The PlayStation 2 ( abbreviated "PS2") is Sony's second
video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the
PlayStation 3. Its development was announced in March 1999, and it was first
released in Japan on March 4, 2000, in North America on October 26, 2000 and in
Europe on November 24, 2000.
The PS2 is part of the sixth generation era, and has become the fastest selling
and most popular gaming console in history, with over 105 million units shipped
worldwide by March 31, 2006.
History
Only a few million users had obtained consoles by the end of 2000 due to
manufacturing delays. The PlayStation 2 was popular after its release so it was
difficult to find units on retailer shelves. Another popular option was
purchasing the console online through auction websites such as eBay.
Yet, the PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength of the
PlayStation brand and its backward compatibility, selling over 900,000 units in
the first weekend in Japan. This allowed the PS2 to tap the large install base
established by the PlayStation — another major selling point over the
competition. Later, Sony gained steam with new development kits for game
developers and more PlayStations for consumers.
The PlayStation 9 as in the PlayStation 2 commercial.A notable piece of
advertising is that the PS2 launch was accompanied by the popular "PS9"
television commercial. 9 was to be the epitome of development, which the PS2 was
the next step on the way towards. The ad also presaged the development of a
portable PlayStation. (First released in Japan on December 12, 2004.)
Many analysts predicted a close 3-way matchup between the PS2 and competitors
Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube (which was the cheapest of the three
consoles and had an open market of games). However, the release of several
blockbuster games during the 2001 holiday season pushed the PS2 in order to
maintain momentum and hold off its rivals.[3]
Although Sony placed little emphasis on online gaming during its first years,
that changed upon the launch of the online-capable Xbox. Sony adapted in late
2002 to compete with Microsoft, with several online first party titles released
alongside it, such as SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs to show its active support for
Internet play. Sony also advertised heavily, and its online model had the
support of Electronic Arts. Although Sony and Nintendo both started out late and
although both followed a decentralized model of online gaming where the
responsibility is up to the developer to provide the servers, Sony's attempt
made online gaming a major selling point of the PS2.
In September of 2004, in time for the launch of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
(the best-selling game during the 2004 Holiday season), Sony revealed a new,
smaller PS2 (see Hardware revisions). In preparation for the launch of a new,
slimmer PlayStation 2 model (SCPH-70000) (Also known unofficially as the "PStwo".),
Sony had stopped making the older PS2 model (SCPH-5000x) sometime during the
summer of 2004 to let the distribution channel empty out stock of the units.
After an apparent manufacturing issue caused some initial slowdown in producing
the new unit, Sony reportedly underestimated demand, caused in part by shortages
between the time the old units were cleared out and the new units were ready.
This, and the issue was compounded in Britain when a Russian oil tanker became
stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking a ship from China carrying PS2s bound for the
UK. During one week in November, British sales totaled 6,000 units — compared to
70,000 a few weeks prior.[4] There were shortages in more than 1700 stores in
North America on the day before Christmas.[5]
Games
Main article: List of PlayStation 2 games
The brand strength has led to strong third-party support for the system.
Although the launch titles for the PS2 were unimpressive in 2000, the Christmas
season of 2001 saw the release of several best-selling and critically acclaimed
games. Those PS2 titles helped the PS2 maintain and extend its lead in the video
game console market, despite increased competition from the launches of the
Microsoft Xbox and GameCube. In several cases, Sony made exclusivity deals with
publishers in order to pre-empt its competitors. Critically acclaimed games on
the machine include the Grand Theft Auto series and Final Fantasy, Metal Gear
Solid 2, 3, Devil May Cry 1, 3, four SSXs , Ace Combat Series, Kingdom Hearts I,
II, Gran Turismo A Spec, 4, SOCOM, Sly Cooper trilogy, Ratchet & Clank tetralogy,
Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter trilogy series, ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, God of
War, Champions of Norrath, Champions: Return to Arms, five Dragon Ball Z:
Budokai games , and six Tony Hawk games. The PS2 has also been the home to many
music games such as the latest Dance Dance Revolution games, and the guitar
controller-based Guitar Hero series.
