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PlayStation 2
The PlayStation has been around for
years now and its starting to show its age. Okay the game developers
are still pumping out very good games even just before its
successor, the PlayStation 2.
Now, graphics and hardware have
come along way since 1994, the graphics in 1994 were usually 2D and
very blocky, when the PlayStation appeared it was like having an
arcade machine in your own room, the graphics were in full real time
3D and actually looked good. The graphics from then to now have
dramatically changed, the speed at which they worked is more than
ten times faster.
The hardware has developed to an amazing standard. The RAM used in
the first PS was 4Mb, which was loads then but now seems tiny. The
PS2 has 32Mb of DRAM which is over 5 times as fast as the 4Mb. The
processor has been updated with a customized Sony CPU which runs at
over 10 times as fast as the 33.3MHz Motorola CPU in the original
PS, which is a £00Mhz beast. To see the full spec of the PS2 click
here.
Sony have confirmed
an November 24th launch date for the PlayStation2 in Europe. The
price has been confirmed at £299.99 and over 40 games will be
available on the launch day.
The PlayStation 2 has already been
released in Japan. Launched on March 4th the console sold out on the
first day, with Ridge Racer 5 being the game of choice. The reaction
was unanimous - everything from the boot-up screen to the new
analogue control pad was perfect.
The PlayStation 2 is what the world
has been waiting for. Apart from being the successor to the world's
most popular console, Sony have plans for the new machine that mean
that it won't just be competing with other consoles but with the
home entertainment market in general. The DVD movie playing drive
means that it will be a games machine, CD player and DVD player
straight out of the box, and future plans such as broadband and a
huge hard drive will see it going head to head with video recorders
and 'Pay Per View' movie networks!
Emotional
But it is games that made the PlayStation name and games that the
PS2 will have in spades. the heart of the console is a revolutionary
'Emotion Engine'; a CPU capable of simulating emotions and real
world physics (the tech demo of feathers floating in the breeze at
the PS2s announcement showed the machines amazing graphical power).
The games launched with the PlayStation 2 in Japan take advantage of
this side of the console's power more than the emotional side but
this is due to the nature of developing for a new console -
developers are still getting used to the technology and what it can
do. That said, this first wave of games (including Tekken Tag
Tournament which missed the March 4th date by a few weeks) are
stunning in their beauty. There are also some big guns on the
horizon, games such as Kessen, Final Fantasy 10 & 11 and The
Bouncer which will take advantage of the console's immense depth.
Sound Idea
The PS2 features a digital sound output giving it the best possible
audio. Simply connect your PS2 to a Dolby Digital or DTS decoder and
you have surround sound and an impressive home cinema system. The
digital sound output will also plug into anything that can receive
digital signal such as a mini disc player.
Working
Backwards
One of the talking points about the PS2 before its details were
finalised was backwards compatibility. The PlayStation 2 will be
able to play original PlayStation games and use original PlayStation
peripherals, although with the games there is one reservation - some
early PlayStation titles that were written directly for the
hardware, by-passing the in-built software system will not run 100%
correctly. However, this should affect very few games and certainly
not any that you would actually want to play. The PS2 will also make
some of your old PlayStation games look better, much in the way that
certain PC based PlayStation emulators do.
See
Some Shots!! including more detailed spec!
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