EXCLUSIVE: HANDS-ON WITH THE NEW PS2!
We get down and dirty with Sony's sexy little minx. Revealing pictures inside
17:53 The most important thing to realise about Sony's redesigned PS2 is that no matter how many time you read about it, or imagine the measurements, or study pictures, you'll never even get close to understanding how small it is.
It's tiny. Walking into Sony's London HQ and seeing it sitting on a desk was a truly surprising experience. Don't compare it in your head to an old PS2. Think more along the lines of a portable DVD player and you're in the right neighbourhood.
It's light too, approximately half the weight of the original PS2. Picking it up feels extremely strange, as if you're cradling a fragile little puppy, albeit one that lets you play San Andreas. Good dog.
The PS2 diet
We should point out that this redesigned PS2 is not PSTwo. It's PS2. It's not a special edition or a novelty, unless you want it to be. This is the replacement for the original overweight PS2, which has recently been in short supply worldwide. Sony have ceased production and shifted to the new, streamlined PS2.
If you want the full tech specs list for the redesigned PS2, click here.
Apart from the sheer size difference (it's 75% smaller than the original design and only 2.8cm thick compared to the older, chubbier 7.8cm) the unit isn't too alien to its big brother. It's still black; it retains the same obelisk-like silhouette, the same two-layer staggered design, and the same ribbed details.
The most noticeable difference is that the prominent blue PS2 logo no longer adorns the top (or side if you've got it sitting up) of the unit. Instead, a subtly polished black strip about a centimetre wide runs horizontally across with a highly innocuous PS2 logo recessed into it. It's a stylish little touch that perhaps shows Sony's confidence in the product's recognition - the only highly visible branding on the unit is the little coloured logo formerly on the disk drive (which you can still turn, by the way).
Disking around
Of course, we're talking about PS2's appearance when the disk drive is closed. Open it up and the unit's sleek, minimalist design takes a nasty hit. The disk drive is top loading rather than tray loading, in much the same way as a GameCube or portable CD player works. You press the button, the 'roof' lifts up, you snap the disk into place then press the flap down again.
In theory this is fine. In practice it's a bit... well, tacky. The button that opens the drive feels a bit clicky and the roof flicks up abruptly to a resting angle of about 45 degrees. It's a very mechanical process rather than a smooth, electronic motion. On top of that, if you've got fingers like smoked sausages you'll find it fiddly to get disks in, although you can push the drive roof up a little farther, to about 70 degrees.
Worst of all, if you're a fan of storing your PS2 on its side (which we agree is the unit's most iconic pose) this loading action becomes even more cumbersome.
It's a damn shame really, because this one little detail threatens to totally undermine both the unit's aesthetics and flexibility. Surely the point of a tiny PS2 is that you can slip it into the smallest nook in your overcrowded entertainment unit? Not if you need about 15cm of space to open the disk drive.
Minimalist muscle
But let's put this into perspective. PS2 is tiny. It weighs next to nothing. It looks sleek enough to be gracing the minimalist living room of a millionaire's penthouse. So the disk drive looks a bit ugly when it's open and could potentially be a bit annoying, but think about it: how often do you open up the disk drive? Not too much, surely, and at any rate it's a tiny fraction of the time you spend actually playing.
When you set the disadvantages of the disk drive alongside the numerous advantages of the PS2 it looks about as significant as a fart in a forest. Even though it's 75% smaller than the old model Sony have managed to stuff an internet adaptor and an infrared receiver (although you'll still have to buy a remote control) into the bodywork. These new additions nestle alongside the standard two memory card ports, two joypad ports, two USB ports, digital and RGB AV outlets and power socket.
The power source is an interesting area. Internal power units are big, bulky affairs, and Sony saved the most internal space by making the power source external. Now the PS2 power cable runs from the plug through a little 10cm by 6cm box and into the back of the unit. Seen a GameCube power cable? Just like that.
Power up
Once you turn the system on and start playing there is absolutely no noticeable difference between the new model and the fatty it replaces. The front end is the same and games play exactly the same.
There's no in-built HDD. Sony told us that they didn't include it because only a small minority of PS2 users use one, and new adopters of the system will not want one. Sure, it would've been a nice touch, but how many of us actually use one anyway?
There is one other issue could cause consternation. The redesign has resulted in smaller memory card ports that are closer to the joypad ports than before. While you'll be able to jam your current DualShocks into the new model, you'll have to buy new memory cards and a new Multitap.
You can see this in two ways: a cynical attempt by Sony to make more cash out of put-upon punters; or an honest by-product of the redesign justified by the fact that present PS2 owners are unlikely to buy the new model, and thus unlikely to need redesigned memory cards or Multitaps.
We favour the latter. The new PS2 doesn't need to be seen as a dastardly device designed to fleece PS2 fans out of even more money. If you've got a PS2 already there is little to be gained from buying the new model, unless of course you want to enjoy the smaller design and in-built network adaptor. It's your call.
Li'l slick
Overall impressions then? The redesigned PS2 is an attractive and technically impressive little piece of kit that still retains the iconic charm of its big brother in a slickly miniaturised form. The addition of network support out of the box finally puts the PS2 on a par with Xbox's standard specs and even the disappointing disk drive doesn't put too much of a downer on things.
You'll be able to get one from November 1, and you'll pay exactly the same price as you would for the current model - Sony's RRP is 104.99, but you'll find it at 99.99 in most shops. We asked Sony if bundles would be making an appearance, specifically with GTA: San Andreas, Killzone and The Getaway 2 in mind, and were told that nothing had been confirmed but that they do "tend to do that kind of thing at this time of year."
It's small, it's slick, and it'll look well smart on top of your TV. Let's just go for a front loading disk drive when PS3's little brother comes out, okay Sony?
