The Playstation's diet! (Sony Playstation 2)

Member Name: lilly2006

Product:	Sony Playstation 2
Date:	31/08/06 (845 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: smaller, less noise, better features

Disadvantages: flimsy lid, silver style more expensive

<<< Playstation History >>>

Sony brought out there first games console in 1994 aptly named 'Playstation' which was competing against the likes of Sega's Saturn and Nintendo's Ultra 64.

But with its sleek design it managed to become a serious rival for Nintendo and Sega and so it begins…..

A few years later after masses of sales Playstation introduced the analog controller more recognizable as the dual shock controller. The two analogue sticks give the player more control and built in vibration gives a more realistic feel to every game.

The Playstation2 launched in 2000 and was a huge hit in Japan with sales hitting 1 million in just 2 days (blimey!)


<<<What you get? >>>

The content of the box consists of a surprising small console. I didn't actually realise how small it was! Also comes with one controller depends on what package you want, because you can also get bundle deals with games as well.

I got mine from Argos was about £114, which is the cheapest I've seen it.

Also it comes with the appropriate leads to connect to the TV and is quite simple to connect, even I can do it and I'm shocking at stuff like this.

Here's a quick step by step guide:

• Firstly position the console where you want it.
• Insert the AC adaptor into the back, which is marked up AC Adaptor
• Into the other end of the adaptor connect the AC power cord and then plug into the wall socket.
• Connect the AV cable to the other slot in the back of the console, on the other end are there cables coloured red, white and yellow, connect these into the Euro-AV Connector plug and then plug this into the back of your TV! (Very simple!)

As always with these things there are the INSTRUCTIONS, very handy!

So a quick run down of the contents:

1 > Console
2 > Analogue Controller (DUALSHOCK 2)
3 > Euro-AV Connector Plug
4 > AV Cable (integrated audio/video
5 > AC Adaptor
6 > AC Power Cord
7 > Instructions


<<< Spec >>>

Right, down to the nitty gritty and what this baby can actually do….

The PS2 has quite an impressive 32MB system memory, you can buy 8MB memory cards and they also come in the satin silver, if you have the silver PS2.

It also has a 300 MHz processor and the graphics are really good even now seeing as the PS2 is coming up to being 5 years old. Games look realistic and flow really smoothly.

Sound is top quality and adds to the experience of the game, this may be due to the 48 channel sound system and the 3D surround sound.

The console also has the opportunity to play with the interactive EyeToy USB Camera which goes with games like SingStar.

Another added bonus is the DVD home entertainment that you can enjoy with this, you can also play personally recorded DVD's this is so nice to be able to have a DVD and Playstation 2 and is such a great feature to have.

Playstation also offers a DVD remote (also in Silver) so you don't have to keep plugging in the controller to play the DVD. The PS2 has a built in IR receive to accommodate the remote control.

The PS2 slim line differs also from the normal PS2 in the reduction of noise and you don't have the whirl of the fan or disk spinning and so is great for when you are watching a DVD.

There is also a parental control password feature, so little ones can't watch a 15 or 18 film without a 4 digit password being entered.


<<< Looks >>>

== Vital Stats ==

• Internal volume about 23% of the current model
• Weight - Approximately 900g
• Weight about 45% of the current model
• Power requirements - DC 8.5V
• Electrical current consumption (power consumption) - Approximately 5.3A (approximately 45W)
• Compatible format - PlayStation format CD-ROM
• PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM
• PlayStation 2 format DVD-ROM
• Audio CD
• DVD-Video
• DVD-RW (VR mode)

The Slimline PS2 is just 2.8cm thick and 230mm in width and it no longer looks bulky buy stylishly small, the memory card slots and control slots are in the same place. The reset and on/off button have been combined into one and the Disk slot not flips up rather then opens out.

I sit mine on top of my TV, but you can also buy the vertical stands to either put it to the side or wherever takes you fancy.

You can get the normal plain black slimline or Satin silver which is the one I have, the silver I found was slightly more expensive as you can easily pick up a black one for under £100 on its own.


<<< Playstation 2 accessories >>>

Accessories that are available to buy are:

1 > Dual shock controllers
2 > 8MB Memory cards
3 > Multitap
4 > DVD Remote Control
5 > Vertical Stand
6 > Eye Toy USB Camera
7 > Sing Star Microphone


<<< So after all the slimming down, was it worth it? >>>

The PS2 itself is brilliant with excellent graphics quality and sound and the range of games that Playstation have under there belts are quite impressive, they differ from Xbox etc so it's not just about the console but the games that you can play.

For example Tomb Raider is exclusive to Playstation.

Not only does the console look better and sound better, it's quieter; it's got more and better features.

The only disadvantage I can see is that the lid which pops up is a little flimsy, but apart from that there are no major disadvantages.

Overall I think this is a massive success for Sony, they have reinvented the normal PS2 and made it more desirable.


Thanks for reading!

Summary: Not completely worth the update, the slimline model is more about looks then anything else!