Advice on getting a PS2

[Marspants]

Soo I totally have some good looking PS2 games but I'm lacking in the actual owning of the system
I was wondering if you guys had any advice in:
-What's the best model? Does it make any difference? And I might want to mod it in some way so that into consideration too.
-What price should I be looking for
-Anything else that could be applicable
I completely missed this system and I know nothing about it except it has sweet RPG's. So I wanted to see what I'm missing.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I say the ones right before the slim version came out are the best, they dont over heat, dont have a power brick, are fairly sized, and are built like tanks. Also you have the ability to get a hard drive on the large ones. However, it doesnt have built in online like the new ones so you would have to get an adapter if you wanted to play CoD or Killzone or something online.

[Jayson]

If you are buying used, the first generation slim models had a problem where the laser would crap out so keep that in mind.

If you are interested in doing the Freevast/McBoot memory card mod, make sure you dont get the newest model SCPH-90001 as they all don't work with it. (the Lego Batman bundle is the 90001)

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

When it comes to getting a PS2 you have three options the original ( large ) model, the slim ( PS2 TWO ) model, and the newly redesigned slim.

When it comes to large models the newer the better. Sadly these are no longer in production so getting a new one can become very expensive, so your best option is used. Now when buying used you can't just go buying any old PS2 first check the model number it's on the back of the system and should start with (SCPH) now the best thing to know is that not all of these are created equal. Early models thend to get a lot of disc read errors and middle models tend to succumb to mechanical failures later models however were produced with a much higher quality of build. These models however were produced in smal numbers and only for the christmas 03 to August 04 timeframe. Which does not make them rare but does make them hard to find. This versions' model number is SCPH-5001, now the surprising thing about these models is that they feature all the conveniences of the slim models with the look and feel of the classic PS2. Said conveniences are near noiseless operation, the ability to read all burnable dvd media ( DVD-R DVD-RW DVD+RW DVD-RAM ) and all burnable cd media ( CD-R CD-RW ), remote power on using its built in ir reciever ( located between the power/reset and eject buttons ) the updated PS2 DVD remote with power on button ( the green button on most PS2 remotes that came without a reciever or install disc), a near indistructable disc drive I played dvds in mine foer years until I heard about disc drive problems and have yet to have any. Another thing is that these are the only large PS2 systems to not have the ubiquitous iLink port usually located on the front near the usb ports. I persnonally own one of these 5001 models and recommend it above all others if you can find one. These can also be destinguished by a plus sign in a little yellow box on the front of the cardboard box the system originally came in.

Slim models are also no longer in production yhese models don't really vary too widely but there are some diferences. 1. The very first production run of these featured a dial up phone jack and ethernet jack, screen mounts and were very prone to overheating. 2. The second to final production runs removed the screen mounts ( originally a screen was planned to be made similar to the PSone but was scrapped after the overheating issues ), dial up phone jack, and made the improvements to the ventilation along with adding amuch needed fan inside the system.
These models were produced from September 04 to December 08.

The Slim Redesign is the current model available new at retail these models are the highest quality, and final model of PS2 that SONY is going to manufacture and have yet to have any problems except for one or two PSone games glitching.

So there you have it each of the PS2s and their baisic rundowns.

[ryanstein]

You know, I may get some flack for suggesting this from some of the members here, but if you want to go the corporate way, check out your local GameStop for a refurb. If you ask nice, they generally will let you check out the model numbers for the one you want (as long as you have a good report with the nice folks there). The price should be just marginally higher than you'd find elsewhere (i.e. eBay, here, etc.). I believe my local GS carries the phat model for $50 or so, and the slim for $10 more.

The only reason I say get it there instead of eBay or something else is that you have much more recourse if the system isn't working. Since so many models have problems, as I'm you're aware of now thanks to MME's great guide, I think it's worth it to get it from somewhere where you can return or exchange it if it doesn't work right. And you get the added bonus of buying it locally, so you save on shipping, too! Which will probably make the purchase prices between GS and eBay about equal.

[noiseredux]

I got mine at Gamestop. They let me get a fat model WITH network adapter pre-installed for the same price as without. I'm pretty sure it's the 5001 model that Mod_Man talked about in his excellent post above. I love my PS2.

[Marspants]

Sweet, this is what I was looking for. I was interested in Getting the bigger version but I didn't know if it was worth it. I'm probably going hunting for a SCPH-5001 this weekend. Thanks

[noiseredux]

Hey Mod_Man, can you shed some further light... you say that the 5001 model can read CDR's. Can you elaborate? Do you mean that an unmodded model can read CDR's? Do they have to be formatted a certain way (dummy file or anything like that?). I didnt think ANY PS2's could ready CDR's. I know mine can seem to read videos stored on DVDRs though. But I've tried throwing a CDR with an elf file in (my console is soft-modded with FreeMcBoot) and had no luck reading the disc. Could've been a bad burn, or brand that the console didn't like, though. I didnt experiment further because I thought PS2 hated CDRs all around.

[dsofrank]

There are a certain PS2 games (yes PS2 not PS1) that are not compatible with the slim models. These games are:

ATV Offroad Fury 3
Big Mutha Truckers
Big Mutha Truckers 2
ESPN NBA 2K5
EverQuest Online Adventures
F1 2001
F1 2002
Fight Night Round 2
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm
Jak X: Combat Racing
Major League Baseball 2K5
SRS: Street Racing Syndicate
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan

I found this out the hard way when trying to play Ty 3 on my brand spanking new PS2 system, which I bought to play PS2 games.

The above list came directly from Sony.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Yeah the PS2 can run CD-R media but that doesnt mean that it can understand the file type, try burning it to a DVD-R with menus and extras included and then it'll most likely boot it up fine. If not remember that SONY's super strict anti piracy checklist code that sometimes prevents even legitimately purchased DVD's from playing is hardwired into every PS2 and was reinforced and updated on this model to match that of the slim's. The CD-R functioality was really added for burnt Audio CD's not mp3 CD's etc...

As for the PS2 you described in your earlier post the reason it came with the modem/broadband adaptor in a single package is that around christmas 03 to summer 04 they also had a bundle that came with ATV Off Road 2 the network adaptor and the install disc. so if you're ever looking for another one this would probably be the best/easiest way to find one.

Also since I work at GameStop I can help shed some light on how hard it is to find one right now in that lower class families can finally afford one, and middle and upper class families can't afford to get rid of theirs due to spending hundreds on games and not having any kind of backwards compatibility with PS2 also whenever a smaller GameStop like the one I work at gets 20, 60, or BC 80 gigs in they make us ship them to the corporate warehouse in Texas so they can be sold on the website or in super high foot traffic stores. In the last six months our store has only had about three or four that lasted longer than an hour, which is kinda funny because all the GameStops in my area got twenty or thirty Wiis in shipment and are struggling to sell them but PS2s are flying off the shelves.

Also to reply to ryanstein's post, never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get a refurb PS2 our store has never had a refurb that didn't come back either broken or having eaten a disc within the day or 48 hours, also if you get a used PS2 at GameStop with the extra year warranty and get in or are in good with the manager we'll usually look for another 5001 model or call another store and make them look through theirs untill we find you one and have them ship it to our/your store.