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Why is the PS2 a rip off? Personally I don`t think it is, and I know many others agree. Here is why I believe this:
Most consoles so far have been released at high prices. I believe PSone was more expensive on release, and it still did well. Was it £400? The price is bound to be high, as it is with all new consoles. Anyway, this price will drop soon, and become available to more and more people. I know quite a few people at university who are waiting until the end of this year for a PS2, so that they can get it cheaper. However, even before the price drop, I believe the price tag can be justified.
What does the PS2 have on offer?
1) A DVD player. Underestimated by many due to problems. I myself have encountered two problems, but now both have a solution.
(i) Green Screen - With the aid of Wookiee Monster, I was able to connect my Hi-fi up to my PS2 and TV, without turning the screen green. I was attempting to use an RGB cable, which was disabled for piracy reasons. Now I`m using the right cable, the sound is good, and the picture is correct, and of a very good quality. It is often forgotten that though the cable supplied is not true RGB, is is still of better quality than the old cables sold with consoles like the PSone and Megadrive.
Before I had my PS2, I thought of DVDs as over expensive and a waste of money. I had seen them run on PCs and had been fairly unimpressed. However, the quality of DVD player the PS2 possesses was sufficient to buy me over and convert me to a DVD fan.
(ii) Lip sync problems. Though many of my newer DVDs were unaffected by this, some of my older ones did suffer from deficiencies in what is known as lip sync. This is where the sound produced by the cast slips, and arrives at a different time to when the image should produce these sounds.
To solve this, it was posted by Wookiee Monster that you should press the triangle button when at the main menu before the browser. Then go to console and press triangle again. Then turn the diagnostic mode on. This sorts out the lip sync problem fairly well.
So, as you can see, with these problems solved, my PS2 is providing me with great DVD playback, and I am as a result building up my DVD collection.
2) This is hardly anything new, but it plays music CDs, which has been done before (By PSone for example). However, it is still a nice feature. (I myself would not enjoy having to bring a seperate dedicated music system such a distance to university just for the occasional song).
3) A feature that has really helped the PS2 in my opinion is the backwards compatibility of the system. Instead of totally having to restart with an all new console, new games controllers etc... I can use my old controllers, as well as the new ones provided. I can use my old PSone games. (As a PSone owner before, I have many games that I would not want to merely slip away into the background). All I need in the way of new peripherals is a memory card (A very large one is on sale at a reasonable price). I still have a long way to go to fill my memory card. I also have a new multi tap.
I was marginally disappointed to see the PS2 arrive with only two ports, but the explanation from Sony that the console could not house it as it had already had its dimensions fixed seemed fair enough. Also, the problem is solved by either the multi tap, or the rumoured controllers that will operate through the USB ports. So it seems that is all sorted, but what about the actual PS2 stuff, the games themselves?
4) The PS2 games. With stunning titles already released in the form of SSX, TimeSplitters, ZOE and Starfighter, there is already plenty to choose from. However, this is not where it stops. There are many exciting titles on their way to PS2, including some highly anticipated sequels (Final Fantasy 10 and Metal Gear Solid 2), and also many fresh new ideas such as Onimusha, Red Faction, the Getaway and many more. To top this off, Sega having recently become a multi format 3rd party developer will also be providing Sony with some fine games for their new machine, with Crazy Taxi as an imminent release. To avoid making this topic too long, I will not go into a great deal of detail about these games, but suffice to say there are many that are going to be really worth the wait.
5) A bright future. By the end of the year, the PS2 should be equipped with internet connections, and a powerful hard drive. There will also be many USB compatible accesories such as a digital camera, printers, keyboards and more. Along with the internet connections will come many online titles such as Final Fantasy 11 and Star Wars Online.
By the time the X-box is released, the PS2 will be set up with a large number of extremely good games, internet connections, hard drives, all the accesories you could want, and finally millions of happy PS2 owners.
Now, will somebody explain to me why the PS2 is a rip off.
Most consoles so far have been released at high prices. I believe PSone was more expensive on release, and it still did well. Was it £400? The price is bound to be high, as it is with all new consoles. Anyway, this price will drop soon, and become available to more and more people. I know quite a few people at university who are waiting until the end of this year for a PS2, so that they can get it cheaper. However, even before the price drop, I believe the price tag can be justified.
