Sony PlayStation 2 (Import) System FAQ
By Space Ace version 6.7 July 20 2000
EMAIL- frankblack@mn.mediaone.net

Welcome to my PlayStation 2 (Import) System FAQ 
This follows my Sega Dreamcast System FAQ
         And my Sega Dream Passport (Import) FAQ
         And my NFL2K Glitch FAQ

Update Guide
March 24- Updated game list and added Weekly Famitsu Ratings
March 25- Major Reformat and added News and Email Q and A Section.
March 29- Added Magic Box Chart comparing PSX games on PS2. 
          Minor mods and fixed some errors. Looks like The street date         
          for the U.S PS2 is not set in stone for October after all!
April 01- Added PS2 Recall info(not April fools) 
          and other small little things.
April 08- The Real World has attacked, but I have updated several   
          areas. Until next time.
April 11- Major Update to News Section including    
          the Macrovision disabling controversy and
          some more glitch info.
April 12- Updated Famitsu Ratings - Updated more unplayable PSX games    
          on PS2.  
April 14- Added step by step information on how to change PS2 language    
          settings to English and how to reinstall the DVD drivers.
April 22- Added Famitsu ratings for 3 games.
  May 22- E3 info and concrete American launch info.
  June 3- Little update.       
  June 8- More tinkering.
 June 17- New weekly Famitsu ratings
 July 20- Sorry for lack of updates this month, but my computer was  
          hacked into and almost destroyed. Now I'm back with a new OS  
          and I plan to get back to updating this FAQ more often.   
          I gotta say that The Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty   
          trailer is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! 
          Of course as it gets closer to the American PS2 coming out  
          new info will be constant and this FAQ will once again be  
          hopping with life...
 July 20- Second Update- More American launch info and added early  
          American launch games and accessories list.
          
Index:
1. American Launch Info: The story so far.
   A: American launch games.
2. Japanese Launch Info: The complete launch
   A: Japanese launch games.
   B: Japanese PS2 Setup Guide:
    1. Voltage issues.
    2. Change system settings to English. 
    3. Install DVD drivers.
    4. Codes to play American, British and Japanese DVD movies:   
       The 3 confirmed codes.
3. Let The Games Begin: Weekly Famitsu Ratings and my impressions of   
   the early Japanese PS2 games.
4. Play PSX games on PS2.  
   A: The list of the unplayable PSX games.
   B: Chart showing improvements(or not)using 
      Playstation 1 games on Playstation 2
5. PS2 Issues. Problems with the PS2(See also Email and News Section)
6. Playstation 2 specs and comparison to all next-gen systems!
7. The Playstation 2 and it's place in video game history.
8. Email and News Q and A Section. PS2 comments and news from Emails   
   and newsgroups.
9. Credits and thanks:


1. American Launch Info.
   At E3 Sony announced the American launch date as 10/26/00 and the   
   price as $299.00. Some other important accesories available at  
   launch or near launch are: Prices are EB(www.ebworld.com).
   Dual Shock 2 Controller: 34.99
   8 MEG Memory Card: 34.99
   PS2 Multi-Tap: 34.99
   S-Video Cable: 9.99(Interact) where's Sony's?
   Component Video Cable: I'm hoping at least...
   RGB Cable: No conformation yet either... 
   RFU Adapter: 14.99(Interact)
   Wireless Remote Control: 19.99(Interact)

 A: American Launch Titles: 
  1.  Dark Cloud - Sony
  2.  Dead Or Alive 2 - Namco
  3.  Driving Emotion Type-S - Square
  4.  ESPN International Track & Field - Konami 
  5.  Fantavision - Sony
  6.  Gradius 3&4 - Konami
  7.  Gran Turismo 2000 - Sony
  8.  Ico - Sony
  9.  Knockout Kings 2001 - EA
  10. Madden 2001 - EA
  11. NFL Gameday 2001 - Sony
  12. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - Round 2 - Midway
  13. Ridge Racer 5 - Namco
  14. Roadster Trophy - Interplay
  15. Star Wars Episode 1: Starfighter - LucasArts
  16. Street Fighter EX3 - Capcom
  17. Summoner - THQ
  18. SWING AWAY GOLF PS2 - EA
  19. Tekken Tag Tournament - Namco 
  20. The World Is Not Enough - EA
  21. Timesplitters - Eidos
  22. X SQUAD - EA
      These are the titles available at launch according to EB. We'll   
      have to wait and see how many of these titles actually make the 
      launch! I bet this list come October will be very different.

2. The Japanese Launch.
The Playstation 2(PS2) was released in Japan on March 4th at a cost of 
39.800 yen which is about $370.00 US. The system comes with: 
1 PS2 console-The mother of all systems? 
1 Analog Controller- With almost all analog buttons! 
1 8M Memory Card- Be careful these are glitchy. 
1 Power Cable- Remember the voltage difference for you importers. 
1 AV Cable- This system has Component Output people! 
1 Utilities Disk- The DVD drivers, not games demos!
And a very special surprise greeted people when they looked on the back 
of the box it was a sticker that reads as follows: "This is notification 
that you, as a purchaser of 'PlayStation2' console & 'PlayStation2' 
MEMORY CARD (8MB), are prohibited to export these products without 
authorization by the Minister of International Trade and Industry except 
under special circumstances which meet the requirements of the Foreign 
Exchange and Foreign Trade Law, as both products are categorized as 
Export Control Goods. (as of 1999/6/18)."
Will this stop anyone from importing the system...I don't think it will 
stop to many people from trying, though I have heard that some shipping 
companies have been creepy about shipping anything that looks like it 
might be a Playstation 2. Anyway I know a lot of people who are getting 
or have already gotten their systems. Though I will say that it seems to 
me that less people are importing this system than the Sega Dreamcast at 
its launch. It might be because the system is coming out here in only 6 
months and people are willing to wait. Also the cost of importing the 
system really varies: NCS(www.ncsx.com) is selling the system for 
$780.00 but I've seen them on eBay(www.ebay.com) for as low as 300.00!! 
The only problem with buying from a person who hasn't tested the system 
is that the system has had some problems: Overheating(sound familiar 
Dreamcast owners), glitchy memory cards, and DVD movie playback issues. 
If your going to buy a system make sure it's been tested by a person 
otherwise you could be getting a turkey. NCS has said they will test all 
Playstation 2's, the same thing they did for the Japanese Dreamcast, 
which also had some early problems. These glitches didn't stop the 
system from selling almost 1 Million systems in a couple days. 
Because of all the glitches however the launch was almost a disaster and 
now the recall is official in a statement from Sony:
The utility CD-ROM disc that shipped with the PlayStation 2 will be 
recalled after it came to light that the DVD (digital versatile disc) 
player software contains a bug that allows users to override the region 
coding system. This system is intended to prevent users watching discs 
other than those sold in the region in which they live and is a vital 
part of the copyright-control system. The problem became apparent when 
instructions on how to modify the software began appearing on the 
Internet(and in this FAQ)
SCEI adds that it will exchange for no charge the utility discs, either 
by mail or through any Seven-Eleven convenience store in Japan, and also 
work on making hardware modifications that prevent the faulty software 
from being loaded into future consoles. 
The new software also fixes two other problems with the DVD software. 
They are the occasional decrease in level of the analog audio output of 
the machine and interruptions to the audio that sometimes occurs through 
the digital audio output. Ouch!

 A. Japanese Launch Titles:
  1.  A-Train 6- Artdink  
  2.  Den Sen Electric Lines - Sony 
  3.  Doukyu Billiards 2 - Ask 
  4.  Drum Mania - Konami 
  5.  Eternal Ring - From Software 
  6.  Kakinoki Shogi - Ascii Entertainment  
  7.  Kesson - KOEI
  8.  Morita Shogi - Yuki Enterprise 
  9.  Popolocrois 3 - Sony 
 10. Ridge Racer V - Namco
 11. Stepping Selection - Jaleco 
 12. Street Fighter EX3 - Capcom
 13. Unison - Tecmo

 B. Japanese PS2 Setup Guide.
   Due to numerous questions on these issues I decided i should include   
   parts of a step by step setup guide. A, B, and C of the following  
   section are from:  www.ps2web.com   I really feel this site to be    
   the best PS2 site around. I recommend checking them out. More in    
   depth information on these issues can also be found in News and    
   Email section.   

