PlayStation2

A big advantage for owners of the original PlayStation is that they will not have to discard their existing game collection, because the PlayStation2 is designed to be compatible with most (although not all) software for the classic PlayStation game system.

The new PlayStation2 also doubles as a DVD player. If you get tired of playing the latest games, you can choose from thousands of digital-quality movies--many of which feature fancy extras that are unavailable on videotape, such as alternate audio tracks, unreleased bonus footage, and DVD-ROM games. In addition, the PlayStation2 can play your favorite audio CDs.

While the PlayStation2 delivers a slam-dunk entertainment experience directly out of the box, this system also is wired for the future with two USB ports, an i.Link (IEEE 1394/Firewire) interface, and a Type III PCMCIA expansion slot. As a result, the system soon will allow owners to access broadband Internet content directly on their TV sets. Sony eventually is expected to distribute music, games, and other cool content digitally--and directly--to PlayStation2 owners via the Internet. --Brett Atwood

The games I played were about average, I'm not really into Tekken, but Ridge Racer V was great fun. So far the graphics are on par if not a tad better then the Dreamcast. True the games we played did have an AA issues, but then again, so do most Dreamcast games (Virtua Tennis-just look at the net, NFL2k2-any cinematic view, being picky isn't it? same deal). I wouldn't even consider the AA problem a problem because the problem was in hasted programming. I believe that if Namco had more time, the games would have seemed more polished. Now don't get me wrong, the graphics were great and the games were fun, but I don't believe anyone has really dug deep into the potential of the ps2. That is, until he showed me the Metal Gear Solid 2 DVD video trailer. Anyone who got to see this video will instantly be shocked at the fluid motion and amount of detail. Now this is what I'm talking about! this is the future of what the ps2 can handle. This looks revolutionary, this is what people have been waiting for. Then it occured to me. One, the ps2 is still in its infancy, we all can't expect revolutionary games from the get go, what are we supposed to expect? The developers need time to learn the programming tools for the system. Look at history, the Japanese Dreamcast launch was a joke, Pen Pen Triathoon, Godzilla anyone? At least the ps2 launch in Japan was better then the DC launch. Now look at how succesful the American launch for the DC was. Ummmhhmmm, trust me the American ps2 launch will be great. I believe that the ps2 will be just like the playstation, with way better graphics, and way more options. I consider the ability for the ps2 to play DVD's icing on the cake. The picture and sound quality are just as good as any $400 player. And in the future when they relase games on DVD, not only will the graphics and sound quality increase, but so will the storage capacity since a dual layered DVD can hold 3.25 gb. And in the future when sony releases it's hard-drive modem then we'll be able to play games with broadband and download games and movies all onto the hard drive. In closing all I have to say is don't buy into the negative hype, I like the Dreamcast and unlike my other Dreamcast owners I choose to like the ps2 also, instead of trying to critisize it. The future looks bright for Sony, [release day] will be a great day for me.


Why PS2 is a must have   September 19, 2000
BB (USA)
205 out of 228 found this review helpful

I felt I should chime in after reading "gamers" review. Now I know that is not a Sega vs Sony discussion group, but I felt the argument presented against the PS2 was flawed.

1) Price, yes it will cost more than the Dreamcast, (same price as the PS1 at launch), but all of your current PS games and controllers, and memory cards will be supported. In fact sony has offically announced (www.videogames.com) that the PS2 will enhance certain PS1 games.

2) No, the PS2 does not come with a 56K modem, and it doesn't use leaded gasoline either. Any true PC based game knows that online gaming and phone modems are dead. The PS2 will be ethernet ready to provide support for both cable and DSL modem support.

3) It is a DVD player! Why is this bad. What if you purchased a Dreamcast and a seperate DVD player and someone wants to watch a movie, same problem. In fact a remote is available for purchase, or Universal remotes to work.

4) Monster 3rd party support...EA PS2 Madden 2001 has features that the Dreamcast version doesn't have, and the PS2 will have 30 launch titles. Add this to all the PS games you already own, and you are a gaming, movie watchin' fool!

Note: I own a Dreamcast and have been very dissapointed with the lack of games and support from Sega (I shouldn't be surprised). Even rumors of Sega abandoning the hardware business (www.videogames.com, EGM)sour me on the future of the system. The job by Sony creating an entertainment console, with the customers in mind (full backward compatibility, haven't seen that since the Atari 7800), foreshadows years of continued entertainment


playstation 2 review   April 8, 2000
285 out of 325 found this review helpful

Remember when you upgraded from the snes or megadrive to the playstation 1 for the first time? Remember when you had sore thumbs for a fortnight from playing on wipeout continously? Well get ready to feel like it all over again. The graphics are astounding and are photorealistic. Everything is just so ergonomic and well designed for the game player in mind. The sound is breahtaking especially if linked with an av processor. I don't play driving games much on the playstation 1 but have been playing ridge racer 5 continously for 2 weeks. The detail possible with this machine is astounding. You can actually feel as if you're there on the racing circuit. It's a shame that there is so little software for it at the moment. Finally game developers can finally realise all their ambitions in designing their games. I've got a dreamcast as well and this is just so much better and so much cooler. The dreamcast is a bit like a playstation but in high resolution mode and with more colours. The playstation 2 is on a completely different level. The graphics I'd say where better than some of the dedicated sega arcade machines and run flicker free without any slowdown.


Inside Info on PS2   October 2, 2000
Tom C (Seattle, WA USA)
54 out of 58 found this review helpful

To all those people out there who say the DVD quality on the PS2 will be bad are wrong. The japanese version has bad DVD playback due to the DVD drivers being stored on the memory card. The American version has built in hardware support for DVD playback and so the quality will be much higher. My father works for Sony Computer Entertainement, which is resonsible for the creation of the PS2 and I have played the AMERICAN console, the DVD quality is, as i said earlier much better.


Good system, there are a few things to consider however   April 23, 2000
190 out of 221 found this review helpful

I got a chance to play an import PS2 yesterday. I played Tekken Tag Tournament. The game was awesome. By far the best Tekken game yet. The backgrounds were incredible, but not really anything better than Namco's Soul Calibur for Dreamcast. In my opinion, Soul Calibur's characters flowed better, and had a little bit more realism. This also is not Sony's fault. Namco made the game, not Sony. OK, there's no doubt that PS2 has the hardware to produce awesome graphics, but do developers know how to tap into this hardware? If PS2 is only going to give out graphics comperable to Dreamcast, why spend the extra money. Well, I'd say the backwards compatability has to be it's srongest point. Even more so than the ability to play DVD movies. Everyone knows what great games are out there for Playstation now. Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil series, Syphon Filter, FF VII & FF VIII, to name a few. If you're like me and doesn't have a Playstation, it's a nice little bonus to know that I'll be able to play all these games on PS2. If you want to be able to watch movies out of your video game console, then PS2 is the one to get. If you're a hardcore gamer and don't really watch movies that much, you may not use the DVD feature; but it's always going to be there. Who knows, you may want to rent a DVD once in a while. While a US release is still a while away, I think PS2 is definately going to dominate the console market, just like Playstation did. If you already have a Playstation, wait until a little more info on the launch titles is available before you make your final choice, because if you can play the current games, you'll be getting this system for the PS2 games. If you think you are going to want one, reserve it now, because come fall 2000, those little black boxes are going to be scarce.