r/ps2

Really fun games so far! I never had a ps2 back in the day since I went from N64 to Xbox 360 and skipped the ps2 era so I’m playing most of these for the first time and having a blast.

Download + setup:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/scarface-the-world-is-yours-hd-overhaul-final-edition.681914/#post-10861429

By tying the referee’s countdown to the moment an opponent's body touches the canvas rather than when their health hits zero, the game creates an intentional delay where the player can continue to pummel an unconscious rival. This transforms matches from a regular competition into a cinematic, murderous beatdown.

I guess what makes this particular one of the most reliable fats ever made, is because 1. It had an upgraded heat sink. 2. It has a very reliable laser. 3. The mechacon failure on this particular model is extremely rare or almost non existent compared to 5000x and 7900x. And 4. It’s very easy to install a mod chip. So what makes this model one of the most liked, in yall opinion.

All Play Forza, me in PS2

playing the the way God intended.

But seriously it’s beautiful.

🎮 Budget PS2 Retro Setup vs High-End Modded Builds — Worth It?
I built a modern retro gaming setup around an original PS2 Fat (SCPH-30002R) using mostly cheap AliExpress parts and second-hand hardware. I wanted to avoid spending hundreds on premium retro gear like RetroTINK scalers or boutique cables and see how far a budget setup could realistically go.
My setup:
Free McBoot
BitFunx SATA adapter
1TB WD Blue HDD (second-hand) loaded with PS1 + PS2 games via OPL
BlueRetro adapter with a PS4 controller (wireless play)
Video chain: BitFunx component cable → ODV-GBS-C scaler → HDMI → modern 4K TV
Result: surprisingly clean image, solid low latency gameplay, and the whole setup came in at around $150 AUD total.

🤔 Question for people who went high-end
I know some people go the other direction and build ultra high-end PS2 setups using mods like the PixelFX Retro GEM and scalers like the RetroTINK 4K or 5X Pro.
For those who’ve done that kind of build — what was your experience like, and did you feel it was actually worth the money compared to a simpler setup?

Its done, Its over. After 168hrs, this damned game is finally finished, and I'm glad that it is now done. I started this game is July of 2025, and for 10 months I've been beating each of the 7 characters storylines. Knowing the absolute pain this game is, I split them up - so when I beat a character, I beat other games in my challenge, and then after about 3 games I'd go back to Unlimited SaGa. I understand that some people like this game, but I am in the overwhelming group of people that dislike it. The confusing systems, the absolute overuse of RNG, the slot machine style mechanics FOR. EVERYTHING. GOD. DAMN. THING. In japan, this game came with a strategy guide - which would help with this game and probably why the game was well received there. But for western releases, we were not given such a luxury. Luckily I was told some tips before going into this, as if I wasn't - it would probably still be struggling with its ridiculous complexity. Also, the credits for this game will only roll once you have beaten the game with all 7 characters!

This game made me angry, frustrated, bored, tired and sometimes happy (when I was finishing a character) but now i never have to play it, ever again...

I played through this game live on my YouTube and Twitch channels, PshychedPlaysPS2, where I am attempting to play through every single PS2 game!

long story short, ive been wanting a playstation 3 since 2019 when mine broke on me.

I checked Facebook marketplace in my area and I found a very nice guy selling one for $110, I messaged him and asked if I could pay him more if he could deliver. anyways we got to talking and I ended up buying a PS3, A PS2, cords and controllers for both, and a bunch of games for both, all for $300! He offered $250 for both console bundles, but I really had to take care of him and give him more because he really blessed me with this deal. I haven't played PS2 since I was probably 10. 💜

This is my Sansui TVM1316F. It’s paired with a Home brew Slim PS2 on a mobile filing cabinet.

Hi! Found this complete set with cables, controllers and a 8mb Sony memory card in a thrift shop for 8$ and was wondering whether I should actually play on it or leave it protected as I remember the silver edition being quite “prestigious” in my neighborhood when I was growing up…

I can’t figure out if I should buy a spare regular black one or actually play on this one? Is the silver edition something you would store away or do you guys also use it to game on?
I’m not sure if these are seen more as collector items now or just another ps2 people use?

Edit : got some good answers, thanks a lot
To clear any confusion I found this in a volunteer run thrift shop where all profit goes to charity for people in need, so they do not care about profit as no one gets payed and often price stuff extremely low, in this case ridiculously low :D

As the title says, I’m having problems actually playing games on my PS2! I got a hand-me-down PS2 (thick version) and I’ve been able to connect it to my TV to try and play. Everything works fine, it boots up well, I’ve cleaned the laser, but the moment I go to play the disc in the port it pauses, shows no signal, then shows the picture above accompanied by some music that sounds like it started midway through something, and then goes right back to no signal after about a second and a half. I have to turn the PS2 off and on again to even allow it to boot back to the menu. It’s in YCbCr/YPbPr so I don’t know what else to do! Any help is appreciated!

Found this SCPH-30004 V4 model for 15€, very very dirty, tore it down and cleaned it up entirely, broke the infamous fan connector and soldered it back on lol, and now I can enjoy great games! I might even get a launch V3 model soon which will get the same treatment, except I hope for the fan connector issue. I actually think this connector was made to annoy and make the tinkers give up on their teardown.

The tenth photo with the sink shows how dirty the soapy water was after cleaning the plastics haha, crazy really

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/gdc-square-enix-gives-rare-technical-glimpse-at-i-final-fantasy-xii-i-

>"He showed a slide of two of the main characters from the game, Ashe and Vaan, which indicated how many polygons they could devote to each – approximately 1479 for Ashe, and 1487 for Vaan – both close to their limit of 1500 polygons, though still relatively low by most game standards"

FFX in-game battle models/low poly models were around 3000 polygons. (cutscene or high poly models were over 10000 polys)

CJ's character model in San Andreas was 2000 polygons.

I think it's pretty crazy how much art style and textures can affect how character models look and make low polygon models look decent or even great.

I got this for what I thought was an insane splurgy $650 about one and a half years ago just to complete the horror trifecta (+Haunting Ground and Rule of Rose both of which I have had for years before all this overpriced madness) and it seemed to hold pretty steady to that range , with the occasional $800s but yea ..wha happened? Was there a remake announced that I don't know about? Rule of Rose seemed to have steadily rose a little too but not to the near $1500-2000 range like Kuon which is just ..insane