tonyc3742

I think I'm going to be getting a PS2 for Christmas, and I have a few questions.

* I know this is wide open, but what is the remaining expected lifespan of the PS2? I ended up buying a Dreamcast [used, but still] about 3 months before it went bellyup. The advantage is that the PS2 has got many many preowned games available for 10-30 bucks, and a lot of Greatest Hits.

* What is the newest model number? I know Sony has a history of hardware problems, and the best thing to do is get the newest model number.

* Online--I see that there are 'online packs' including the network adapter and sometimes a pack-in/mail-in game, for 20 bucks more than the 'barebones' console. How is online play on the PS2? [I do have a broadband connection] Are there are a lot of games using online play, and how many of them are competitive FPS-type games [which I'm not into.] My brother brought his PS2 up this weekend, and we played Risk, which looks like it is online-capable. I'd be more into that than Spec Ops or whatever, since I suck at those games. Alternately, are there any/many cooperative online games?
And how much does online gaming cost [once you have a personal ISP]?

* And the question everyone asks, is there due to be a price drop soon? I wouldn't think so, because the thing is selling so darn well at its current price point, but thought I'd ask.

I've probably got some more questions, but I can't think of them right now. Thanks for any help.

joshd2012

1. A PS2 will last as long as you want it to. Don't listen to what people keep saying, they are just console bashing. As long as you treat your console right, it will not have any problems. Mine will turn 3 years old in March.

2. The newest model is the one which has a built in IR for the remote and supports DVD-R reading. You will see that it has a yellow square at the bottom corner of the box with a "+" in it.

3. You can find a list of all the online games here:

http://www.us.playstation.com/online....aspx?id=index

All online games are free except those like EverQuest and FFXI which are MMO. The online game is great if you have broadband (which you do).

4. Price drop has been rumored to take place right before E3 which is in May. So, I wouldn't expect to see a price drop until then.

Captain Harlock

To answer your first question; I think your going to get at least another 2-3 good years of gaming out of the PS2. The PS3 isn't due for another 2 years at least. Also the PS3 is supposed to be backward compatible, meaning that you'll still PS2 games being released for a while. I wouldn't worry about the longevity too much at this point.

I'm not that well versed in the PS2's online capabilitys. So another forum member would be better able to answer that question.

I wouldn't expect a price drop till possibley March or May (May being the next E3 convention).

I don't think there's much more I can add than that. Josh asnwered your questions probably better than I could so...."see above"

Decker

Online play works, but it isn't near the expierence it is on Live. It's free though and it's possible to play with a dial up modem sometines. For most racing games and such, the online broadband works pretty well.
also EA sports has a nice dedicated server, but it's not easy to find friends like you can on Live.

When you buy a PS2 look for the little yellow + on the upper right corner of the front of the box. That indicates it's the new model with progressive scan output and other upgraded features.

tonyc3742

"rise from your gwwwaaaave", thread.
Okay, I did get the PS2 for Christmas. So far I really like it. I got the Online Pack with ATV 2, which, while not my type of game normally [ie, I wouldn't pay the 40 bucks for it], I have actually been enjoying it. And the freestyle mode is just fun, so the Online Pack is actually a pretty good bargain.
I also got Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Final Fantasy X [both on sale at Target] with Target giftcards.

My new question is re: widescreen/component setup. I have a widescreen TV, and on the Setup menu for the PS2, I chose 16:9 My TV also has 4 'fudge' settings, where you can set it to 4:3, Expand[zoom] 4:3, Widescreen, or Panorama.
Does the PS2's widescreen setting have any effect when it's ooked up just with the regular composite RCA cables?
It also has a Progressive output option; I saw some Component cables at Toys R Us for like seven dollars; if I use those and run those into the HD input on my TV, will the PS2 'upconvert' non-progressive games so I can at least play everything on that input and not have to switch cables back and forth? And games that are progressive [I think ATV Offroad Fury at least is], is there a noticeable difference in how the game looks?

I guess my question in general is how widespread are the progressive and widescreen aspects of PS2 games, and once I get it hooked up to the HD input of my TV, will every game be visible through that hookup or will I have to swap cables back and forth. I'm probably going to go ahead and get the cable, because it's less than ten bucks [which boggles my mind, my component cables for my DVD player were thirty], but I'd like to know how widespread the benefit thereof will be.