Sony PlayStation 2 Black Console (NTSC-J (Japan) - SCPH-10000)

The PlayStation 2 game console was the best of its generation. Can it hold a candle to the nextgen systems (PS3 and XBOX 360)??? Let's see...

Graphics: Nextgen wins. This one's a no-brainer. The PS2 can't compete with the nextgen systems on this front. Though I should mention that the PS2 has very good graphics.

Gaming Library: PS2 wins. There are games for all ages on the PS2 and you can play the PS1 games as well. The PS3 (as of this writing) is still having compatability issues with the PS2 and PS1 games.

Online: Difficult...Nextgen takes it. The 360 has decent online funtions. PS3 is lagging on that front...PS2 online is free...

Size: PS2 wins. The original is bulkier than the slim, but still smaller than nextgen systems.

Price: PS2 all the way! If you can afford to go out and drop $400 minimum for the nextgen systems, by all means, have at it. But for those of us looking to spend considerably less than that, the PS2 is where you'll get the most bang for your buck.

Overall, I've had absolutely no problems with the PS2. The PS2 doubles as a DVD player (regular DVD's, not HD or Blu-Ray) and though I've never used it as such, it can also double as a CD player. A remote can be purchased separately.

I would recommend the PS2 to anyone not in a position to go out and buy the newest nextgen console.

The Sony PlayStation 2's life spanned roughly ten years, and as of this date (9/2008) still has plenty of games published for it, including such big name titles as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Not only does it still enjoy publisher's attention, it has one of the strongest, if not THE strongest, libraries of games of any console to date. Part of this, of course, is due to the excellent backwards compatibility for PlayStation 1 (PSX) games, but also has roots in the console's long life span (for a list of titles the PlayStation 2 has backwards compatibility problems with see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L​ist_of_PlayStation_games_incom​patible_with_PlayStation_2 though in my opinion there really aren't any games on the list to get too upset about not being able to play). Over it's life, the PlayStation 2 had a version of every cross-platform game published for it, in addition to having numerous exclusive titles like the Final Fantasy series, Metal Gear Solid series, God of War series, Ratchet & Clank series, SOCOM series, and many, many more. I've found these titles to also be much more enjoyable and fulfilling than many current generation games because there was a stronger focus on creating excellent game-play in those days rather than jaw-dropping graphics (which some games, like the Final Fantasy series have anyways, especially considering the modest power of the console in comparison to current generation consoles).

I would recommend buying a PlayStation 2 to just about any person interested in video games, especially a person interested in catching up on some of the big series and titles that (like me) passed them by when they first came out because they didn't have this console and/or had another console. The hardware is solid, and if you're a person living in a small apartment or dorm room or have a high mobility lifestyle the Slim versions of the PlayStation 2 are as ideal as you can get for your gaming needs. The hard/firm/software is also easily modified so that you can play different versions of games or games not released in the US (i.e. imports) or back-ups of some of your previously owned PSX or PS2 titles, so if that's something you're into, finding instruction and resources to do it will be no problem.

Having had some amount of experience with all of the past and present generation consoles either through owning them or playing on friends' systems I feel I make this review from as objective a position as one can make, so do not take it lightly when I (and my title) say that this is one of the best consoles to have ever been on the market. Considering you can now get a good pre-owned console off eBay or any other online auction/classified site (and these, like the one I bought, usually come with games thrown in) for a pittance compared to what they once cost, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don't buy one. Popular titles are also easily found online or at your local electronics or gaming store at cheap rates as well.

Overall then, as I said before, I highly recommend the PlayStation 2. Excellent backwards compatibility, solid hardware, one of the best catalogs of games of any console, easy modification, and tons of support make it a must buy to any gamer.

I decide to buy this item for the price firstly, and secondly it was my first Ebay purchase so i was eager to buy it.

The playstation 2 console is pretty good. Obviously it cannot compare with the graphics of XBox360, PS3 or Wii. But it does have a great variety of games available plus it has been out there for a while now so it seems to be more reliable compared to the new gen consoles who still have to fix a lot of initial bugs.

I have been playing PC games all my life so if I want real good graphics I can always go to my PC games. The reason I went with PS2 was that I wanted to play games not available on the PC platform e.g Soul Calibur III, GT4, Resident Evil 4, MGS etc.

Another advantage of getting a PS2 right now is that the games are pretty cheap as compared to those for the new gen consoles - around $20 compared to $49.99 for Wii and $59.99 for the XBox360. Plus you can get a lot of used games from ebay, EB games etc.