By the end of September 2006, there were 8,181 PS2 titles released worldwide
(4,554 in Asia, 1,319 in North America, and 2,308 in Europe),[6] accounting for
cumulative production shipments of 1.127 billion units.[7]
Hardware compatibility
OEM PlayStation 2 8MB Memory CardThe PS2 hardware can read both CDs and DVDs. It
is backwards compatible with older PlayStation (PS1) games, allows for DVD Video
playback, and will play PS2 games off CD-ROM discs or higher-capacity DVD-ROM
discs. The ability to play DVD movies was an added incentive for consumers to be
able to justify purchasing the PS2 (The MSRP was $300 in October 2000). The PS2
also supports PS1 memory cards (for PS1 game saves only) and controllers as
well. The PS2's DualShock 2 controller is essentially an upgraded PS1 Dual
Shock; analog face, shoulder and D-pad buttons replaced the digital buttons of
the original.
When it was released, the PS2 had many advanced features that were not present
in other contemporary video game consoles, including DVD-playback functionality,
USB support, and IEEE 1394 expansion ports. It was not until late 2001 that the
Microsoft Xbox became the second console to include USB support (USB Revision
1.1 [aka, Full-Speed USB], with a proprietary Microsoft Xbox shaped socket) and
DVD playback capabilities.
Note: Compatibility with USB devices is dependent on the software supporting
said USB device. For example, the PS2 BIOS will not boot an ISO image from a USB
flash drive, or operate a USB printer, as the machine's operating system does
not include this functionality. By contrast, Gran Turismo 4 is programmed to
save screenshots to a USB mass storage device, or print images to certain USB
printers.
Software compatibility
The PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller is cosmetically similar to the
original DualShock.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 a larger library 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. While the texture
smoothing was universally effective (albeit with odd effects where transparent
textures are used — white borders would be seen around certain 2D pictures used
to create objects called 'sprites'), faster disk reading could cause some games
to fail to load or play incorrectly.
A handful of PlayStation titles (notably Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions)
fail to run on the PS2 at all (Special Missions fails to recognize Metal Gear
Solid at the disk swap screen, for example). This problem appears to have been
rectified in the slimline versions of the PS2, where most of the previously
unplayable PS one games can now be played. It is a common misconception that
disk swapping in a game (for example, for multi-disk games or expansion packs)
is not possible on the PS2 without modifying the console. The anomalous failure
of the above title at its disk swap screen may have given birth to this rumor.
Software for all PlayStation consoles contains one of four region codes: for
Japan and Asia: NTSC/J, North America: NTSC-U/C, Europe and Oceania: PAL, and
China: NTSC/C.[8]
Online play
With the purchase of a separate unit called the Network Adaptor (which is built
into the slimline model), some PS2 games support online multiplayer. Instead of
having a unified, subscription-based online service like Xbox Live, online
multiplayer on the PS2 is split between publishers and run on third-party
servers. However, this comes at a price as any speed connection can connect to
the Internet with a PS2, resulting in lag whenever slow connections are present.
Most recent PS2 online games have been developed to exclusively only support
Broadband Internet access. Xbox Live exclusively requires a broadband Internet
connection.
All newer online PS2 games (since 2003) are protected by the Dynamic Network
Authentication System (DNAS). The purpose of this system is to prevent piracy
and online cheating. DNAS will prevent games from being played online if they
are determined to be pirated copies, or if they have been modified. Recently,
however, there are methods of getting around this protection by modifying some
files on the pirated game.
Hardware revisions
The PlayStation 2 has undergone many revisions, some only of internal
construction and others with substantial external changes. These are
colloquially known amongst PlayStation 2 hardware hackers as V0, V1, V2, etc.,
up to V14c[9] (as of 2006).
Original case design
The original PlayStation 2 design.Three of the original PS2 launch models were
only sold in Japan, and lack the Dev9 expansion port of current PS2 models.
These versions were SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000 and SCPH-18000. These included a
PCMCIA slot instead of the Expansion Bay (DEV9) port of newer models. A PCMCIA
to Dev9 adapter was made available for these models. SCPH-10000 and SCPH-15000
did not have a built-in DVD player and instead relied on an encrypted player
that was copied to a memory card from an included CD-ROM (normally, the PS2 will
only execute encrypted software from its memory card, but see PS2 Independence
Exploit). V3 has a substantially different internal structure from the
subsequent revisions, featuring several interconnected printed circuit boards.