  1. VOLTAGE ISSUES.
Since the Japanese PS2 runs on a Japanese power system, you may need a 
power converter if you are using the system outside of the US or Japan. 
The United States and Canada run on a similar power system to Japan, but 
European and other foreign systems can zap the PS2 with twice as much 
voltage as it can take, frying the system. Here's a list of worldwide 
voltage measurements: 
United States and Canada: 110volts/30amps 
Japan: 100v/30a 
Most of Europe: 220v/30a 
The voltage is what really counts if you try to run it on a Euro power 
system, you'll end up with a fried PS2. However, the American power 
system should be able to run the PS2 just fine, since the 10-20 volt 
difference won't really make a difference. Our PS2 runs fine on an 
American power system. 
Once you have your PS2 plugged in to the wall, you'll have to plug it in 
to your TV. Plug the AV output cord into the spot on the back of your 
system. The PS2 comes with the standard red, white, and yellow AV 
cables, so if your PS2 works with those you can plug them right into 
your TV. If you need to plug the PS2 in through a VCR, you will have 
trouble playing DVDs because of a kind of protections called 
Macrovision. To play DVDs you'll need to plug it in directly to the TV. 
Once all the plugs are in place, just put your controller and memory 
card into the slots, and flip the switch on the back of the system to 
turn it on. Use the green reset button on the front of the system to 
reset it, and the blue button to eject the disc.

  2. CHANGE SYSTEM SETTINGS TO ENGLISH. 
Once you get your PS2 up and running, you'll need to decipher those 
Japanese characters to actually use the system. Fortunately, Sony has 
included an option to change the language on the system (not the games). 
Step-by-step instructions to change the language and time on the system 
are as follows: 
Turn on your PS2 with no disc inside. 
When the opening screen shows up, choose the bottom option of the two. 
You will see some Japanese text, then the time and date beneath it. 
Press UP once to get to the language select option. 
Press O to select this option, and select the choice to the right 
(English) by pressing O (circle). 
All the text should change to English. Now go back to the time and date 
set up, and change it to your time zone. 
You can also play around with the other options, but that's all you need 
to be able to play the system properly. 
Press X to get out of the configuration menu, and go into the Browser 
menu to select a game to play or browse the memory card.

  3. THE DVD DRIVERS. 
The drivers, or software programs that allow the PS2's DVD drive to boot 
up, are located on the PS2's memory card, and are very easily deletable, 
especially if you have a card that gets corrupted by saving Ridge Racer 
V data. We were fortunate enough to get a functional memory card, but we 
ended up having to reinstall the drivers in order to play American DVDs 
on our system. It's a bit hard to decipher the Japanese utility disc, so 
we figured it out ourselves (with no knowledge of Japanese, mind you) to 
make your lives a little easier. Follow the step-by-step instructions 
below to have your DVD player up and running in no time. Delete your DVD 
driver from the memory card, if it hasn't already been accidentally 
deleted. Put your utility disc, which came in a small blue case in your 
PS2's box, into your disc drive. When the utility disc loads up, press O 
(circle) to proceed to the menu screen. Choose the last option, the one 
with DVD in the text. Press O to select it. Now you're in the DVD 
manual. Flip to the 4th page and press O to download the drivers to the 
memory card.  You will be prompted to answer something in Japanese. 
Choose the option to the left. You will be asked to confirm your 
selection, choose the option to the left again. The download will now 
start, and will take a minute or so to complete. When the download's 
done, you will see one line of Japanese and an option to press X. Press 
X about 5 or 6 times in order to exit out of the utility disc. When 
you're back into the PS2's browser mode, you should be able to see the 
DVD driver on your memory card. 
Insert a DVD disc and follow the directions to play region 1 DVDs 
Enjoy the movie!        Thanks again to www.ps2web.com 
 
  4. PLAY AMERICAN DVD's.
One huge bonus for buying the system now is that with a simple code you 
can play BOTH Region 1(U.S) and Region 2(Japan,U.K) DVD's. This is 
beyond belief awesome, but of course Sony is already taking steps to fix 
this "problem". By the way The Gaming Intelligence 
Agency(www.thegia.com)says all three codes should be entered when the 
PlayStation 2 DVD bootup sequence begins fading to black. The buttons 
should be held until either the DVD movie starts up (1 line of Japanese) 
or a "region failed" message appears (2 lines of Japanese). If you get a 
region failed message, don't despair; just try again. The same disc will 
work some times and not others.
  Code 1: The best code for playing region 1 DVD's is from the old 
Gamefan Legend Nick Rox, he says to: Insert a first-generation 
PlayStation pad the kind with no analog controller(hope you have one 
lying around if not you can probably track one down at a second hand 
video game store)in Control Port 1 of the PS2. Insert a region 1 DVD and 
Hold UP on the pad until the DVD menu appears than Highlight the play 
icon and select it. He says this works 95% of the time which is better 
than the other codes by far.
  Code 2: The next code comes from J.T. Kauffman The code is: hold down 
L1, Circle, and Select. This code has worked with both the Dual Shock 1 
and 2 with about 40% accuracy.
  Code 3: The final code comes from Barubary and is: press in L3 (the 
left analog stick) straight and hard. This code does not work with the 
Dual Shock 1, but works with the Dual Shock 2 with about 60% accuracy. 
Thanks to the GIA for all codes.
There is talk of a memory Card recall so that new drivers can be 
installed to remove the Region 1 "glitch". Only morons would submit to 
this. Sadly all new PS2's will be free of this easy option to play both 
regions...
 
3.  Let The Games Begin.
Weekly Famitsu ratings(4 reviewers give 1-10 rating for a possible 40 
points). If you don't know, Famitsu is the most respected Japanese 
videogame magazine around, A combined score of 32 is considered pretty 
good by these guys, anything from 33-37 is considered excellent, and 38-
39 are contenders for game of the year. 40 is a perfect game and is 
almost unheard of as only 2 games have ever received 40 in the fifteen 
years of the magazine.  Tekken Tag Tournaments score of 38/40 is the 
best score so far this year!. I also give my impressions of the launch 
titles and other soon to be released titles:      
1.  Ridge Racer V by Namco-(36/40) Best game of launch and the main 
    reason for importing the system. 
2.  Street Fighter EX3 by Capcom-(32/40) CjayC is in love with this 
    game! I've got 1 word for you Skull-O-Mania or is that 3 words?
3.  Tekken Tag Tournament by Namco-(38/40)- No Anti-aliasing?
4.  Kessen by Koei-(32/40) Best cut scenes I've seen yet on the system!
5.  Eternal Ring by From Software-(25/40) Cool looking RPG with 
    incredible cinemas.
6.  Drum Mania by Konami-(32/40) Obligatory dance or beat game from 
    Konami.
7.  Golf Paradise by T&E Soft-(27/40)-This company has a golf game at 
    every system launch! Really they have, think about it.
8.  Jikkyou World Soccer 2000 by Konami
9.  A6 A Reisha de Ikou 6(A-Train 6) by Artdink-(28/40)  
10. Sky Surfer by Idea Factory 
11. I.Q. Remix by Sony-(28/40) 
12. Street Mahjong Trance Mashin 2 Sun Soft- No Japanese system launch 
    could be possible without at least 3 Mahjong games!  
13. Stepping Selection by Jaleco-(32/40) 
14. Driving Emotion Type-S by Square-(28/40)
15. Fantavision by Sony-(31/40) Weird Galaga lock on type fireworks 
    game? Said to be a puzzle game, but I don't believe it.
16. Doukyu Billiards 2(Billiard Master 2) by Ask  
17. Morita Shogi by Yuki Enterprise- No Japanese launch would be 
    complete without at least 3 Shogi games. 
18. American Arcade Pinball by Astroll 
19. Mahjong Taikai III by Koei 
20. Gradius III & IV by Konami-(28/40) Super Nintendo launch title    
    Gradius 3was a disaster because of major slowdown problems, this 
    is not the case with this version however.  
21. Kakinoki Shogi by Ascii  
22. Popolocrois 3 by Sony
23. Unison by Tecmo
24. Den Sen Electric Lines by Sony  
25. Dark Cloud by Sony- RPG lovers heaven. Americans wait till fall. 
26. Gran Turismo 2000 by Sony-This is one of the most important early   
    PS2 games. 
27. The Bouncer by Square-(28/40) 
28. Evergrace by From Software(28/40) 
29. Street Mah-Jongg 2 by SunSoft 
30. Sky Surfer by Sony(22/40) 
31. Crossfire Square by EA 
32. Dead or Alive 2 by Tecmo-(34/40) One of the best Dreamcast games  
    ever seems to be visually unchanged for PS2. People have complained   
    about this game not using Anti-aliasing like the Dreamcast version. 
33. Gekikuukan Pro Baseball by Square 
34. SSX by EA 
35. Primal Image Vol.1 by Atlus Software-(27/40)
36. Love Story by Enix-(29/40)
37. Hresvelgr- (26/40)