What does the PS2 have on offer?
1) A DVD player. Underestimated by many due to problems. I myself have encountered two problems, but now both have a solution.
(i) Green Screen - With the aid of Wookiee Monster, I was able to connect my Hi-fi up to my PS2 and TV, without turning the screen green. I was attempting to use an RGB cable, which was disabled for piracy reasons. Now I`m using the right cable, the sound is good, and the picture is correct, and of a very good quality. It is often forgotten that though the cable supplied is not true RGB, is is still of better quality than the old cables sold with consoles like the PSone and Megadrive.
Before I had my PS2, I thought of DVDs as over expensive and a waste of money. I had seen them run on PCs and had been fairly unimpressed. However, the quality of DVD player the PS2 possesses was sufficient to buy me over and convert me to a DVD fan.
(ii) Lip sync problems. Though many of my newer DVDs were unaffected by this, some of my older ones did suffer from deficiencies in what is known as lip sync. This is where the sound produced by the cast slips, and arrives at a different time to when the image should produce these sounds.
To solve this, it was posted by Wookiee Monster that you should press the triangle button when at the main menu before the browser. Then go to console and press triangle again. Then turn the diagnostic mode on. This sorts out the lip sync problem fairly well.
So, as you can see, with these problems solved, my PS2 is providing me with great DVD playback, and I am as a result building up my DVD collection.
2) This is hardly anything new, but it plays music CDs, which has been done before (By PSone for example). However, it is still a nice feature. (I myself would not enjoy having to bring a seperate dedicated music system such a distance to university just for the occasional song).
3) A feature that has really helped the PS2 in my opinion is the backwards compatibility of the system. Instead of totally having to restart with an all new console, new games controllers etc... I can use my old controllers, as well as the new ones provided. I can use my old PSone games. (As a PSone owner before, I have many games that I would not want to merely slip away into the background). All I need in the way of new peripherals is a memory card (A very large one is on sale at a reasonable price). I still have a long way to go to fill my memory card. I also have a new multi tap.
I was marginally disappointed to see the PS2 arrive with only two ports, but the explanation from Sony that the console could not house it as it had already had its dimensions fixed seemed fair enough. Also, the problem is solved by either the multi tap, or the rumoured controllers that will operate through the USB ports. So it seems that is all sorted, but what about the actual PS2 stuff, the games themselves?
4) The PS2 games. With stunning titles already released in the form of SSX, TimeSplitters, ZOE and Starfighter, there is already plenty to choose from. However, this is not where it stops. There are many exciting titles on their way to PS2, including some highly anticipated sequels (Final Fantasy 10 and Metal Gear Solid 2), and also many fresh new ideas such as Onimusha, Red Faction, the Getaway and many more. To top this off, Sega having recently become a multi format 3rd party developer will also be providing Sony with some fine games for their new machine, with Crazy Taxi as an imminent release. To avoid making this topic too long, I will not go into a great deal of detail about these games, but suffice to say there are many that are going to be really worth the wait.
5) A bright future. By the end of the year, the PS2 should be equipped with internet connections, and a powerful hard drive. There will also be many USB compatible accesories such as a digital camera, printers, keyboards and more. Along with the internet connections will come many online titles such as Final Fantasy 11 and Star Wars Online.
By the time the X-box is released, the PS2 will be set up with a large number of extremely good games, internet connections, hard drives, all the accesories you could want, and finally millions of happy PS2 owners.
Now, will somebody explain to me why the PS2 is a rip off.
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adrian wrote:
> I my experience with the N64 expansion pak it did make the games
> look better. Especially with Turok 2, well that was the only Hi-Res
> game I owned but if you played it with out the expansion pak it was
> very crap.
Must admit I`ve never tried it with Turok 2, but I did give it a go on PD, Episode One Racer, and Diddy kong. However, only the former two could be compared.
> I my experience with the N64 expansion pak it did make the games
> look better. Especially with Turok 2, well that was the only Hi-Res
> game I owned but if you played it with out the expansion pak it was
> very crap.
Must admit I`ve never tried it with Turok 2, but I did give it a go on PD, Episode One Racer, and Diddy kong. However, only the former two could be compared.