As of V4 everything was unified into one board, except the power supply. V5
introduces minor internal changes and the only difference between V6 (sometimes
called V5.1) and V5 is the orientation of the Power/Reset switch board
connector, which was reversed to prevent the use of no-solder modchips. V7 and
V8 are also similar. Assembly of the PS2 moved to China with the V9 (model
number SCPH-50000/SCPH-50001), which added the Infrared port for the optional
DVD Remote control, removed the FireWire port, added the capability to read DVD-RW
and +RW discs, added progressive-scan output of DVD movies, and a quieter fan.
V10 and V11 have minor changes.
Slim case design
The redesigned slim PlayStation 2.
Comparison of the slim PlayStation 2 design with the original.In September 2004
Sony unveiled its third major hardware revision (V12, 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 does not contain the 3.5" expansion bay, and
therefore does not support the internal hard disk drive, and now uses an
external power supply, like the GameCube. The removal of the HDD bay has been
criticized as a limitation [citation needed] due to the existence of titles such
as Final Fantasy XI which require the use of the HDD. The official PS2 Linux kit
also requires a hard drive bay to function. The SCPH-70000 also received a
modified MultiTap expansion. Currently only the modified MultiTap is sold in
stores, meaning that owners of older PS2s must find a used or non-Sony MultiTap
in order to get 4 or 8 players.Third party connectors can be soldered into the
unit giving hard drive support, however IDE connections were completely removed
in the V14 revision eliminating this option.
There are some disputes [citation needed] on the numbering for this PS2 version,
since there are actually two sub-versions of the SCPH-70000. One of them
includes the old EE and GS chips, and the other contains the newer unified EE+GS
chip, otherwise being identical. Since the V12 version had already been
established for this model, there were some disputes regarding these
sub-versions. Two propositions were to name the old model (EE and GS, separate
chips) V11.5 and the newer model V12, and to name the old model V12 and the
newer model V13. Currently, most people just use V12 for both models, or V12 for
the old model and V13 for the newer one.
The V12 model was first released in black. A silver edition is available in the
United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, France, South Africa, and most recently,
North America. It is unknown whether or not this will follow the color schemes
of the older model.
There is also now a V14 model (SCPH-75001 and SCPH-75002) which contain an
integrated EE and GS, and different ASICs compared to previous revisions, some
chips having a copyright date of 2005 compared to 2000 or 2001 for earlier
models. It also has a different lens and some compatibility issues with a
different number of PS1 games and even some PS2 games. (see the list of
incompatible games as documented by SCEA).
In 2006, Sony released a new hardware revision. It was first released in Japan
in September 15, 2006, including the Silver limited edition. After it's release,
it is then shipped to America and to other parts of the world. It is the V15
model (SPCH-77001a and SPCH-77001b). They are two sub-versions of the models.
The new revision uses a integrated unified ES+GS chip and a redesigned ASIC, new
laser lens, updated BIOS, updated drivers. This revision is currently shipping
in retail game stores. Still, the V15 model still has compatibility issues with
some PS2 games and PS1 games. There was some criticism, since of it's release,
due to overheating and some disc read errors. However, the sales still outsells
it's competitors and own next-gen system. The Xbox 360, Gamecube, and the PS3.
Later hardware revisions had better compatibility with PlayStation games (Metal
Gear Solid: VR Missions works on most silver models). However, the new Japanese
slim models have more issues with playing PlayStation games than the first PS2
revisions. [citation needed]
In the beginning of 2005 it was found that some black slimline console power
transformers bought between November and December 2004 were faulty and could
overheat. The units were recalled by Sony, with the company supplying a
replacement model made in 2005. Users can determine if their systems are
affected by this recall by visiting http://www.ps2ac.com.
PSX
Sony has also made a consumer device called the PSX that can be used as a
digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to playing PlayStation 2
games. The device, which was only released in Japan, was poorly received, with
some major features absent from the first revisions of the hardware, and has
thus far experienced very weak sales in Japan, in spite of major price
drops.[10] The machine's future continues to be uncertain, with North American
and European launches considered to be distant if at all.
Accessories
Main articles: DualShock, PlayStation 2 HDD, EyeToy, PlayStation 2 Headset,
Logitech
The PS2's DualShock 2 controller is largely identical to the PlayStation's
DualShock, with the same basic functionality; however, it includes analog
pressure sensitivity on the face and shoulder buttons, is lighter and includes
two more levels of vibration. The L2 and R2 buttons are also significantly
larger. The fact that the design did not change pleased some consumers who were
already used to the DualShock controller.
