unless you type in a four-digit code. By the way, the default code for "parental control is: 7444. But parents, type in the code, and change it so that your children won't be able to watch the unwanted movies.

On the PS2 you can also listen to audio CD's, just as you can on your hi-fi or your computer. Though the interface isn't all that eye-pleasing, the audio quality is actually very good. You can plug in speakers of all kinds, as PS2 supports Dolby Digital, 5.1. So, the audio quality also depends a lot on the output your PS2 is connected to.
There is difference if you want to listen to audio CD's on an old TV or if you want to listen to them on Dolby Digital speakers. If you can afford it, go for it. It surely adds a new dimension to watching movies and listening to music in general.

As I have already mentioned, Sony is planning on making and selling all sorts of add-ons for PS2. Some of them have already come out, such as a very useful and fast memory card, multitap for up to 4 players, DVD remote controller (3rd party developer).
But a lot more goodies are scheduled later this year, such as LCD monitor (same color as PS2), mouse, DVD remote controller (Sony), hard drive (40 GB and later a whopping 80 GB), 16 MB memory card etc.

All these add-ons, leave PS2 with limitless possibilites.
Whether you are gamer, a movie-nut, a music-listener, or just someone who enjoys all of these things, by buying this small wonder, you can't go wrong, guaranteed!
I have paid roughly $400 for it, but most of you can get for $300 (I heard that the price will go down very soon), but it is worth every penny of it, and I would actually pay even more than I paid for it.
Oh, I also forgot to mention, that when you buy PS2, besides getting all the necessary cables and demo games, you also get a controller, which deserves 5 stars, as it is exceptionally well-made. It is rock solid, has great functionality, is very eye-pleasing and it even vibrates.
For $30 you can buy a couple and you will be very glad you did.

Great job, Sony, now just give us some more good games to play on it!


















Recommended: Yes