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PS2 FAQ 
Machine: Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2
for short)
Price: $299.99
PS2 Controller - $34.99
PS2 Memory Card - $34.99
PS2 Multitap - $34.99
DVD Remote - $19.99
Release Date: Japan – March 4th,
2000
USA -- October 26th, 2000
Europe – TBA (November 24th?)
Australia – TBA (November 24th?)
System Specs: Clock speed – 294 MHz
CPU – 128-Bit Emotion Engine
Graphics: Graphics Synthesizer (can push up to 75 Million
polygons/second)
Floating Point Power: 6.20 GigaFlops/second
Image & Video Decoder: MPEG 2
Memory Bus Size: 3.20 GigaFlops/second
Co-processor: FPU (Floating-Point Unit)
Console Memory: 32 MB Direct Rambus
Audio: SPU2+CPU
Number of Voices: 48 Channel
IOP: I/O Processor
CPU Core: 1st Generation PlayStation CPU
Media: Supports DVD, CD-ROM (both audio and games)
Accessories: Dual Shock2 controller
AV Multi Cable
AC Power Cord
Size: 301mm (With) x 182mm (Height) x 78mm (Depth)
(12" x 7" x 3")
Weight: 2.4 kg (5 lbs. 5 oz.); can be placed in either
a vertical or horizontal position
Interfaces: Controller port (2)
Memory Card slot (2)
AV Multi Out connector (1)
USB connector (2)
i.Link (IEEE1394) connector
Drive bay (for 3.5" hard disc drive)
Expansion unit (for network interface)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Why is the PlayStation 2 even coming out? I’m perfectly
happy with my original PSX
A: Well, basically because technology pushes forward. Sony is
putting a lot of its marbles behind the PS2, having a ton of
developer support and money being the pushing forces.
Q: Can I still play my older PlayStation titles? I don’t
want to forget the classics…
A: Don’t worry, the PS2 is backwards-compatible, meaning
just about every game in existence should play fine on your
PlayStation 2. Also, you can turn on a few hardware effects that
might or might not enhance the way your individual game looks
(some games receive better textures and are aliased, while
others simply remain the same).
Q: Do my older accessories work as well? Like my controllers
and memory cards.
A: Yup. Since Sony’s controllers for the PS2 are virtually
identical to that of the PlayStation, your older controllers
will work. As far as memory cards go, they will still be able to
save games from your existing PSX titles, but will not work with
the newer PS2 games.
Q: Can the system really get over 70 million poly’s a
second? That’s unheard of!
A: Technically, yes. But if that were so, you’d be looking
at some very boring games. After a full scene anti-aliasing
turned on, real-time light, ray tracing, texture mapping and the
works, a more realistic number would be between 10 – 18
million polys, depending really on how well a development team
knows the PS2 hardware. To get an idea in your mind, think or
Ridge Racer V, one of this fall’s launch titles. On average it’s
pushing a little over 3 million triangles per second, so just
consider how well a game will look quadrupling that number.
Q: Is it more powerful than even my new Sega Dreamcast?
A: Sure is. While it’s not light years ahead (as Sony would
like you to believe), the PS2 can still chug out a raw
performance that most Dreamcast games couldn’t even dream of
accomplishing. While a lot of the early PS2 games don’t look
much better than the current crop of Dreamcast games, once the
developers get more friendly with the hardware you will soon see
a large difference in the visuals between the two consoles.
Q: How come it uses DVDs instead of the traditional CDs?
A: Simply because DVDs are better. While current CD-ROMS can
only hold 650 MB of information, a Digital Video Disc can grasp
a near whopping 4.8 Gigabytes (that’s over seven times as much
as a single CD can hold!) Most developers aren’t taking to
DVDs quite yet, but once projects and ideas become larger, a DVD
will be the only feasible choice for publishers.
Q: So if it plays DVD games, I assume that goes for DVD
movies as well, correct?
A: Bingo. Sony has publicly stated that the PlayStation 2
will support DVD movies. The attraction of a game system and
movie player in one will be a large part of Sony’s upcoming ad
campaign.
Q: How about online play? Sega’s got its Dreamcast network,
and I wanna play network games too!
A: This is what may be Sony’s weakest part of the
PS2. They are not so quick as to jump on the online gaming idea
as Sega is. While it certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t
thinking of it, Sony is holding out until more people are
connected to the ‘net via a broadband connection (DSL and
cable, to name a few). Recently, though, Sony announced that
there would be a narrowband modem to use this fall (meaning a
56k-flex dial up connection will be used, like the Dreamcast’s).
Notice that it won’t be packaged in with the
PlayStation 2 itself, but rather will be on sale at retail
stores.
Q: Okay, okay, I’m just about sold. But what’s the point
of owning a machine without a strong library? There will be a
healthy selection to chose from, right?
A: Mark my words, there will be many, many games to
chose from. Sony has multiple games in development as we speak
from about every publisher and developer under the sun. Square,
Namco, Capcom, Konami, Acclaim, Lucas Arts, THQ, plus much more
are signed on for create games. All in all, there are nearly 280
games (!) being made for the future right now, most of which
should be arriving next year and the year 2002. If there’s
anything the PS2 has enough of, it’s games. Check out our Release
List here.
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