EyeToy USB camera.Optional hardware include DualShock or DualShock2 controllers,
a PlayStation 2 DVD remote control, an internal/external hard disk for
PlayStation 2, a Network adapter, horizontal and vertical stands, PlayStation or
PlayStation 2 memory cards, light guns (Guncon), fishing rod and reel
controllers, and various cables and interconnects: Multitap for PlayStation or
PlayStation 2, Y-Pb-Pr (component), S-Video, RGB, SCART, VGA (for progressive
scan games and PS2 Linux only), component, and composite video cables, RF
modulator, USB camera ("EyeToy"), dual microphones (sold with and used
exclusively for SingStar games), "guitar" controllers (for Guitar Hero I), USB
keyboard, mouse and a headset. Unlike the original PlayStation, which required
that the use of an official Sony PlayStation mouse to play mouse-compatible
games, the few PlayStation 2 games with mouse support work with standard
PC-compatible USB mice. Early versions of the PlayStation 2 could be networked
via an iLink port, though this had little game support and was dropped. The
original PlayStation 2 multitap cannot be plugged into the newer slim models (as
the multitap connects to the memory card slot as well as the controller slot and
the memory card slot on the slimline is less deep). New slim-design multitaps
exist for these models, however third-party adapters exist to permit original
multitaps to be used.
Home development
Main article: PS2 Linux
Sony released a version of the Linux (sometimes known as GNU/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. However as of July 2005, the
European version was still available. (The kit boots by installing a proprietary
interface, the Run-time environment which is on a region-coded DVD, so the
European and USA kits each only work with a PS2 from that region).
In Europe and Australia, the PlayStation 2 comes with a free Yabasic interpreter
on the bundled demo disc. This allows simple programs to be created for the
PlayStation 2 by the end-user. This was included in a failed attempt to
circumvent a UK tax by defining the console as a "computer" if it contained
certain software.
A port of the NetBSD project is also available for the PS2.
It is also possible to listen to MP3 music and watch DivX movies with homebrew
programs running in consoles that have a modchip installed or with network
software like GameShark's Media Player.
Technical Issues
Disc Read Error
Owners of early PS2 models purchased from launch until spring 2002 commonly
reported faulty optical drives in their consoles. The earliest drives suffered
from a constantly misaligning laser lens but later defects were the result of a
shift in voltage to the laser itself. The first problem was relatively easy to
remedy, but it required opening the machine's casing and tweaking a cog that
controlled the lens' distance from the discs it was supposed to read, thus
voiding the warranty. This usually did not matter, as in most cases the warranty
already had expired by the time such problems began to appear. The second fix
involved the use of an oscillator. As time went on, more and more drives began
breaking down and a class action lawsuit was filed against Sony. They had the
option of either paying the requested fines in damages, or offering free repair
and replacements at their discretion.[11] Sony chose the latter and, until
February 2005, they honored their agreement. In the UK owners suffering from
this flaw must pay Sony £50 (as of spring 2005) to get their machines repaired.
A second lawsuit is being filed against Sony for all of the above, plus claims
that defective hardware is damaging media discs. The first hearings were set to
commence in April and May, 2005.[12]
As of 2006, Sony is offering exchanges of factory-refurbished consoles for
broken out-of-warranty consoles for a charge of US $45.
Another issue causing DRE's is wear on the part coupling the head assembly to
the worm gear that moves the laser. This issue is mostly found in the older PS2.
A symptom of this is a loud repetitive clicking sound. The part is commonly
plastic and prone to wear or break. Metal replacements are available from third
parties.
Controversy
Before the PS2 was even released in Japan, there were controversies over the
capabilities of the PS2. Japan initially imposed export restrictions on the PS2.
The PS2 was even said to be able to guide ballastic missiles. [13]
In 2000, four thousand PS2 units ended up in Iraq after being purchased from the
USA [14]. Iraq was then ruled by ex-dictator Saddam Hussein.
