PS2's and DRE's .. a sign of things to come?

Post by **Wanderer - Vega** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:00 am

Earlier while browsing the PS2 board on a popular game site, I was suprised to see more than half the posts there were of people complaining their PS2 freezes or gets DRE's. I know what you're going to say..not many people post on a board like that unless they a problem with their PS2.

Well, I'm sure there are lots of PS2 owners out there who's PS2's are dying and they don't even know it. When you go to trade in the system to Gamestop or EBGames, they test the different kinds of PS2 media on it -- CD based games, single and double layer DVD games. I'm sure if a lot more PS2 owners tried out these different kinds of games, they'd be unpleasantly suprised. My PS2 sounds like a lawnmower playing CD games, and it's the last revision of the fat PS2..I barely ever played anything on it, too.

The bigger shame in all of this is that Sony won't take care of this problem and actually charges us to have their hardware faults fixed. Sure, Sony and Microsoft have limited warranties, though. Heavy emphasis on the word limited -- who's PS2 or X-Box is going to break within 90 days? If they're that concerned about lemons, why doesn't Sony address the real lemons here.. the majority of PS2 owners who get DRE's up the kazoo and game freezes, and can't even play the game they just wasted money renting/buying.

It took them about 2-3 years(to be fair, I'd say at least 2) to work out all DRE kinks with PS2 models. DVD was new technology when the PS2 hit stores and presumably that's why the hardware sucked, right? So this brings me to my final thought..is it going to take that long for blu-ray perfection with the PS3?

Wasting my money to have the blu-ray drive give two years later really scares me to the point where I've been considering avoiding the whole thing lately and putting all my money aside for a Revolution.

Post by **Niode** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:27 am

My PS2 has suddenly stopped played PS1 games. Original PERFECT discs too! Gives a DRE on everysingle one of them. Thankfully it still plays ps2 games (the very few times i actually play them).

That's quite disapointing as my PS1 (having had that since launch day) only plays copies now. I shelves of official games that i can't play unless i waste a a blank disc and copy em!

Post by **racketboy** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:47 am

This is just another reason I try to stay away from buying Sony products.
I have been tempted to get a PS2, but I'm doing my best to resist.

Now that the Xbox is getting some more retro ports, I'd be leaning towards that now.

Speaking of which, I need to make an XBox Retro Game Library page....

Post by **Niode** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 6:58 am

Go for the Xbox! It's so much better than PS2. I've had my PS2 a lot longer than my xbox, and i've played on my xbox 3 times as much already. There's just so many great games to play. Ninja Gaiden, Forza, Stranger's Wrath, Outrun 2, Chronicles Of Riddick (really surprised me that game), Fable, Panzer Dragoon Orta (obviously!) and the KOTOR games if you haven't already got them on PC. That lot (depending on how fast you play) will most likely tide you over 'til rev comes out.

Post by **jemsic** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:41 am

My PS2 gets disc read errors too! A friend gave me his old one when he bought a slim version. I can't believe the shotty worksmanship in those things. I took it apart for hours and all I did was elecrocute myself and fry my big tv. I was so angry I threw it into a wall, then into the trash.

Post by **Niode** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:41 pm

Makes ya wonder why all Sony stuff breaks, just as they release a newer version of it......

Wear and tear my arse.

Post by **jemsic** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:12 am

well I have a sony nw-hd1 walkman I've had for a little over a year now and it hasn't broken yet. Neither has the MD-6 headphones I bought from them. So I'm just hoping that these products won't die out on me in the near future. At least the walkman was made in japan, so hopefully it has better parts than the new chinese ones.

Post by **Niode** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 8:25 am

You should be ok until they release a newer version of it

Electronics manufacturers have a tendency to fit cerftain parts that are required to function that degrade over a certain period of time, usually about 12-18month. Long enough for them to bring out a successor product just in time for your original going caput.

*conspiracy theory*

I think that the PS2 has code in it that will start shutting every ps2 that is older than a certain date down. So that you either plump for a slimline PS2, or put your cash into a PS3 if it's backwards compatible.

Post by **racketboy** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:01 pm

I think most of their stuff that involves optical drives suck.

My wife's Sony shelf stereo system's CD player went nuts a while back. I kept the speakers for a while, but the CD player was crap.

Post by **rattboi** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:45 am

Yeah, I've heard this over and over. I've never owned a PS2, but I have like 4 friends who are on their second or third PS2 because the old one burned out. Sony sucks.