You can’t argue with sales of 9 million Playstation 2s in Australia/New Zealand. Sony have the number 1 gaming machine and rightly so. But did you know that it is capable of much more?
Sony kindly loaned me a Playstation 2 so I could see for myself what was possible with this versatile machine.
Playing a CD is easy, and the sound very acceptable. Having plugged the PS2 into my stereo system it was a simple matter of inserting the CD into the drawer and, using the games control, select the tracks I wanted to play.
Settling down with the family to watch a DVD, we found the controls a little more difficult. Using the games control to make selections from the DVD menu is best described as “not intuitive”. This could probably be overcome by the purchase of the $60 remote control. With this comes upgraded DVD drivers allowing 3 speeds of fast forward and reverse, 4 additional play options, and whole lot more.
I wanted to see if the PS2 could act as a cheap Internet access point. Sony provide a Linux kit which includes everything you need to get going except for a monitor to do the install, and an 8Mb PS2 memory card. You can connect the PS2 to your own network using the adaptor provided, otherwise you would have to use an external modem.
The system installs on to both the hard drive and the memory card. To boot an installed Linux system you are required to insert the memory card, and one of the two CDs provided with the kit.
If you intend to use the Linux system I recommend installing via a custom install and ensure that you choose package groups and add KDE. This will give you the software you require to read your email, surf the web, and office applications.
The age of the supplied software was a concern. The Linux kernel (2.2.1) is an old and insecure one. Updates are available to the kernel from the Playstation 2 Linux web site, and I would recommend that you do download these. This would allow you to upgrade the application software, the supplied release of KDE is 1.1.2, the latest available is 3.0.2.
The Playstation 2 web site quite plainly says “Linux (for PlayStation 2) is a tool for Linux enthusiasts and programmers only.” and I would have to agree with them. This is certainly not a kit that the ordinary PS2 owner would want to install.
The Linux kit retails at $599.95, add the cost of a monitor ($400) and an external modem ($120) and the PS2 at $499.95 you can see that it is not the cheap computer option I had hoped for.
The Playstation 2 should be used to play games and watch movies on DVD, not as a computer. It is disappointing that cheaper computing for those that just wish to surf and send emails, using the TV as a monitor, is not an option. Maybe Sony will pull it all together in the Playstation 3.
More PS2 Links :-
