PS2 – used or new?

[Rantz]

[strike]I've always been a bit behind in the gaming world. Me and my brother bought a NES when the SNES was in fashion and a Playstation around the time when PS2 started to get widespread. Now the seventh generation consoles are starting to feel comfortable in homes around the world, I just got paid and I'm thinking about buying a PlayStation 2.

The thing that's nice about being late is that you can get as much gaming for half the price or less, you just have to wait a few years. Now, the choice is between a used console or a new, and what I need to know is how robust and reliable PS2 is. Does the quality diminish quickly, and what differences are there between different versions of the console?

What it boils down to is, is there any point in buying a used console, or will I just start getting problems within a month? What is your general experience on this?[/strike]

The console has been bought. Thanks for the advice! New question is as follows:

About [modchips and similar]. I've seen many different solutions, but I don't find much info about the variations. Is there any particular solution that:

• works best?
• is easiest to install?
• is cheapest?
• is all of the above?

[LunarWeaver]

360 or gtfo

I can tell you I went through two Ps2s pretty fast, but I played them a lot. They're pretty ty consoles and break when you sneeze on them, but other times that's not true. My brother, for instance, has had his since the day they came out and it still works, all while treating it badly. It seems kind of random to me. I think the slim ones were supposed to be more durable and 44% more sexually attractive.

You could probly buy a used one and get away with it as long as it's still in decently good shape. But new ones are only like, what, 130 these days? The next batch of systems won't be coming for a while yet, so you might want to get a new one if you'll have it for a good amount of time. You don't want to buy it and then get the dreaded "click-click-click Can't read disc" situation.

[Rantz]

The ideal situation would of course be to get a used one still in good condition and some games along with it, and still get away with a price less than that of a new console. I'm a cheap bastard like that. But yeah, my main concern is a long lifetime, and if that means I have to get a new one, I guess that's what I'll do.

[Namelessfengir]

mine was a first gen ps2 i got off my friend for 30 bucks. it sucked on dvds but i knew that when i got it. that lasted two years till i got tangled in the wires and took it down the disc tray disconnected

it was old enough that i just went and got a slim (thats started to twitch on dvds though)

[Vivisteiner]

Ive had my PS2 for many years now, and it gave me nary a worry at all.

[Nifleheim7]

I would suggest you go for a new and slim one.

[Germ Hamee]

Get one of the new slim ones. If you buy a used one and after a week start getting Disc Read Errors, you'll be sorry. I've gone through two PS2s because of this, and the slim model really isn't THAT expensive. The only decent reason I can think of to get a used PS2 is if you plan on playing a game that requires the hard drive add on. Assuming you can find the hard drive extension, the old fat models are the only ones that support it.

[Rantz]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I think I'll get a new one, if I do buy one at all. It's either that or new shoes!

But I can't play Final Fantasy games on a pair of shoes, can I? Unless it's really good shoes.

[Shiny]

My brother bought a used one and it ended up breaking the following month. I bought a new one years ago and it's still playable.

[Ashi]

My first PS2s are no longer functional (one was bought on the same week of the european release date). I reverted to the slim ones a few years ago and they've been great ever since. My pet peeve with the original version is that the discs always made a lot of noise while the game loaded. I recognized this but when my mother used to play her Silent Hill games she associated the sound with the "scary moments".

You could probably do well with a used slim, but you never know. The price of a new ps2 where I am has dropped drastically in the past year.

[Montoya]

I've gone through two PS2 and the current one I have doesn't play PS1 games so I think I'll go for another one.
Get a new one, it's a system worth getting.

[Namelessfengir]

get a silver one

[XxSephirothxX]

I'd go new. They're cheap now, anyway. Also, make up for the bit extra you pay for a new console by purchasing a swap magic disc or a modchip. To, you know, "back up" all "your" games.

[Rantz]

About that. I've seen many different solutions, but I don't find much info about the variations. Is there any particular solution that:

• works best?
• is easiest to install?
• is cheapest?
• is all of the above?

Also, the console (new, slim, black) is ordered, along with some games. Now I have to eat soup throughout March. Thanks, EoFF!

[Ashi]

Haha. Congrads. You made the right decision.

Also, I live on instant noodles for a similar reason.