Which PS2 should I buy?

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I'm in the market for a PS2. Should I buy a new slimmed down PS2 or a refurbished old style one?

I've heard the slimmed down versions have problems with overheating and have seen USB fans available on eBay. Has anyone had problems with overheating or games not working properly after extended play on the new systems? Has anyone bought a fan? Are they worth the 10 bucks?

I can buy an old style refurbished PS2 from EB Games with a 13 month warranty for $10 less than a new one.

Which would you buy?
 
Depends. If you want a hard drive down the road, the fat one is your only bet. If you want online play, the slim one has it built in. The fat one you have to buy the adaptor. Of course, the adaptor can be had for like 5 bucks if you look in the right places
 
The fat ones are more prone to DRE and the older one may not play the 'blue' discs properly.

The slim one has network port built-in, open access to the laser assembly (so you may air blow it) but lacks the HDD connectivity. However, the latest slim model 75000 reportedly may not work very well with some thumb drives if you intend to backup your game saves using Codebreaker, etc.

If HDD is not important to you, get the slim.
 
I've never had a problem with my slim overheating or anything. The only reason I'd say that the fat PS2 would be worth getting is if you want to get the HDD. Otherwise, the slim PS2 has pretty much an advantage everywhere else.
 
get the slim unless you want to play FFXI, or Socom 3 (it has downloadable level packs).

The slim does not overheat. Ive left mine on for DAYS with a game running thru demo mode in it, and there were no problems. Im willing to bet anyone who had 'overheating' issues probably had their slim sitting on the carpet with a stack of game cases on top of it. As long as you give it some space, leave some air around it, it will be fine. I use the vertical stand with mine and Ive never had a problem.
 
get the slim unless you want to play FFXI, or Socom 3 (it has downloadable level packs).
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Officially, yes. Unofficially, you can run most game off the hard drive which reduces load time and saves the life cycle of the laser. You can also copy saves back and forth between the hard drive and memory card, which I find more convenient than using a USB drive.

That being said, if you have no interest in a hard drive, I'd go for a slim. The fat PS2 has a lot of problems and issues and costs that aren't worth it if you don't have an interest in having a hard drive.
 
Yeah I wasnt gonna mention that HD Loader stuff cos it can easily be used for piracy. But I do know that some people use it to rip legit games they own to the hdd, just to lose those load times. I just dont want to steer someone towards buying a phatty when you know it could go at any moment. At least a new slimmy will last a couple of years. And you can get it for $99 if you look around.

[quote name='espy605']Officially, yes. Unofficially, you can run most game off the hard drive which reduces load time and saves the life cycle of the laser. You can also copy saves back and forth between the hard drive and memory card, which I find more convenient than using a USB drive.

That being said, if you have no interest in a hard drive, I'd go for a slim. The fat PS2 has a lot of problems and issues and costs that aren't worth it if you don't have an interest in having a hard drive.[/quote]
 
Yeah I wasnt gonna mention that HD Loader stuff cos it can easily be used for piracy. But I do know that some people use it to rip legit games they own to the hdd, just to lose those load times. I just dont want to steer someone towards buying a phatty when you know it could go at any moment. At least a new slimmy will last a couple of years. And you can get it for $99 if you look around.
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Aside from HD Loader, having a hard drive as a save-game archive is extremely convenient. Although I admit even though I use it this way, I still find it most convenient to have at least two memory cards (8MB is just not enough). As for piracy, I wasn't supporting it, just expounding on legitimate uses about why one PS2 version is better than another. Especially for RPGs with random encounters, it could literally cut your playing time in half.

I forgot to mention, only older fat PS2s have the firewire port which is necessary if you ever plan to system link light gun games (most people don't but still).

The slim PS2, if bought new, is backed by the Sony warranty (although objectively there warranty is no where near as good as Nintendo's).

Regardless though, Sony systems aren't known for their longevity. Since the PS3 will be backwards compatible, it shouldn't matter too much at this point anyway.
 
There is an HD loader type application for the slim PS2, I think it's called USB advance or something... it requires the use of a hard drive enclosure and attach it to the PStwo via the USB. Chances are you don't really care about that stuff, so just go get the newer small PSTwo.

And if you ever wanted to play FFXI, get it for the PC
 
I'd definitely go for the fat one if I had to choice. My fat PS2 has been working great for four years.
 
My friends new slim overheats after about 2 hours and you can't be certain people in some fighting games because it lags it and freezes. It also takes way longer to load game than my fat one does.
 
I owned both so here you go.

Fat PS2

Good:
- Cheap
- Good Cooling
- Pop out tray

Bad:
- Really Big compared to PS2 Slim
- Fan is a little loud
- Some Fat PS2's break

Slim PS2

Good:
- Very small
- Not much Noise
- Looks very nice
- External Power supply for alot less heat
- Flip top

Bad:
- Gets Very hot
- Laser can be heared moving around
- Flip top doesnt pop up all the way

My Fat PS2 was refurbished and died after 3 years. My slim PS2 is new and does get hot. But you can play it for about 5 hours in a cooled room. If you plan to play for a long time you can turn off the console for a few minutes or put a fan in front of it. But both of these consoles in my opinion are good.
 
There is an HD loader type application for the slim PS2, I think it's called USB advance or something... it requires the use of a hard drive enclosure and attach it to the PStwo via the USB.
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Unfortunately, the PStwo has USB 1.1 which has an abysmal transfer rate. Also, the compatibility rate of games is substantially reduced when running from a USB hard disk.

Basically, by everyone's reports, both types of PS2s have serious problems which is why a warranty of any kind is good to have.
 
If you want a fat one, make sure its model SCPH-50001 or later.


I personally would recommend the fat one due to probably being able to get it for cheaper than a slim, and the fact that if you decide you want an HDD down the road you can get one.
 
The slim ones look real nice, but I can't get rid of the ol' fatty, just cuz' I got like 40 games on my HDD I still need to play.
 
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