TimeSplitters on multiplayer makes Perfect Dark and Goldeneye look stupid.
I was round a friends house, playing TimeSplitters for about 4 hours, then we switched to N64 and played Perfect Dark.
However (and this is the funny part) we soon gave up because even the Perfect Dark owner (with expansion pack) had to admit it was like playing in slow motion after TS. So we went back to TimeSplitters!
Now that is a post that would get me killed in the FOG, but it is absolutely true!
I was round a friends house, playing TimeSplitters for about 4 hours, then we switched to N64 and played Perfect Dark.
However (and this is the funny part) we soon gave up because even the Perfect Dark owner (with expansion pack) had to admit it was like playing in slow motion after TS. So we went back to TimeSplitters!
Now that is a post that would get me killed in the FOG, but it is absolutely true!
adrian wrote:
> I my experience with the N64 expansion pak it did make the games
> look better. Especially with Turok 2, well that was the only Hi-Res
> game I owned but if you played it with out the expansion pak it was
> very crap.
I agree. My friend showed me this soon after I got my PS2. He seemed to be boasting, but then I showed him Timesplitters and SSX and he immediatetly bought aforementioned expansion pak
> I my experience with the N64 expansion pak it did make the games
> look better. Especially with Turok 2, well that was the only Hi-Res
> game I owned but if you played it with out the expansion pak it was
> very crap.
I agree. My friend showed me this soon after I got my PS2. He seemed to be boasting, but then I showed him Timesplitters and SSX and he immediatetly bought aforementioned expansion pak
I my experience with the N64 expansion pak it did make the games look better. Especially with Turok 2, well that was the only Hi-Res game I owned but if you played it with out the expansion pak it was very crap.
I really hope it comes true, though I think it is already capable of fighting with the X-box.
saesee wrote:
> Oh, and don't forget:
In the not-so-distant future the PS2 will
> have a plug-in memory upgrade that will... upgrade the memory from
> the current 4MB to 16MB.
We don't know that for sure though, so let's not get people's hopes up! The only official add-on announced is the broadband/HD add-on.
Of course there is a chance that this may include other performance-enhancing items, but there is no *offical* word on this; it's possible, but at the moment let's just call it 'wishful thinking'! :-)
> Oh, and don't forget:
In the not-so-distant future the PS2 will
> have a plug-in memory upgrade that will... upgrade the memory from
> the current 4MB to 16MB.
We don't know that for sure though, so let's not get people's hopes up! The only official add-on announced is the broadband/HD add-on.
Of course there is a chance that this may include other performance-enhancing items, but there is no *offical* word on this; it's possible, but at the moment let's just call it 'wishful thinking'! :-)
adrian wrote:
> It will look a lot better with the expansion pack.
I had an expansion pack on my N64, and I thought it was fairly rubbish. It did make a slight difference if you get out the old microscope, but really wasn`t worth the effort (except on PD to get the extra options, but that was it).
Add-ons, as proved by N64 and 32X etc... have a consistent record for being poor, but that should change with Sony`s version if they get it right.
> It will look a lot better with the expansion pack.
I had an expansion pack on my N64, and I thought it was fairly rubbish. It did make a slight difference if you get out the old microscope, but really wasn`t worth the effort (except on PD to get the extra options, but that was it).
Add-ons, as proved by N64 and 32X etc... have a consistent record for being poor, but that should change with Sony`s version if they get it right.
saesee wrote:
> What was the N64 expantion?
Sony work wonders - they won't let
> the add-ons flop.
It was to replace the 4mb with an 8mb. It fitted at the top of the console under the flap. It was easy to exchange and you wouldnt know it was there. When you see games for the N64 in special reserve and they have the "Hi" next to them that means that you need an expansion pack to run them, or some features need the expansion pack, or It will look a lot better with the expansion pack.
> What was the N64 expantion?
Sony work wonders - they won't let
> the add-ons flop.
It was to replace the 4mb with an 8mb. It fitted at the top of the console under the flap. It was easy to exchange and you wouldnt know it was there. When you see games for the N64 in special reserve and they have the "Hi" next to them that means that you need an expansion pack to run them, or some features need the expansion pack, or It will look a lot better with the expansion pack.
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