4. Play PSX games on PS2:   
One of the big questions about the Playstation 2 is: Can the Playstation 
2 play Playstation 1 games? The answer is YES! And it actually enhances 
some games by adding 2 features which are selectable. The first is a 
speed setting which allows you to switch between 33.8 Mhz or 37.5Mhz 
this can speed up load times on some games. Although using the faster 
setting can also glitch out other games so thankfully you can select the 
speed. The other is a Texture Interpolation option which can clean up 
jagged edges and other problems with textures in some games. Once again 
this glitches out some games which is why they let you turn it on or 
off.
  
 A: Old PSX games that will not work on PS2 here is the list:
          (thanks to  PS2City.com for this list)
  1.  Not Treasure Hunter (Acty Art) 
  2.  Gradius Deluxe Pack (Konami) 
  3.  Aidoru Promotion -Suzuki Yumie- (Alyume) 
  4.  Toua Plan Shooting Battle (Banpresto) 
  5.  Oukyuu No Hihou: Tension (Vap) 
  6.  Wing Commander III (EA Square) 
  7.  Gallop Racer (Tecmo) 
  8.  Ongaku Tsukuuru: Kanadeeru 2 (Ascii) 
  9.  Monster Farm (Tecmo) - the Japanese version of Monster Rancher 
 10. Dragonbeat (Map Japan) 
 11. Susume! Kaizoku (Artdink) 
 12. Tsuiridou Keiryu Kohen (Escot) 
 13. Virtua Pachisuro V (Map Japan) 
 14. Virtua Pachisuro EX (Map Japan) 
 15. Konya Mo Senryobako! 2000 (Hearty Robin)
 16. Formula One 99 (SCE)
 17. Namco Museum Encore (Namco)
 18. Namco Museum Encore - Limited Edition (Namco)
 19. Namco Museum Encore - Playstation The Best (Namco)
 20. Densha Daisuki Purareru Ga Ippai (Tomy)

Note that some of these titles may actually play on the PS2 but there 
will be some problems including glitchy FMV and other issues.  

B: Chart showing improvements(or not)using 
     Playstation 1 games on Playstation 2
Loading - indicates if the PS2 speeds up load times on PSX games and by 
how much. 
Graphic - shows if texture interpolation helps or hinders old PSX games. 
Special Thanks to(www.the-magicbox.com)for this chart they rock!  
Magic Box Chart
Game title         - Game Loading - Graphic Changes                
Ace Combat 3       - Same - Better texture, more details and depth 
Chrono Trigger     - Faster - Improved mode 7 graphics 
Chrono Cross       - Faster menus - Better opening movie better
                                    graphics, less jagged can        
                                    see the character faces                                
Dew Prism          - Same - No broken lines in polygons   
                            No polygon breakups 
Front Mission 3    - Faster menus - Much better details 
                                    on each character                                                                
Saga Frontier 2    - Same - No black lines between  
                            characters and background 
Vagrant Story      - Faster menus - Better texture and details 
                                    less jagged polygons                             
Parasite Eve 2     - Slightly improved - Slightly better     
                                         graphics and textures 
Valkyrie Profile   - Same - Some characters look better 
Tales of Phantasia - Same - More details in the Map screen 
Star Ocean 2       - Same - More details in characters and maps 
Final Fantasy VIII - Faster disc access - Improved textures, but  
                                    there are minor popup problems                              
Xenogears          - Faster disc access - More depth in the 3D  
                                      background, better texture                             
Final Fantasy V    - Faster menus - Not much difference 
Gran Turismo 2     - Not much - Cured polygon breakup 
                                problems, less jagged lines                               
XI Jumbo           - Much faster - Much cleaner graphics, like  
                                   playing in VGA mode                             
Tekken 2           - Faster - Slightly improved texture quality         
Tekken 3           - Little faster - Cured polygon breakup problems 
Ridge Racer Revolution - Same - Much cleaner graphics 
Tokimeki Memorial  - Same - Same, slightly inferior music quality                                  
Tokimeki Memorial 2 - Same - No difference 
Metal Gear Solid   - Same - More depth to the background 
Ridge Racer Type 4 - Faster - Much better replay screen graphics                                   
RayStorm           - Same - Not much difference 
Einhander          - Faster - Not much difference 
Street Fighter Alpha - Much faster 
Same Favorite Dear - Much faster
Same Densha de Go! - Faster - Much better background texture
                              and depth 
Armored Core       - Faster - Much better background texture
                              and depth 
Bio Hazard         - Double loading speed - Cleaner graphics     
                                            and texture 
                                 
 


5. Issues: Problems with the PS2(See News Section for in depth info)
 A: The Modem issue:
Why is there is no Modem in the box? Well this is an interesting 
question, one reason is that the network is just not set up yet so we'll 
have to wait till sometime next year anyway. Another problem is that 
including a modem would raise the cost of an already expensive system to 
probably $400US. So I think it's not a mistake to ship without a modem 
in the box, especially because the PS2 is Ethernet compatible(cable 
modem) and for gaming this connection is the best way to go it's just 
way faster than phone lines!
 B: The Anti-aliasing issue:
A lot of people are claiming the Sega Dreamcast has better looking 
graphics because it uses Anti-aliasing and the Playstation 2 either does 
not have it or just doesn't do it as good. Ridge Racer 5(PS2) does have 
some jagged non crisp edges and other oddities. In comparison  Sega 
GT(Dreamcast) and Sega Rally 2(Dreamcast) do not have any of these 
problems! I say wait and see the PS2 can display far more Polygons than 
the Dreamcast, and in the end I'm sure this Anti-alias controversy will 
go away, I mean this is first generation PS2 people! I just don't think 
Sony is that stupid to trade Polygons for Anti-aliasing! 


6. Playstation 2 specs and comparison to all next-gen systems!
 So how does the PS2 compare to the other Next Gen systems?
Heh heh heh...check out the hilarious comparison of the 
128-Bit PS2 vs. the alleged 64-Bit Atari Jaguar!!! 
Make special note of the polygons per second battle.
The battle between the PS2 and Microsoft X-Box may be one to watch. 
Note: I have just read about a new Linux based system coming out named 
Indrema with specs comparable to the X-Box. If it's legit I may add this 
system to the showdown. The official site is (www.indrema.com)
The Ultimate System Showdown: 32-Bit and on!

System:              3DO Multiplayer
Japanese launch:     1994?
U.S.A launch:        October 1993
U.S.A Launch Price:  $799.00  
Format:              32-Bit CD system
CPU:                 ARM60 32-bit RISC
Graphics Processor:  2 25MHZ 32bit Custom Risc
Clock speed:         25Mhz                                                    
RAM:                 2 Megabyte
Sound Processor:     16-Bit Stereo/44.1Khz         
CD-ROM speed:        2X
Max game size:       650 Megabyte (per CD)
Controller ports:    1!
Save game type:      System
Memory card slots:   None?
Vibration type:      None
Mascot:              Gex
Best game:           Star Control 2!

