Mailbag!
September 17th,
2002
Last week’s
launch of Sony’s official Playstation 2 Network Adapter brought
with it a lot of questions. If you have any question about the
Network Adapter why not direct them towards me,
and I’ll see what I can do about them.
Q: Has
anyone tried attaching a hard drive to the network adapter? I
found an OLD 1 gig hard drive but my ps2 didn't recognize it. Will
Sony even utilize the hard drive?
A: Sony’s
official response is:
"There is
no information regarding a release date for the hard disk drive at
this time, aside from the drive that is currently packaged with
the LINUX Kit for the PlayStation 2."
A hard drive
will eventually need to be released, but when it will hit store
shelves is anyone’s guess. There is some question, however, as
to whether Sony will actually release their own PS2 branded hard
disc drive, or simply release driver and browser updates that will
allow one to use any IDE hard drive, much like you can on a PC.
This might actually be the wisest decision, as it will save Sony
manufacturing, advertising, and stocking fees while allowing
gamers to get the most hard drive space for their dollar.
____________________________________
Q: Does
anyone of you know of any online retailer that has [Network
Adapters] in stock? I start to seriously dislike Sony and their
strategy of constant availability problems. No PS2s, no memory
cards, no remote controls, and now no network adapters.
A: You’ll
have a harder time trying to find one online than if you simply
hit all your local retail stores. That’s because Sony’s low
initial sales expectations for the Adapter caused them to only
have 250,000 ready for launch, and most of those were sold through
pre-orders taken at national gaming chain-stores like GameStop and
Electronics Boutique. Those orders, therefore, became Sony’s
first priority. Other retail and online stores fell down to the
bottom of the list, and are now receiving Network Adapters in
small, random shipments. However, while online stores have
completely stopped taking orders until large shipments begin to
arrive, retail stores are putting them on shelves as soon as they
receive a shipment. Therefore you have much greater odds of
getting one today at your local CompUSA than trying to find one by
chance on Amazon. When a store does get a shipment in there seems
to be no more than five at a time, so only the tenacious and the
lucky are getting their hands on them. My best advice to you is to
do the rounds every morning until you find one, either by calling
up any store in your area that sells gaming items and asking if
they have any, or by physically going to each and every store
right as they open. You should have one within a week.
____________________________________
Q: What do
you play the online games on? Do you play it on your TV or can you
hook it to a monitor, because my cable modem is in a completely
different room than my TV, so what’s the deal?
A: You play it
on whatever you play your PS2 on now, which is most probably your
TV set. If you want to play it on a monitor you could do it by
either using a video card with video in capabilities, or a
converter box/cable to give your card video in like abilities.
However my suggestion is to follow
our setup guide and learn how to do it the right way.
____________________________________
Q: Does the
Network Adapter Work with PAL ps2? Yes or no? I can boot up any
region DVD so that’s not a problem.
A: Are you
willing to take a chance and find out? Maybe it will work, maybe
it won’t, but that chance will cost you a pretty penny to
import, won’t it? I say play it safe and wait for a domestic
release, because then you will at least have twice as many
compatible games to buy.
Jared adds:
Given that the setup software is in NTSC format, I doubt it will.
It's certainly possible, but I'd heed his advice.
____________________________________
Q: In SOCOM,
am I supposed to be able to talk to my teammates or does the game
just have preset messages? From what I've read on here there are
people actually talking to each other. I've tried speaking to my
teammates but it hasn't worked and also I've never heard an actual
human voice. I am talking about the online multiplayer by the way.
A: Some people
have encountered problems while trying to use SOCOM’s headset
online. Routers blocking the ports have caused them all, and it
can be fixed by opening your router’s forward ports from the
range of 6000 ~ 6500.
____________________________________
Q: How long
is the headset cord for SOCOM? Cause I sit across the room and I
have an extension cord for my controller. Also, are there such
things as extension cords for USB cords, for my keyboard and
headset?
A: If your
Dual Shock 2 cord can reach across your room, so can your SOCOM
headset, as it as at least one and a half times as long as your
Dual Shock 2 cable. If you would like a little extra length you
can pick up extension
cords
at any store that sells computer cables.
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