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Review : Sony Playstation SCPH-70000 PStwo
I celebrated my birthday yesterday so I had a bit of birthday cash on hand to spend frivolously. Sony has shipped the smaller re-designed PS2 two weeks ahead of schedule. This is also known as the SCPH 70000 or the PStwo. Today whipped out the phone book and found a store that had one of the new models in stock. It was a GameCrazy attached to a Hollywood Video and was able to trade in my original PS2 and Network Adapter for $95 towards the $150 price of a PStwo. If you ask me it was defiantly worth the $55 cost to upgrade to the new PStwo.
I could defiantly see the price of this unit drop to a hundred bucks next year. Probably at next year E3 when they start to show the PS3. The design of the SCPH-70000 is a work of art. Sony engineers were able to take the numerous chips to make a PS2 and combined them onto new chips that use less power and generate less heat. Using new redesigned chips they could fit the same damn power into a much smaller size. This thing is freaking small. I am holding it now and I still have no idea how they were able to pull it off.
This design has the same two controller ports, memory card ports, USB ports, a infrared remote control receiver, 56k modem, Ethernet port, digital out and Playstation multiple AV out. There is no Firewire port but Sony dropped that a while ago. There is no hard drive bay and the network adapter has been integrated into the design. I am pleasantly surprised to see the 56k modem on board because if was missing from the first version of the PStwo that was shown ot the public. I don't think the Japanese version of the PStwo has a modem but I digress.
What is the most missing is the loud ass fan that cursed the first generation of PS2s. There is no fan of any kind in the PStwo but there is a normal front and rear air vent. There is no moving parts in the unit except the very quiet DVD drive. There is a new pop top style DVD drive. The new drive does have an exposed DVD laser lens but it is possible to clean without a special cleaning disk. There is a small drive lock that stops the spinning disc when you pop open the drive door. There is no noticeable sound from the device it and it is a blissful silence. I would have preferred a normal tray style DVD drive but the pop top style works. The power supply is now an external much like the Gamecube but it is not as big and it only takes a one plug in a power strip. Sony D\ditched the rear power switch and things are better because of it. The size of the PStwo is freaking small. It is about the size of two DVD cases. It is probably the smallest video game system since the Japanese PC Engine. It looks like a paperback book but I need to get one of the new smaller vertical stands.
There is a slightly updated BIOS but there is no major changes to the PS operating system. My major complaint is that the PSone software settings does not remember your preferences. It is a bloody shame that there is no web browser, MP3 or JPEG player but it still kicks ass as a video game system. There is support for progressive DVD video playback and composite video support.
The old version of the Multitap will not work on this version of the hardware. I need to check to see if I can use BBQ's boot disk to see if I can play Japanese games on it. The Gameshark V4 worked perfectly.
Most of my predictions came true and this is a damn fine version of one of the essential video game systems. This fits into Sony's plans to have the PS2 software line on the market until 2010. I bet that Sony will drop the price of the PStwo to a hundred bucks next year when the PS3 gets closer but I am quite to have a much quieter newer version of the PS2. If you are a Final Fantasy XI addict then you should stick with the normal version of the PS2. If you are bothered by the noise of the first generation of the PS2 cooling fans than it is a very good idea to upgrade to the new PStwo. It is freaking small and very cool and it makes my PS2 games seem new. I am glad that I upgraded.
Jake at October 17, 2004 
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Comments
How about a pic of your new mini PS2 with your new flat screen tv, I bet they look awesome together !
Posted by: Kenneth at October 17, 2004 11:36 PM
Most of your predictions came true, yes. But everything I had told you it had on it, it did. I am also amazed at how small it is. It is the size of the laptop I use for work, but weighs about a quarter of what my laptop does. As far as them dropping the price to $100, I am not too sure...being as it is costing Sony a heck of a lot more to produce this smaller version than it did the original. They are already eating a little more than they would like cost-wise. But they released it as a statement, not to make money off of it. So we will see what happens.
Posted by: Mici at October 18, 2004 08:41 AM
I really need to know if this works with the import boot disc.
Posted by: Henry at October 18, 2004 09:04 PM
I will probably test the import boot disk at my friend's place on Halloween.
That must be a damn small laptop Mici! I could atill see a $100 PSTwo in 2006 when the PS2 comes out.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at October 18, 2004 11:09 PM
It is incredibly small. It's at least half the size of the average laptop...no, smaller than that even. When I first saw it the only thing that came to my mind was "how cute!" That's how small it is! But for whatever reason, Sony feels we need to have them for work, and the smaller the better since I have to carry it into every store I go to!
Posted by: Mici at October 19, 2004 07:56 PM
> There is no fan of any kind in the PStwo but there is a normal front and rear air vent.
wwweeeeeeeeeh! coolest thing ever!!!
Posted by: Jim at October 20, 2004 02:21 PM
Besides the occasional drive noise it is totally quiet.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at October 21, 2004 12:14 AM
Hi and good day to you. Im one of the many fans of the PS2 world. I just want to know if the new SLIM version of the PS2 will work on my old PS1 and PS2 games? Im currently living here in Japan now. I wanna buy it coz its so damn slim and I always liked my games portale, thats why I cant wait for the PSP to be released here in Japan. Oh before I forgot, I am using a Japanese Pro action replay 2 or PAR2 for my old PS2 for Japan game codes. Please enlighten me. Im a bit mixed up.
Posted by: Xer carlo at October 23, 2004 09:42 PM
Yes the new version will play all PSone and PS2 games. The Pro replay card will probably work but I don't know for sure because I have a gameshark
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at October 24, 2004 09:12 AM
I have a keyboard here for PS2 that I use to type codes for my Pro action replay. Do you think it will still work for the new PS2? And also the PSone and old ps2 controllers, will they still work on the new PS2? Oh and by the way, I just tried using my PAR2 (Pro action replay 2) on game titles from the States. Titles like Mortal Kombat:Deadly Alliance, Superman Shadow of akropolis, Shinobi, and Resident Evil Code veronica. And I was amazed that it worked. So do you think gameshark 2 for the PS2 will work on Japan codes too?
Posted by: Xer Carlo at October 26, 2004 04:28 AM
All the old stuff that worked on the origional PS2 will work on the smaller one except the HardDrive
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at October 27, 2004 10:45 PM
So the Woz has been working at Sony... :p
Posted by: Matt at December 31, 2004 10:07 PM
Ummmmmm actually the new PS2 does have a cooling fan as well as heat sinks.
Posted by: jim at April 9, 2005 07:56 PM
I thought It did not because it was so quiet but I could be wrong. It is really quiet compared to the first PS2s.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at April 11, 2005 09:36 PM
Can Gameshark v4 run impoted ps2 games
Posted by: joseh at January 19, 2006 06:19 PM