System:              Atari Jaguar
Japanese launch:     Not Released?
U.S.A launch:        December 1993
U.S.A Launch Price:  Atari Jaguar-$249.00/Jaguar CD-$149.99  
Format:              32/64-Bit Cartridge System/optional Jaguar CD
CPU:                 32/16-bit Motorola 68000, 32/16-bit RISC DSP
                     64-bit OP and a 32-bit/64-bit GPU Risc
Graphics Processor:  32-bit/64-bit Risc GPU 
Clock speed:         26.6Mhz
MIPS:                26.6
Polygons per second: 10,000-yes ten thousand!                                  
RAM:                 2 Megabyte
Sound Processor:     16-Bit/44.1Khz          
CD-ROM speed:        2X
Max game size:       6 Megabyte Per Cartridge (790Megabytes per CD)
Controller ports:    2
Save game type:      Cartridge
Memory card slots:   None
Vibration type:      None
Mascot:              None
Best game:           Alien vs. Predator
      
System:              Sega Saturn
Japanese launch:     11/22/1994
U.S.A launch:        5/11/1995
U.S.A Launch Price:  $399.00
Format:              32bit/CD-ROM with a Cartridge Expansion  
CPU:                 2 Hitachi 32bit RISC and Hitachi 32bit SHI
Graphics Processor:  32-Bit VDP1 and 32-Bit VDP2
Clock speed:         28Mhz
MIPS:                25
Polygons per second: 200,000 with Textures/500,000 Flat Shaded                                   
RAM:                 4 Megabyte (2 Meg Main/1.54 Meg Video)
Sound Processor:     32 voice 16-Bit Stereo 113Mhz Yamaha68EC000          
CD-ROM speed:        2X
Max game size:       650 Megabyte (per CD)
Controller ports:    2
Save game type:      Internal and Cartridge
Memory card slots:   1
Vibration type:      None
Mascot:              Nights
Best game:           Nights!

System:              Sony Playstation
Japanese launch:     12/3/1994
U.S.A launch:        9/9/1995
U.S.A Launch Price:  $299.00
Format:              32bit/CD-ROM
CPU:                 32bit RISC R3000S
Graphics Processor:  32-Bit GPU
Clock speed:         33.87MHz
MIPS:                30 Main Processor or 66 with Geometry Engine
Polygons per second: 360,000 Rendered in hardware/500,000 Textured              
                     1.5 Million Flat Shaded
RAM:                 3 Megabyte (2 Megabyte Main/1 Megabyte video)
Sound Processor:     16-Bit Stereo 24 Channel/44.1Khz
CD-ROM speed:        2X
Max game size:       650 Megabyte (per CD)
Controller ports:    2
Save game type:      Memory Card
Memory card slots:   2
Vibration type:      Dual Shock Controller
Mascot:              Lara Croft, Crash Bandicoot, and Sweet Tooth
Current best games:  Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Final Fantasy 8
              
System:              Nintendo 64
Japanese launch:     6/23/1996
U.S.A launch:        9/29/1996
U.S.A Launch Price:  $249.00
Format:              Cartridge
CPU:                 64bit R4300 RISC
Clock speed:         93.75 MHz
Graphics Processor:  62.5Mhz 64-bit RISC "Reality Immersion"
MIPS:                125 Mips
FLOPS:               100 Million
Polygons per second: 160,000 with all hardware features enabled 
RAM:                 4 Megabyte or 8 Megabyte with the Expansion Pak
Sound Processor:     16-Bit Stereo/44.1Khz
CD-ROM speed:        No loading!!!!!
Max game size:       256 megabit (so far)
Controller ports:    4
Save game type:      Cartridge or Controller pak
Memory card slots:   4 (controller)
Vibration type:      Rumble Pak
Mascot:              Mario
Current best game:   The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time

System:              Sega Dreamcast                    
Japanese launch:     11/20/1998                            
U.S.A launch:        9/9/1999
U.S.A Launch Price:  $199.00                            
Format:              GD-ROM/Windows CE                               
CPU:                 128-Bit Hitachi SH4 RISC
Clock speed:         200MHz 
Graphics Processor:  NEC Power VR Second Generation                                    
MIPS:                360 Mips 
FLOPS:               1.4 Billion        
Polygons per second: 3 Million                                 
RAM:                 26 Megabyte (16MB main/8MB video/2 MB sound)
Sound Processor:     64 Voice-Yamaha Super Intelligent Sound Processor       
GD-ROM speed:        12X                                        
Max game size:       1 Gigabyte(per CD)               
Controller ports:    4                                            
Save game type:      Visual Memory System        
Memory card slots:   8 (controller)                        
Vibration type:      Jump Pack                    
Mascot:              Sonic                                    
Current best games:  Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Virtua Fighter 3 and  
                     Dead or alive 2
  
System:              Sony Playstation 2
Japanese launch:     3/4/2000
U.S.A launch:        October 2000
U.S.A Launch Price:  $299.00
Format:              CD-ROM(Playstation)and DVD-ROM(Playstation 2)
                     Is backwards compatible with Playstation 1!
CPU:                 128-Bit "Emotion Engine"
Graphics Processor:  150Mhz GS
Clock speed:         294.912 MHz
FLOPS:               6.2 Billion
Polygons per second: 75 Million, 20 Million with effects
RAM:                 32 Megabyte
Sound Processor:     48 Channel/48Khz         
DVD-ROM speed:       4X 
CD-ROM speed:        24X
Max game size:       4.7 Gigabyte (per DVD)
Controller ports:    2
Save game type:      8MB Memory Card
Memory card slots:   2
Vibration type:      Dual Shock 2
Mascot:              Ridge Racer Girl?
Current best game:   Ridge Racer 5

System:              Nintendo Dolphin
Japanese launch:     Early 2001
U.S.A launch:        Early 2001
U.S.A Launch Price:  $199.00
Format:              DVD
CPU:                 IBM Gekko Processor
Graphics Processor:  ArtX Custom GP
Clock speed:         400MHz
MIPS:                ?
FLOPS:               ?
Polygons per second: ?
RAM:                 ?
Sound Processor:     ?
DVD-ROM speed:       ?
Max game size:       4.7 Gigabyte (per DVD)
Controller ports:    ?
Save game type:      ?
Memory card slots:   ?
Vibration type:      ?
Mascot:              Mario

System:              Microsoft X-Box
Japanese launch:     ?
U.S.A launch:        Late 2001
U.S.A Launch Price:  $150.00?
Format:              DVD/Windows 2000 Operating System
CPU:                 Intel Pentium III
Graphics Processor:  Nvidia NV15 GPU
Clock speed:         600MHz
Polygons per second: 300 Million, 100 Million with effects!!!
RAM:                 64 Megabyte
Sound Processor:     64 Voice BDL2 Processor
DVD-ROM speed:       4X
Max game size:       4.7 Gigabyte (per DVD)
Controller ports:    Keyboard?
Save game type:      8GB Hard Drive
Memory card slots:   8MB Memory Card
Vibration type:      None?
Mascot:              Bill Gates


7. The Playstation 2 and it's place in video game history:
 I've noticed that when people buy a new system or look at a new system 
FAQ they are often reminded about the systems they used to think were 
awesome and how much better this new system is. I mean I can't believe 
that 20 years ago i used to consider the Atari 2600 an "awesome" system. 
Now with games like DOA 2 and Ridge Racer 5 it might be easy to forget 
the past systems and games that were really cool. I am including this 
list for the people who still play games on these systems, and for 
nostalgia for everyone else. I got this idea when Gamefan ran an All 
Time lists from several of their reviewers, and in the old days I had 
kept a list myself, so here it is my video game history.
My Favorite Video Games 1980-2000
Mike Schwan 6-08-2000 

