PS2 - Slim or Fat?

SilverDuck

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I need to replace my son's dead PS2. Gamestop has these for $40 in Slim or Fat. Which is better? Does it matter? The Slim has an ethernet port. What can be done with the ethernet port?
 
I'd get the slim and call it a day. They're newer...much newer in most cases and are quieter. All around a better system I think even though they don't look as cool with the tray loading drive.
 
Slim is more likely to get "yellow light". Some Fat's are backwards compatible, but no slims are. I've got a 20 GB launch system (no wifi, but it's 2' from my router anyways) that I have upgraded to a 320GB, and a 120GB slim in my game room. The slim hardly gets used, but I have yet to have any problems with either (besides running out of disk space on the 20GB). This should help too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3

If I had to do it again, I'd get a backwards compatible fat, but they could be hard to find at this point.


Side note, my launch 20gb runs way more quiet than any other fat I've ever been around. It never goes on "high" fan.
 
Slim is more likely to get "yellow light". Some Fat's are backwards compatible, but no slims are. I've got a 20 GB launch system (no wifi, but it's 2' from my router anyways) that I have upgraded to a 320GB, and a 120GB slim in my game room. The slim hardly gets used, but I have yet to have any problems with either (besides running out of disk space on the 20GB). This should help too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3

Slim or Fat PS2 kind sir, not the PS3.
 
Agreed. And I would assume that the ethernet port would be intended for use with the few network/online games that the PS2 had, though because it lacks a hard drive, some games may not be playable on the slim (unless there are mods out there, which I'd assume there are). But there's only a handful of those games, one being Final Fantasy XI (that may be the only one that requires a HDD, I don't recall).
 
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the slims seem to last longer but if your trying to use game shark or anything like that alot of unlicenced software got locked out on the newer models
 
Speaking as someone who owns a video game store, get a slim one. The fats are much less reliable, likely to have been around years longer and a pain in the neck to clean the laser sens. They're just a lot better.
 
Slims more reliable? Not a frickin chance in hell...

There are a couple revisions of the slim that have lasers that will cook themselves easily (There are MODs for this for a reason...), and the laser on a slim is NOT adjustable whatsoever if it does become a little weak.

Get a FAT, I've never had a laser die myself and I have 4 units. If you do, they're cheap and plentiful, or at least adjustable till they do finally bite it.

The network adapter for a FAT or built in on the Slim is pretty much worthless, a FAT with Net adapter is only useful if you want to run backups from a HD. You can do this with a USB hard drive on a Slim, but it's slow and some games just don't work at all from one.

FYI: You can softmod a PS2...Google Free McBoot and PS2 ESR. I'm not advocating piracy, but it's great to run copies when you have kids.
 
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Slims more reliable? Not a frickin chance in hell...

There are a couple revisions of the slim that have lasers that will cook themselves easily (There are MODs for this for a reason...), and the laser on a slim is NOT adjustable whatsoever if it does become a little weak.

Get a FAT, I've never had a laser die myself and I have 4 units. If you do, they're cheap and plentiful, or at least adjustable till they do finally bite it.

The network adapter for a FAT or built in on the Slim is pretty much worthless, a FAT with Net adapter is only useful if you want to run backups from a HD. You can do this with a USB hard drive on a Slim, but it's slow and some games just don't work at all from one.

FYI: You can softmod a PS2...Google Free McBoot and PS2 ESR. I'm not advocating piracy, but it's great to run copies when you have kids.

+1

I own both, and the the fat can be repaired 80% of the time just by adjusting the laser on it. That isn't an option on the slims.

The slims motor can burn out as well. There is a little "brake pad" like thing under the door, and I've seen a lot of them get stuck so the disc won't spin.

I worked at a game retailer while the fat PS2 was still being made and the slim were new. They both have their problems.

The worst thing about the fat ones is the noise they make, and the slide out tray.
 
I never minded the noise PS2s make. Hell, I don't ever even remember it making much noise to begin with - at least not mine.

Now the Dreamcast on the other hand...
 
Ah yes. I have owned at least 4 of those over the years. Utopia FTW!

I worked with a guy who would swear by the Dreamcast. It was the superior system to the PS2 even.

He had a bunch of them. Apparently he would run multiple accounts of Phantasy Star Online.

I kept trying to get one of his multiple broadband adapters from him...
 
I kept trying to get one of his multiple broadband adapters from him...

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I used to have a fat PS2 with network adapter that was softmodded but that was stolen recently, I hope to get another one but the adapter costs way to much money
 
I used to have a fat PS2 with network adapter that was softmodded but that was stolen recently, I hope to get another one but the adapter costs way to much money

I got a PS2 fat with network adapter, a controller, a memory card, and a couple games from a KLOVer a few years ago for less than $50, I think. I got it mainly for the network adapter. I sold the PS2 and games and recouped most of what I spent.

Never even used the network adapter :p
 
I have an old school fat PS2. mine's gonna be 10 years old soon. I think that ranks it as the longest console I've ever played.

but anyway, I got a network adapter for mine 4 years ago, ran that PS1 save exploit, loaded HDLoader, the rest is history. it's the greatest fucking invention ever conceived, in many ways. the lack of absurdly long load times is a major plus.

I've had to do the laser adjustment several times over the years, but I think the very last time I did it was when I did the hard drive mod. haven't needed to, all I really do is boot from my MK4 cd. :p
 
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