Technical specifications
The specifications of the PlayStation 2 console are as follows, with hardware
revisions:
Emotion Engine CPU
Graphics Synthesizer GPU
I/O Processor (PlayStation 1 CPU) I/O BusCPU: 128-bit "Emotion Engine" clocked
at 294 MHz (299 MHz on newer versions), 10.5 million transistors
System Memory: 32 MiB Direct Rambus or RDRAM (note that some computers use this
type of RAM)
Memory bus Bandwidth: 3.2 Gigabyte per second
Main processor: MIPS R5900 CPU core, 64 bit
Coprocessor: FPU (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator × 1, Floating Point
Divider × 1)
Vector Units: VU0 and VU1 (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator × 9, Floating
Point Divider × 1), 128 bit, at 150 MHz.
VU0 typically used for physics and other gameplay type things
VU1 typically used for polygon transformations, lighting and other visual based
calculations
Floating Point Performance: 6.2 gigaFLOPS (single precision 32-bit floating
point)
FPU 0.64 gigaFLOPS
VU0 2.44 gigaFLOPS
VU1 3.08 gigaFLOPS
3D CG Geometric transformation: 66 million polygons/sec
3D CG Geometric transformations under curved surfaces: 16 million polygons/sec
Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG-2
I/O Processor interconnection: Remote Procedure Call over a serial link, DMA
controller for bulk transfer
Cache memory: Instruction: 16 KiB, Data: 8 KiB + 16 KiB (ScrP)
Graphics: "Graphics Synthesizer" clocked at 147 MHz
Pixel pipelines: 16
Video output resolution: variable from 256x224 to 1280x1024 pixels
4 MB Embedded DRAM video memory bandwidth at 48 Gigabit per second (main system
32 MiB can be dedicated into vram)
DRAM Bus bandwidth: 48.0 Gb per second
Texture buffer bandwidth: 9.6 Gb/sec
Frame buffer bandwidth: 38.4 Gb/sec
DRAM Bus width: 2560-bit (composed of three independent buses: 1024-bit write,
1024-bit read, 512-bit read/write)
Pixel Configuration: RGB: Alpha:Z Buffer (24:8, 15:1 for RGB, 16, 24, or 32-bit
Z buffer)
Dedicated connection to: Main CPU and VU1
Overall Pixel fillrate: 16x147 = 23.52Gpixel/sec(rounded to 2.4Gpixel/sec)
Pixel fillrate: with no texture, flat shaded 2.4(75,000,000 32pixel real-world
triangles)
Pixel fillrate: with 1 full texture(Defuse Map), Gouraud shaded 1.2 (37,750,000
32-bit pixel real-world triangles)
Pixel fillrate: with 2 full textures(Defuse map + specular or alpha or other),
Gouraud shaded 0.6 (18,750,000 32-bit pixel real-world triangles)
Multi-pass rendering ability
Four passes = 300M pixels/second (300M pixel/sec divided by 32pixel = 9,375,000
triangle/sec lossed every four passes)
Sound: "SPU1+SPU2" (SPU1 is actually the CPU clocked at 8 MHz)
Number of voices: 48 hardware channels of ADPCM on SPU2 plus software-mixed
channels
Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz (selectable)
Output: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, DTS (Full motion video only), later
games achieved analog 5.1 surround during gameplay through Dolby Pro Logic II
I/O Processor
CPU Core: Original PlayStation CPU (MIPS R3000A clocked at 33.8688 MHz or 37.5
MHz)
Sub Bus: 32 Bit
Connection to: SPU and CD/DVD controller.
Interface Types:
2 proprietary PlayStation controller ports (250 kHz clock for PS1 and 500 kHz
for PS2 controllers)
2 proprietary Memory Card slots using MagicGate encryption (250 kHz for PS1
cards, up to 2 MHz for PS2 cards)
Expansion Bay (PCMCIA on early models for PCMCIA Network Adaptor and External
Hard Disk Drive) DEV9 port for Network Adaptor
Modem and Internal Hard Disk Drive
IEEE 1394 (only in SCPH 10xxx - 3xxxx)
Infrared remote control port (SCPH 5000x and newer)[15]
2 USB 1.1 ports with an OHCI-compatible controller.
Disc Drive type: 24x (PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format CD-ROM) 4x
(Supported DVD formats) Region-locked with anti-copy protection (Can't read
"Gold Discs" aka normal CD-ROMs)
Supported Disc Media: PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format CD-ROM,
Compact Disc Audio, PlayStation 2 format DVD-ROM (4.7 GB), DVD Video (4.7 GB).
Later models are DVD-9 (8.5 GB Dual-Layer), DVD+RW, and DVD-RW compatible.
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