Sega Master System
1.  Phantasy Star
2.  Wonderboy In Monsterland
3.  Miracle Warriors 
4.  Y's: The Vanished Omen
5.  Golvellius: Valley Of Doom
6.  Wonderboy III: The Dragons Trap
7.  Zillion II: The Tri-Formation
8.  R-Type
9.  Shinobi
10. Space Harrier 3-D

Nintendo Entertainment System
1.  Bionic Commando
2.  The Legend Of Zelda 
3.  Metal Gear
4.  Ghosts N' Goblins
5.  Super Mario Brothers 3
6.  Castlevania
7.  Mega Man
8.  Castlevania 3
9.  Rygar
10. Metroid

Sega Genesis/Sega CD/32X
1.  Phantasy Star II                               
2.  Strider
3.  Ghouls N' Ghosts
4.  Target: Earth
5.  Lunar: The Silver Star Story
6.  Sonic CD
7.  Castle Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse
8.  Revenge Of Shinobi
9.  Gaiares
10. Castlevania: Bloodlines

NEC Turbo-Grafx 16/Turbo Duo PC Engine Super CD/Super-Grafx
1.  Dracula X
2.  Y's Books I & II
3.  Legendary Axe
4.  Y's Book IV: The Dawn Of Y's 
5.  Might And Magic III: Isles Of Terra         
6.  Shadow Of The Beast
7.  Ghouls N' Ghosts
8.  Cosmic Fantasy Story 2
9.  Valis II
10. Aldynes

Super Nintendo
1.  Final Fantasy 5
2.  Final Fantasy 6
3.  Super Ghouls N' Ghosts
4.  Super Mario World
5.  The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
6.  F-Zero
7.  Street Fighter 2
8.  Final Fantasy 4
9.  Super Mario Kart
10. Demon's Crest

SNK Neo-Geo/Neo-Geo CD
1.  League Bowling 
2.  Samurai Shodown II  
3.  Magician Lord
4.  2020 Super Baseball 
5.  Samurai Shodown III
6.  Samurai Shodown I
7.  Samurai Shodown IV
8.  World Heroes 2 Jet
9.  King Of Fighters 95'
10. NAM-1975

3DO Multiplayer
1.  Star Control 2
2.  Alone In The Dark 
3.  Super Street Fighter II Turbo
4.  Myst
5.  Dragon's Lair 
6.  Night Trap 
7.  Crash N' Burn
8.  Gex 
9.  Escape From Monster Manor
10. Slayer

Atari Jaguar
1.  Alien Vs. Predator
2.  Tempest 2000
3.  Cybermorph
4.  Wolfensten 3D
5.  Doom

Sega Saturn
1.  Nights Into Dreams...
2.  Christmas Nights 
3.  Virtua Fighter 2
4.  Panzer Dragoon Saga
5.  Shining Force 3
6.  Vampire Savior 
7.  Rayman 
8.  Sega Rally Championship
9.  Shining The Holy Ark
10. NightWarriors: Darkstalkers Revenge

Sony Playstation
1.  Final Fantasy 8
2.  Metal Gear Solid
3.  Final Fantasy 7
4.  Silent Hill 
5.  Wipeout XL  
6.  Final Fantasy Tactics 
7.  Resident Evil 2
8.  Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night 
9.  Wipeout 3
10. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis 

Nintendo 64
1.  The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time
2.  Super Mario 64
3.  Wave Race 64
4.  Donkey Kong 64
5.  Banjo-Kazooie
6.  Wipeout 64
7.  Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
8.  Diddy Kong Racing
9.  Pilotwings 64
10. Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire

Sega Dreamcast
1.  Resident Evil Code: Veronica 
2.  Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle 
3.  Street Fighter 3: 2nd Impact 
4.  Rayman 2: The Great Escape
5.  Soul Calibur
6.  Dead Or Alive 2
7.  Power Stone 2
8.  Sega GT 
9.  Sonic Adventure
10. Godzilla Generations(see below in credits section)

Sony Playstation 2
-Coming Soon-

My favorite other system games are: 
Atari 2600(This is old school!): Frogger 
Mattel Intellivision: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Colecovision: Montezuma's Revenge
Commodore Amiga: Shadow Of The Beast!!!
PC: Blade Runner 
Nintendo Gameboy: Super Mario Land
Atari Lynx: Electrocop
Sega Game Gear: Castle Of Illusion  
NEC PC-FX: Team Innocent
Arcade: Space Ace!!

System Codes:
Sega Master System-SMS
Nintendo Entertainment System-NES
Sega Genesis-GEN
Sega CD-SCD
TurboGrafx 16-TG16
Turbo Duo-DUO
PC Engine-PCE
Super Grafx-SGX
Super Nintendo-SNES
Neo Geo-Geo
3DO Multiplayer-3DO
Atari Jaguar-JAG
Sega Saturn-SAT
Sony Playstation-PSX
Nintendo 64-N64
Sega Dreamcast-CAST
Sony Playstation 2-PS2
Notes: I must personally beat the game to be eligible for the All-Time 
list, the only exception is the impossible to beat Shadow Of The Beast 
on the Amiga. I have beaten the Genesis and Turbo-Duo versions of the 
game though.

ALL TIME TOP 30 (1980-2000)
1.  Final Fantasy 8 (PSX) 
2.  Nights Into Dreams... (SAT)
3.  Metal Gear Solid (PSX)
4.  Final Fantasy 7 (PSX)
5.  The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time (N64)
6.  Super Mario 64 (N64)
7.  Star Control 2 (3DO) 
8.  Silent Hill (PSX)
9.  Shadow Of The Beast (AMIGA) 
10. Wipeout XL (PSX)
11. Resident Evil Code: Veronica (CAST)
12. Dracula X (PCE) 
13. Ghouls N' Ghosts (GEN)& (SGX)& (SAT) &(PSX)
14. Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
15. Resident Evil 2 (PSX)
16. Y's Books I& II (DUO) 
17. Phantasy Star 2 (GEN) 
18. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
19. Alien Vs. Predator (JAG)
20. Final Fantasy 5 (SNES)
21. Final Fantasy 6 (SNES)
22. Super Ghouls N' Ghosts (SNES)
23. Wave Race (N64)
24. Strider (GEN)
25. Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
26. Bionic Commando (NES)
27. Phantasy Star (SMS)
28. Super Mario World (SNES)
29. The Legend Of Zelda (NES)
30. Legendary Axe (TG16)
 
Special Mention: Capcom Fighters - Street Fighter 2 Series, 
Street Fighter Alpha Series, Dark Stalkers Series, Street Fighter 3 
Series. I Feel these games to be some of the best games ever and could 
probably make a Capcom Fighting Game Top 20, but since the Top 30 list 
focuses on single games it is hard for me to include these games because 
of the constant upgrading done to them. Is Street Fighter 2 still a good 
game by todays fighting standards, no way it's slow and has ugly 
graphics, what about Street Fighter Alpha? The Problem is if I were to 
include one Street Fighter game I would have to include a lot more and 
my list would be full of Capcom fighting games. So I give them a special 
mention here, and say that The Combined Street Fighter Series would rank 
in my top 5 of all time. I have decided to at least make a favorite 
fighters list:
    
Top 10 Fighters
1. Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle (CAST)
2. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (CAST)
3. Vampire Saviour (SAT)
4. Virtua Fighter 2 (SAT)
5. Samurai Showdown 2 (GEO)
6. Soul Calibur (CAST)
7. NightWarriors: Darkstalkers Revenge (SAT) 
8. King Of Fighters: Evolution (CAST)
9. Dead Or Alive 2 (CAST)
10. World Heroes 2 Jet (GEO)

Other Awards:
Best Game of 70's: Pong -197X- (Arcade) I am only 28 but I remember 
playing it in a bowling alley and sitting down to do it at around the 
time of the first Star Wars film in 1977. I believe this was the only 
video game I played in the 70's.

