Consoles and handhelds · Sony PlayStation

Sony PlayStation PS2

5owners with an opinion

80%of verdicts positive

2/1positive/negative since 2024

0happy after 3+ years

Praised for reliability and software; criticized for performance.

What people wrote

Likes it

I'm still perfectly happy with my solo racing games on PS2, not that I play them much anymore (or I would have bought ought a PS3 4 or 5.) I never understood why I should prefer driving against some punks that spend their evening crashing into the other players on purpose or wait for online races to start. But anyone is different.

Likes it

I've got an original xbox, a PS2 and a PS1 all softmodded or mod-chipped with all the games I could never afford 20-25 years ago. I even have wireless controllers. I never worry about the console being connected to the Internet or maintaining a subscription.

Doesn’t like it

I think there’s some rose tinted glasses here. And I say this as someone who loves Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The PS2 was still figuring out 3D cameras and jank was a real issue. I’d say it took to the PS3 era where the console had enough power to truly render 3D worlds and have a controllable camera that worked well, especially in action games. Now I’d say the PS2 games themselves were way better than the PS3 era, even with that jank ;-)

Likes it

> Yes. If you have embedded software in the field and it is running on hardware that has not reached its EOL, then you absolutely should be fixing bugs and vulnerabilities Ok, I'll be the unpopular person here. Some bugs, even security ones: are ok. I know that a very significant amount of software is mature these days, but sometimes upgrading causes different bugs, which are either harder to diagnose or even potentially more deadly. I work in gamedev though, releases are tradeoffs with which bugs we accept. It is very frequently the case that fixing one bug will incur several other bugs, it's just a case of understanding if they're worse or not. For example: I don't care that my TV will have a 1/100 crash when launching the settings. I will just launch settings again- Coincidentally: having everything constantly updating and internet connected is counter-intuitive. I used to spend entire evenings waiting for my PS4 to install new software on itself, but the PS2 (which contained many bugs!) worked much more often.

Likes it

I still have a working PS2 but no decent controller to use with it. Is it still possible to buy original ones in a decent condition, or is there some way to use PS4 or newer controllers?

Likes itDoesn’t say they own it

Yeah a bit of some odd analysis in the article with who won those console wars. Speaking of graphics, it’s still worth pointing out that the PS2 was the weakest console of its generation in most respects save for its unique data streaming capabilities, but it did beat the GameCube and Xbox by a year. (We aren’t counting the Dreamcast here) The PS2 sold itself easily with the integrated DVD capability. The GameCube had very strong capabilities, but I think it was hamstrung by smaller disc capacity and Nintendo’s difficult developer situation. Sony had the customer and they were easy to work with. I also think from a marketing standpoint, the small size and toy-ish appearance of the GameCube made it look less appealing to older demographics. The controller didn’t look as serious, either, and the C-stick was a dumb move. Nintendo wouldn’t give in and make the normal standardized controller that we all agree is the end-state until the Switch, although you can’t fault them for the massive success they enjoyed with the Wii.

Likes itDoesn’t say they own it

It's a good time! I feel the PS2 is an iconic member of any living room TV setup, especially with an SSD, a couple controllers, and component out. Nice to have for hangouts!

Likes itDoesn’t say they own it

This is why I loved every console pre-PS4, from a technical standpoint. The amount of performance (think God of War 2 or Black) devs were able to squeeze out of the PS2 was nothing short of staggering.