Misc. Info

September 13th, 1999

Finally Sony lifted its veil of secrecy, it is official, the name is PlayStation 2. Thanks Sony, for sticking to the PlayStation name. Less confusion, for sure. The bad news for the impatient ones of us is that the Japanese release has been postsponed to March 4, 2000. Any good suggestions how to pass the time until then are happily accepted. The price in Japan has been set to39,800 Yen, or roughly $370. A tad on the expensive side, yes, but I just have to have it. And I guess so do you! Hopefully, by the time it reaches American shores, it will be $299 and not $399. US release is still set for Fall, 2000. (That 9/9 date still has magic in it...)

It will play DVD movies! And thankfully, it has a Digital Out for what you see below (if you squint your eyes)...

Before you get overly excited, please remember that Japan is Region 2 (same as Europe) when it comes to DVD's, and hacking it to be region free could take some time, if ever. Hacking it to play PS2 games from other than its own region will be hard too, expect Sony to have gone to great lenghts to protect their baby. (Having learnt a lesson or two from the PS.)

What comes in the box? The PS2, a Dual Shock 2 controller, a High Capacity 8MB Memory Card, a PlayStation 2 Demo Disc, an AV Multi Cable and an AC Power Cord.

The Dual Shock 2 controller will (with the exception of the Start and Select button be all analog). Retail price is 3,500 Yen, or $30.

Unfortunately, in order to keep compability with the original PS, the Memory Card is not Memory Stick based. Major bummer, if you ask me. Maybe a reader/writer can be connected through the USB or PC Card slots. 8MB though, is a great improvement from the original 128K on the PS. Not to mention the transfer rate. Remember the rather slow process when saving large saves? Now it is up to 250 times faster than the original!! Retail price is 3,500 Yen, or $30.

The PS2 has the following interfaces: 2 Controller ports, 2 Memory Card slots, AV Multi Cable Output, Optical Digital Output, 2 USB ports, i.Link (FireWire, or IEEE 1394) and a Type III PCMCIA or PC Card slot.

As you can see in the pictures (worth checking out!) it is a great looking machine. You can even set it on its side, if you buy an optional vertical stand. The PS logo on the disc tray can be rotated to match your setup. Nice one, Sony.

It weighs 2.1 kg (4 lbs. 10 oz) and its measurements are: 301mm (W) x 178mm (D) x 78mm (H) (12" x 3" x 7")

A few launch titles:
Gran Turismo 2000 (Sony, Racing)
Tekken Tag Tournament (Namco, Fighting)
Street Fighter EX3 (Capcom, Fighting)
Drum Mania (Konami, Action)
The Bouncer (Square, Fighting/Action)
Dark Cloud (Sony, RPG)

A few more announced (not for launch, names may change):
Bust a Move 3, Enix
Star Ocean 3, Enix
Armored Core 2, From
Mobile Suit Gundam, Bandai
Bloody Roar 3, Hudson Soft
Bomberman 2001, Hundson Soft
New Ridge Racer, Namco
500GP, Namco
Tenchu 2, Sony
New Cool Boarders, UEP

I want one. I really, really want one. Now.

- Nils