Best Game of 80's: Shadow Of The Beast -1989- (AMIGA)The first game to 
totally blow my mind in both music and graphics. This game ran at 50! 
frames per second and had 128 colors on screen with a ridiculous 13! 
layers of scrolling, plus it offered ultra insane challenge! And has the 
best original videogame soundtrack ever bar none! The home videogame 
console versions were never even close to being as good. The best 
console version was probably on the TurboDuo it had nice graphics and 
the music on this version is shockingly good, the Duo versions only 
problem was that it was just way to easy. The Atari Lynx version really 
kicked ass as the graphics were almost identical to the Amiga version 
but only on a smaller screen although the music was very poor. Shadow 
The Beast on the Amiga is maybe still artistically the best looking 2D 
game ever.

80's runner up: Phantasy Star 2 -1989- I beat this game twice with all 8 
characters, I loved it that much! This game was hard as hell even with 
the Walkthrough that came packaged with the game. Not much by todays 
standards but I remember when their was nothing better than this. 
 
Best Game of 90's: Final Fantasy 8 -1999- (PSX) Best RPG ever, and 
easily the most underrated game of all time. No RPG has ever been this 
deep and this beautiful. At 4 Disks long casual gamers need not apply, 
I've noticed that the learning curve in this game is far longer than in 
Final Fantasy 7 but the rewards are so much infinitely greater in FF8. 
The story is so epic that playing through this game really is a 
wonderful emotional experience. The music in this game also smashes all 
previous RPG's and is some ways is the best ever done for a videogame. 
People complained about the unlimited use of summons, ya know what the 
summons were useless, they do no damage and you can't speed em'up! 
Junction Junction what's my function, with some simple draw and 
junctioning to Attack you will never want to summon again, well maybe 1 
time each to see how amazing looking they are! My 2nd time through this 
game I used no summons and beat the game and the Mega-bastard Omega! 
Also this game has the best ending in the history of videogames ever, 
nothing else even comes close, and is easily the most amazing thing I 
have ever seen in a videogame!!! Easily Best game of the 90's and 
Ever... Eyes On ME! I Don't see how FF9 can top this although I am very 
happy that they are going back to the Crystal system used in Final 
Fantasy 5 and Final Fantasy Tactics.

90's Runner up: Nights Into Dreams... -1996- (SAT) This is the most 
played game by me ever and I have been unable to improve my scores for 
some time. This is one of those games that either you get it or you 
don't! You really have to think of this game as if it's a racing game, 
but you are also able to do stunts. The highlight of Sonic Adventure for 
me was the Nights Pinball game, and the sequel to Nights on Dreamcast is 
my number One most wanted game. 
  
Best Game of 00's: Resident Evil Code : Veronica (CAST) It's early! But 
this game is the number one reason to have the Dreamcast right now. The 
new Millennium is off to a good start with Veronica and Dead or Alive 2. 
The games I am really looking forward to in the new Millennium are Metal 
Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 2, Virtua Fighter 4, Street Fighter 4, 
Final Fantasy 9-18, and any sequels to Ghosts n' Goblins, Resident Evil, 
Phantasy Star, Zelda and Mario. Last but not least of course my most 
wanted: Nights 2.   

Best of the Best:
Best Graphics -      Resident Evil Code: Veronica (CAST)
                     Rayman 2: The Great Escape (CAST)                  
                     Dead Or Alive 2 (CAST)&(PS2)
                     
Best Music -         Shadow Of The Beast (AMIGA)&(GEN)&(DUO)&(LYNX)
                     Wipeout Series (PSX)&(SAT)&(N64)
                     Final Fantasy 8 (PSX)

Best Sound FX-       Resident Evil Code: Veronica (CAST)
                     Resident Evil Series 1-3 (PSX)&(SAT)&(N64)&(CAST)

Most Underrated -    Final Fantasy 8 (PSX)
                     Target: Earth (GEN) 
                     Alien vs. Predator (JAG)

Most Challenging -   Target:Earth (GEN)
                     Shadow Of The Beast (AMIGA)&(GEN)

Best Story -         Final Fantasy 8 (PSX)
                     Metal Gear Solid (PSX)
                     Silent Hill (PSX)
                     Star Control 2 (3DO)
                     Alone In The Dark (3DO)

Best Ending -        Final Fantasy 8
                     Metal Gear Solid

Best Voice Acting -  Metal Gear Solid
                     Star Control 2

Worst Voice Acting - House Of The Dead (CAST) Goldman...
                     Resident Evil (PSX) "Maybe you the master of    
                                          unlocking can use it" 

Worst Game -         Strip Janken (3DO) My friend bought this bum in New 
York and set back gaming 15 years in the process. Anyone remember the 
Porky's Videogame for the Atari 2600? It was better! At least it was a 
game, I will say that the girls in Strip Janken were babes though. I 
believe this title was named Strip Janken I am not 100% sure,  it was 
definitely a Japanese 3DO game though.
 

8.Email and News Q and A Section.
 As I have done with my Sega Dreamcast FAQ and NFL2K Glitch FAQ, I would 
love to hear from people who have imported the Playstation 2 and find 
out if they have had any problems, and get any other opinions on the 
system. I will also monitor the PS2 newsgroup for any relevant 
information as well. This kind of information can really help people 
decide if they should import the system or just wait till October, or 
even if the system is worth buying at all! I've not gone out of my way 
to fix spelling errors in this section, but some unnecesary swearing has 
been edited, sorry if this offends anyone. Special note sifting through 
a.g.v.ps2 has been both a venomous and hilarious experience, the lengths 
people go to both defend their favorite system and attack the opponent 
system are rediculous. If your thinking about monitoring this group here 
is a statement I found while examining the newsgroup:
From ?: After noticing a couple of the rather vile posts I have read on 
the net it makes me wonder how these peoples minds ever became this 
disturbed or litteralely DUMB! Maybe they owned a failed games console? 
Or maybe they dont get enough attention at home?
In Response: Visit the Mac and PC.advocacy groups (on second thoughts, 
don't...) if you think this newsgroup has it bad. There's nothing like a 
"my computer is better than yours" argument to bring the troglodytes out 
of the woodwork. Actually, strike that. There's nothing like a "my 
insert nation, religion, ethnic grouping, sexual preference, anything 
else you might care to think of is better than your <...>" argument to 
reveal just how far humanity has risen above the apes ... i.e. not very 
far. 
Kosovo, Northern Ireland, alt.games.video.sony-playstation2 -- it's 
hardwired into our genes. Seriously? How very sad. To me trolls are 
fairly irrelevant, you can either vent off some anger at them or just 
ignore them, but when they disguise themselves as other regs and insert 
themselves in ongoing threads and you can`t help but read their 
shit (you know who) then things just aren`t funny anymore. 
Actually i think now that i may have seemed a bit mad recently but i`m 
was vunerable at a very difficult time, and i just can`t be bothered 
with people anymore, i`m outta here.


From Karim to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-19-00)
When i do the tip to play zone 1 dvds it sometimes activates the 
macrovision(the dvd is playing with a crappy picture) 
Anyone knows what to do? 
Thanks 

From Rob to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-19-00)
I am having trouble using Dolby digital on the PS2, I can get pro-logic 
but I get no sound when I select Dolby Digital. I am using a Sherwood 
Newcastle 925 AMP connected to the PS2 via an optical cable. I have 
tested Ridge Racer V and the PS2 boot up screen. I am not sure if 
either of these have DD though, does anyone know? I have also tried A 
US DVD and I don't get DD either. The only option I can find in the bios 
is to turn Optical on (which it is). Has anyone got DD to work on their 
PS2 or know what I have to do? Thanks for any help. 
Responce: Have you enabled Dolby Digital in the PS2's system menu? Also, 
are you sure that your amp is a Dolby Digital decoder? 
Greg.

From Cameron to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-19-00)
When i play a ps2 game like street fighter the sound is just fine. Then 
i take out the game and pop in a dvd and it plays fine too, but the 
sound level goes WAY down, and i have to turn the volume up on my tv a 
whole lot! Then when i take the dvd out i have to turn it way down 
again! Does anyone know why this is, or if i need to set some dvd 
setting in the ps2? Thanks. 