I will be sticking with my PS2 for a couple of years. In the meantime the new gen consoles would have fixed their initial bugs and the console as well as game prices would have come down (hopefully). Then I might think of getting the new consoles.

Thats what I meant by staying behind the curve.

Remember....you are getting a video game to have fun and not admire at the graphics. The graphics certainly do enhance the experience but it can never replace a quality game design....playstation2 has a lot of good games out there.

Remember that you will have to spend more than the $129 to get started. You will need to get component cables - $25 sony brand. I have not tried the other cheaper ones. I dont think they will be any different and you can save some money here. Also you need to get a memory card. I bought the 2-pack - sony brand for like $29. I think its worth since the single pack is for $19. You might also need to get an extra controller. So be prepared to shell out another $40-$55 for the cables and memory card.

The component cables do make a lot of difference. Please buy them if you have a TV which has component inputs. In not then atleast get the S-video cable. Its definitely worth upgrading from the stock composite cable.

Also, you do not need to buy an optical audio cable (toslink). It is used only for DVD playback. So if you have your own DVD player you do not need to get the cable for your PS2. The L-R RCA audio cables are enough since none of the PS2 games I know support digital audio. They do have a lot of games which support Dolby ProLogic-II e.g. Resident Evil 4, God of War etc. If you have a receiver which supports Pro-LogicII then its really great since it really sounds great when using ProLogic-II. For more info on Pro-Logic II I would recommend googling it up or look up Wikipedia. Pro-LogicII is a type of dolby surround system which does not require optical audio cables. The signal can be transferred through our regular RCA audio cables and the receiver decodes the information and creates the surround effect.

The Playstation 2 console was one of the stronger consoles released by Sony Inc. The dedication to game play was pushed to new levels, because of the new graphics and online playing. I enjoyed the Playstation 2 console, but the one draw backs is that it does over heat and fail after long hours of running. So serious gamers, put down that Mountain Dew and step away from the controller. Anything over 24hours of game play puts your Playstation 2 at risk if its even over a year old. But 24 to 48 hours of turning that console off can cure this problem, compared to the dreaded 3 Rings of Death on the 360. I purchased this Playstation 2 console because I know what great experience the PS2 is from the other 2 I fried. Yes 2. First one on a christmas break while playing FF10 for 32 straight hours, the second one I was going to town on the Lost series. Made it from season 1 to 4 before she kicked the bucket. Funny thing is the series still didn't make any sense. '?' But each Playstaion was over 2 years old. I knew better. I still would chose the Playstatin 2 over the first Xbox any day. Sony has always had a great list of game titles under its products. I just wish the Playstation 3 would catch up. I purchased a 360 because of the major game titles, but I still go back to my Playstation 2 for the greater titles. I mean so many classics were released with the first Playstation: Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy 7, Yes Just Final Fantasy 7. The rest are crap compared to this holy piece of gaming history. But I digress. The Playstation 2 carried on these titles quite well, all the while the titles were also released for the Cube or Xbox, but while you had to have the Xbox for Silent Hill or the Cube for Resident Evil, you only needed the playstation 2 for them all. So I am rocking the Playstation 2 until she burns out again. I find it braging rights to say you fried a console from over playing it, and my unwavering dedication in repurchasing a new console everytime it happens, shows my love for this console. Thank god for Ebay. I can avoid the sketchy pawnshops and the over priced back of the shelf wal-mart consoles. Go Playstation 2. (Side Note: Please forgive me for my terrible spelling and nasty grammer.)

This isn't the worlds most detailed review of the system, but more of a personal review.

First off, I would describe myself as a casual gamer, I probably don't play more that five hours a week, and most of it is with my five year old.

The best thing about this system is that for the price, and the library of games (including PSOne games), you really can't find a better deal. The quality of games is great, there's long and involved ones, RPG's, Sports (yea, the tons of sports), family oriented, FPS, on, and on, and on.

I have an X-Box, a PS2, and a GameCube. Quite honestly, as I don't play a lot, I'm a bargain hunter in this regards. If there's a game for all three systems, I try to get the X-box version, as the graphics are a tad better, but there's things on the PS2/PSOne you can't find for the X-box, and the Gamecube is for those family oriented things such as Mario games, etc.

If you want to keep up with everyone else, and don't want to own a lot of systems, then it's a no brainer to look at the current generation of systems, but when you've got kids, disk tend to get scratched, then it's easier to take a $10-$20 loss (probably a lot less if you shop on ebay), than a $40-$60 loss.

For the casual gamer, especially with the kids, a smart idea.