PlayStation 2 Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sony's second video game console, after the PlayStation. Its development was announced in April 1999, and it was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000. It was released in the United States on 26 October 2000.
The PS2 can read and play both Compact Discs and DVDs, making it backwards compatible with older PS1 games and allowing for playback of DVD Video and the more technically advanced PS2 games. The ability to play DVD movies allowed consumers to more easily justify the PS2's relatively high price tag as it removed the necessity of purchasing an external DVD player.
When it was released, the PS2 had many advanced features that were not present in other contemporary video game consoles, including its DVD capabilities and USB and IEEE 1394 expansion ports. It was not until late 2001 that the Microsoft Xbox became the second console with DVD support, although playing DVD-Video titles on Xbox requires the purchase of an additional module (containing decoder software and a remote control). The Xbox was also released with USB support, however its proprietary connectors required hardware hacking to allow standard consumer devices to connect to it.
Support for original PlayStation games was also an important selling point for the PS2, letting owners of an older system upgrade to the PlayStation 2 and keep their old software, and giving new users access to older games until software was developed for the new system. As an added bonus, the PS2 had the ability to enhance PlayStation games by speeding up disc read time and/or adding texture smoothing to improve graphics. Unfortunately, these enhancements were either ignored by most games, or introduced compatiblity problems.
Software for all PlayStation consoles contains one of three region codes, for Japan, the Americas, or Europe. Discs also deviate slightly from the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM standards in ways that make it difficult for consumers to duplicate discs or create his or her own software for the system. However, Sony released a version of the Linux operating system for the PS2 in a package that also includes a keyboard, mouse, ethernet adapter and hard disk drive. Currently, Sony's online store states that the Linux kit is no longer for sale in North America.
In Europe and Australasia, the PlayStation 2 also comes with a free Yabasic interpreter. This allows simple programs to be created for the PlayStation 2 by the end-user. This was done to circumvent a tax by defining the console as a "computer" if it contained certain software.
The second hardware revision of the PlayStation 2 unit (model number SCPH-50000/50001) removed the widely unused IEEE 1394 expansion port and added support to play non-commercial DVDs. This hardware revision was also lighter, quieter, and cheaper than earlier revisions, and included a built-in sensor for an optional Remote Control.
In September 2004 Sony unveiled the third major hardware revision (model number SCPH-70000). Available in November 2004, it is smaller and thinner than the old version and includes a built-in ethernet port. In some markets it also integrates a modem. Due to its thinner profile, it unfortunately does not support the internal HDD. The redesigned system's release is timed to coincide with the much anticipated , and to bring Sony out of its current PS2 sales slump.
Sony has also made a PVR/DVD burning consumer device that plays PlayStation 2 games called the PSX. The device has thus far experienced very poor sales in Japan, and its future is unclear.
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Specifications
* Polygons per second under ideal circumstances (e.g., no texturing, lighting, or vertex colors applied). Some criticize these figures for being unrealistic, and not indicative of real-world performance, especially when compared to those released for the Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube.The true polygons per second figure with full textures, effects etc. is around 13 million.
** IEEE 1394 removed in SCPH-50000 and later hardware versions, and Infrared remote port added.
*** The network adapter and modem were integrated in SCPH-70000 and later hardware versions.
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