From Cameron to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-20-00)
Do not move the PS2 while it's running a game. I had mine up on its 
side, and i layed it down flat. Right after that Street Fighter EX3 
locked up and i took the cd out and there was a humongous circle scratch 
on it!!!!!! It wouldnt play anymore.

From Del to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-22-00)
Hi guys, Just got my PS2, done the R1 DVD hack and can watch the 
majority of my R1 films, but all the widescreen ones are stretched 
vertically. Now I've had a look at the menu's and there seems an option 
on the DVD screen buts its stuck on 16:9. Can this be changed??
Stever responds:
I found that from the dvd menu you can change the screen ratio from 16:9 
but only when the disc is stopped, it's under menu 7 on the dvd panel. 
It only seemed to let me change it on some discs too, i tried a region 2 
ntsc Leon Integral, but that wouldn't let me change the ratio, possibly 
somthing to do with it being an anamorphic disc, I was told by a dvd 
knolwedgeable friend. 

From Harry to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-25-00)
It's just funny to see that every Sony fan is now talking about 
interlacing(because of the really dissappointing screenshots) , raw 
power being not that important afterall (because PS2 is dwarfed by X-
Box) and anti aliassing(which PS2 clearly lacks and it shows) while just 
a year ago PS2 would be so much better than DC because of the 
performance gap! Let's face it: the PS2 game screenshot's of today look 
worse than a year ago when the game was only 15% complete! Did it become 
worse overtime? Did they decide to scrap the smooth anti aliassing and 
decided to go for the raw edges??? Just compare GT2000's first released 
screenshots to the screenshots released recently! Next to the state-of-
the-art PS2 the "old" and "slow" DC currently looks just as good. And 
why do all the DC screenshot's I have seen so far look stunning? To be 
honest, every Soul Calibur screenshot kicks TTT ass. These are also 
screenshots, why don't they get ugly because of interlacing??? So please 
don't call me a troll, I consider myself a general game console fan 
which is a bit disappointed with PS2 so far...(let's face it, it does 
not exactly live up to the hype now, does it?).

From MP to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-25-00)
As the drivers are stored on memory card, could an improved version be 
released correcting the slight problems with the picture quality. Maybe 
third party or something. I know expecting an excellent games machine 
and a good DVD player is a bit much but If a third party company devoted 
more resources to improving it then maybe we could get better quality 
playback?
 
From Jay to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-25-00) 
Yeah, the DC sucks. I only wish Sega GT could look nearly as cruddy as 
GT2000. Sony screwed up with the PS2 by not allowing hardware anti-
aliasing. This is a HUGE screw up... as is the idea of not 
releasing a modem. Sure they'll eventually have a cable modem, but how 
many people in the country have cable modem access (or even the 
ability to have it installed) compared to those that have a modem. 
Gheeeesh... a 56K modem costs about $20 now. You'd think they'd throw 
it in. Now don't go taking this as a complete PS2 bash (although I 
know it does sound that way), I'm a HUGE fan of the PSX, but I think 
Sony screwed up BIG on this. I'm still gonna get one, but don't go 
saying the DC sucks because it FAR from does. Right now, the games 
look better than PS2 games and almost all of them play excellent. 
 -j. LOL, yeah well the advert "up to 6 billion players" has been banned 
here because everyone who bought a DC thinking they can play on-line 
games found out they coulnd't, Sega screwed up. Not only that, people in 
the UK will only be able to play people in Europe from September, I 
don't know when they'll ever be able to play anyone else, so no, Sega 
screwed up. Sony have done the sensible thing not limiting themselves to 
a cruddy 56k modem, when they can have a cable modem add-on.
S. Dilorio responds:
PS. Sega didn't screwed up with the online gaming..They will have it far 
before sony...if sony ever will because of a hardware issue. Online DC 
games are already starting to pop up..Not many but they are tests for 
the second part of the network servers. (somethign sony hasn't even 
begun working on.) and in this area the problem with dreamcast users are 
so many of us have Cable modems, one company or another, and can't use 
with dreamcast yet...but soon. Luckly Because of Win CE, it is easy to 
set up a free ISP to use with Dreamcast...so no need to pay for Interent 
access with the dreamcast. FFVIII online will be available soon to DC, 
so will Unreal Tournement, and Quake 3, to my suprise a port of Raven 
softs Star Trek Voyager Elite force has ben announced for DC, which will 
have online play. Have no idea when the ST voyager game will be released 
for DC, but a nice project... 

Tigermilk to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-26-00)
When the first PS2 launch release list was released, I was lickin' my 
chops. And as the weeks went on and the titles dwindled, there were 
still a few titles that made me want to run out and get a PS2. I really 
want to blow some cash on one, but so far it's hard to justify. The 
only game out right now I'd be remotely interested in (RR5) doesn't sit 
perfectly with me (I think the RR physics suck big time). I was 
desparately looking forward to GT2000 and every release date list I see 
has it TBA. Does anyone have a more firm date? 
The good news is that the price of the console will continue to drop as 
I wait for decent titles to show up, but after having bought an import 
DC last year, I caught the import bug. I want the darn thing but there 
just aren't any games out that interest me. Perhaps Driving Emotion-S, 
but we don't know what to expect there. I'd settle for Squares 
wrestling title, but even that is listed on IGN as Spring 2000! 
I really want my GT2K!!! 

From Vaipon to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-26-00)
Just a thought on FSAA(Anti-alising) seeing as everyone seems to be 
slating RRV for not including it. Remember how the PSX used pixel 
dithering on virtually all of last years titles? This made the graphics 
look very grainy in some places, but allowed stunning shooters like 
OmegaBoost, and adventures like Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill to be 
made. It involved updating only certain pixels on certain polygons with 
each frame update to minimise CPU load. It was a tradeoff between visual 
definition and framerate, and in these cases framerate was seen as the 
more important factor. Well, Full Screen Anti Aliasing could be the same 
kinda thing in a couple of years. When programmers are looking for ways 
of increasing dwindling framerates, one of the first optimisations they 
will commit to is losing the FSAA. Gamers want 60fps, so even though 
FSAA isn't being used by the console at the moment, I don't think it 
will be used at the end of the PS2's life either. 60fps is more 
important than visual definition, ask anyone who plays Quake 3 Arena 
multiplayer. 
 
From Nospam to to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-27-00)  
Hi, This past weekend, I decided to try out my PS2's DVD playback 
ability. I connected an optical cable between the PS2 and my DD/DTS 
receiver. I put in an NTSC Region 1 DVD (with Dolby Digital) and played 
it. however, it would only play back in PCM. I then put it in my 
"normal" DVD player, and it played back in DD just fine. Thinking, maybe 
my cable or port were bad, I swapped optical cables between my DVD 
player and the PS2, and also plugged it into the port that the PS2 cable 
was using. Still, I got the same result. So, at least I know that there 
is nothing wrong with my optical cables or inputs on the receiver. I 
then tried some other Region 1 DD DVDs, but got the same result. Maybe 
something is wrong with the Region 1 playback? Maybe my PS2 digital 
output is bad? If anyone has any ideas or info about this, 
please let me know. Thank-you in advance. 
NOTE: I DID verify that the "Digital Output (Optical) setting in the 
System Configuration, was set to "ON". 
Also, in case anyone is compiling a list of known Region 1 DVD 
incompatabilities, I have a potential title for you. I tried "A Life 
Less Ordinary", and using the controller code, it gets to the PS2 DVD 
player menu just fine. However, after moving the cursor to the "play 
arrow" and selecting it, the following happens: The screen goes black 
for a couple of seconds, and it takes me back to the PS2 DVD player 
menu.  
Greg responds: 
Have you got Dolby Digital enabled in the menu? Also, is "A Life Less 
Ordinary" a Paramount DVD because some Paramount DVDs have extra 
region-coding protection that checks the region-coding when the DVD is 
played. I had the same problem with South Park Movie which is a 
Paramount protected DVD.
Nospam responds:
Greg, 
I only enabled the Digital Output in the main PS2 system 
configuration. If I need to do this in the PS2 DVD player menu as 
well, then I will need to be pointed to a translation section on a 
website or FAQ. I checked out the hardware guide on that IGN PS2 
site, but they did not have DVD player menu translations (unless I 
missed it).  
 
From Null to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-27-00)
More PS2 Problems: MACROVISION 
PlayStation2: PlayStation2 owners have discovered a second way to 
exploit the console - the analog RGB output is now being used to 
illegally copy DVD content to videotape. 
According to the EE Times, this act circumvents the system's copy-
protection technology and the technique is already being discussed on 
Japanese websites. Owners of the console have already been able to 
subvert a geographical code for DVDs. 
A company spokesman said that Sony installed in PlayStation2 appropriate 
means of preventing any illegal analog-to-analog copying, by providing 
security coding from Macrovision for all the system's output interface 
signals: RGB, composite, component and S-Video. Sony worked with 
Macrovision, the Sony spokesman said. 
The issue is whether or not Sony has violated a DVD industry agreement 
that prohibits DVD players from having an analog RGB interface. If so, 
Hollywood studios could take some form of action against gaming giant. 
SCE has acknowledged that problems with copy protection can arise from 
the use of an analog RGB interface, but said the company did nothing 
wrong and that the RGB interface on the PlayStation 2 complies with the 
DVD specs. 
A Sony Picture Entertainment source said, "Although we have not received 
any technical information about this issue yet, if the content is 
actually being copied from PlayStation2, we need to discuss matters with 
Sony Computer Entertainment to take effective measures." 
Expect to hear more on this soon. 
 
From Rubix to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-27-00)
I want to hook up the PS2 i have using an RF modulator because DVD's 
played through my VCR are corrupted by copy protection and my TV does 
not have composite plugs.. obviously i have an import PS2 will a 
regular PS RF modulator, work with the PS@? any help would be greatly 
appreciated.... thanks
Hiryu responds: 
Yep it does... I tried 2 NTSC -> PAL converters, one was designed 
specifically for the PSX, worked without a problem.. picture was rather 
crap tho'..:)

From Mark to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-28-00)
Curious If I can run the PS2 in VGA thru my DTV like I do with my 
DreamCast.
Cameron responds:
I think there will eventually be a VGA adapter for the ps2 because it is 
"supposed" to do something like 1280x1000 resolution which a tv 
obviouslycannot do! And surely they will at least have one just because 
the DC does. 

From TheHut to alt.games.video.playstation2 (3-30-00)
So sony "issued" a recall, which basically means "Look DVD consortium, 
what do you want us to do? Go out in a van tracking down all PS2`s, boot 
the door down and forcefully swap discs? This all we can do now get the 
hell off our backs" Just who the HELL is going to willfully give up 
their only method of playing US DVD`s?? 
Even if you were selling you PS2 you could keep the disc and it`ll be 
worth a fair few quid on it`s own soon. If i knew i could get hold of 
one i`d probably buy a jap PS2 now as it looks like the UK ones will be 
well protected, and i want my region 1 DVD`s! 
Although can an import shop have one and take customers cards and copy 
the driver to his mem cards to allow region 1 playback? If so then Sony 
may have shot themselves in the foot with this one, virtually everyone 
will get it done. 
 
From Ste Birmo to alt.games.video.playstation2 (4-3-00)
Okay, so it transpires Sony are just as fallible as the rest of us and 
are themselves liable to the odd cockup. But so what, it's nothing 
disastrous and ultimately it will not change a single thing. Poke fun by 
all means, but please don't come in here and spout pure crap and expect 
us to swallow it. 
So far, PlayStation2 has only been released in one territory and as is 
the case with these things most of the games released with it appeal 
directly to that particular market. So at this early stage only an idiot 
would criticise the lack of decent games. 
And as for those who believe Sony's subdued presence at the TGS was 
because they have nothing to show, well, what can I say... ...WAKE UP! 
I personally couldn't give a toss what any website(Gamefan) says, the 
fact is Sony is holding back and will have the biggest presence of all 
at the biggest show of all (and the one that counts ahead of its western 
launch) - E3. 
Anyone who doesn't immediately realise this is not looking at the bigger 
picture or is just a biased, blinkered, deluded fool.

From Walt to alt.games.video.playstation2 (4-4-00)
Driving Emotion Type-S replay stuttering
Is anyone else getting this problem on the replays? From some camera 
angles, the replay stutters badly.

From Vaipon to alt.games.video.playstation2 (4-8-00)
I just pressed reset on my PS2, and instead of it rebooting, the screen 
just stayed black! After some panicking, I pressed reset again and all 
was well. Some guy on the RR5 GameFaqs forum says it has happened to him 
a few times. Just wondered if anyone else has seen this problem, and 
whether it is a big deal or not?
Roy Responds:
I had the same problem once. Seems an incident, hasn't happen again 
and the PS2 seems to be working fine.
TheHut responds:
Doubt if it`s a biggie, it happens on my old playstation if i tap the 
reset button lightly and quickly.

From Fred to alt.games.video.playstation2 (4-8-00)
I was wondering if its normal that the PS2 with a game in it spins 
extremely fast. No slowdown at all. The whole PS2 is vibrating. 
With RR5 its definetly everytime I play the game.
Vaipon responds:
Your Ridge 5 disc is probably very slightly warped. This is quite common 
amongst CDs, and some are produced slightly warped or off balance. It's 
no big deal when you're playing them in your audio CD player, but when 
the disc is spinning at 24x then it amplifies the problem somewhat. I 
doubt it is doing any actual harm to your PS2 as most fast drives are 
designed to cope with slightly imperfect discs, however if the noise is 
getting on your nerves then you could try and return the CD to your 
dealer and get it changed for another copy. 

From Vaipon to alt.games.video.playstation2 (4-8-00)
Another boring query. When you press the triangle button and go into the 
version menu on a PS2, and you press triangle again on the unit option, 
what does the "Diagnosis" function do? Does anyone know, coz I can't 
seem to work it out as it has no noticeable effect.
Greg responds:
This was discussed a while back (I found it first! Sorry, don't mean to 
brag.) but nobody managed to do anything with it. My bet is that its 
basically a debug mode that kicks in if an error occurs. However, since 
there don't seem to be any errors it obviously doesn't kick in.


9. Credits and Thanks:
Anyone who knows more than me please Email me and help me out.
I could really use some help regarding the 3DO Multiplayer and the Atari 
Jaguar, since they've been dead for so long I have had trouble finding 
specs for all the categories, and the systems release dates.
Spec info and PS2 launch info gathered from Official Sony Playstation 
site, Nintendo Power Source, Sega Hard Stuff, Next Generation Magazine, 
Next Generation Online, I.G.N, CNN, Daily Radar, The Magic Box and 
Gamers Republic. Atari Jaguar specs gleaned from above sources and: The 
Jaguar FAQ by Robert A. Jung and The Jaguar Underground Documentation.
3DO specs gleaned from above mentioned sources and the 3D0 Today site. 
 
Note: Some system specs gleaned using PSYCHIC POWERS!!! 

Thanks to everyone who has sent EMAIL to me over the years.

And thanks for people not yelling at me for liking Godzilla Generations 
for Dreamcast. What can I say I just love Gojira, and(as my son Joshua 
says)Bebe Gaga(Minya). Sometimes having Godzilla running around smashing 
stuff is my bag baby.

Thanks to Vic for showing me the ways of Target:Earth

More Special thanks to Paul for recommending many of the import games on 
my Favorite games list, his excellent import video game shop is  
Raven Video Games  http://ravenvideogames.net/  so go check em out!

Ultimate and Final Special thanks to the old Inner Circle of gamers 
consisting of Chance, Travis, Jeff, and Myself. Without this group I 
would not have played many of the games on my Top Games list.
 
This FAQ is a c2000 Merle Brothers Production TM. And may not reproduced 
without my permission (Mike Schwan) under the penalty of death! "I want 
you all to remember that I love you"!


