I've been a fan of Sony's gaming machines since the debut of the PS1 all those years ago.

When my big old box of a PS2 (one of the first to come out, mind you) up and died in November my heart was broken. But, thankfully, the PSTwo's were coming out the same day. What a great coincidence! I ran out and bought one.

Flash forward four months. Here I sit staring at the now-dead PSTwo. She will no longer play any games or DVDs, giving instead the dreaded "The Disk Could Not Be Read" error (modified up from the old "Disk Read Error" message--thanks, SONY!). Lens cleaners have failed and there's no little white wheel inside that a felt tip marker and some internet help can adjust (as was the case in the older models). Did it overheat? She gave off a nasty smell..and it's known that the PSTwos get very warm to the touch, despite being loaded up with heat sinks and yes, even a little fan that does a great job blowing the already scorching hot air on to critical parts. Was it just an unlucky, bad unit? Did it have something to do with Sony's rumored use of cheap parts? Do these new units have some inherent design flaw which results in a very short and terminal lifetime?

I don't know. You decide...just keep this in mind before you plop down a hundred and fifty bucks. The PS2 is still the best console with the best selection...buy criminey! Whatever happened to the days when you'd buy a product and it *wouldn't* fall apart after a few months??

Happy gaming...
I've been a fan of Sony's gaming machines since the debut of the PS1 all those years ago. When my big old box of a PS2 (one of the first to come out, mind you) up and died in November my heart was broken. But, thankfully, the PSTwo's were coming out the same day. What a great coincidence! I ran out and bought one. Flash forward four months. Here I sit staring at the now-dead PSTwo. She will no longer play any games or DVDs, giving instead the dreaded "The Disk Could Not Be Read" error (modified up from the old "Disk Read Error" message--thanks, SONY! ). Lens cleaners have failed and there's no little white wheel inside that a felt tip marker and some internet help can adjust (as was the case in the older models). Did it overheat? She gave off a nasty smell.. and it's known that the PSTwos get very warm to the touch, despite being loaded up with heat sinks and yes, even a little fan that does a great job blowing the already scorching hot air on to critical parts. Was it just an unlucky, bad unit? Did it have something to do with Sony's rumored use of cheap parts? Do these new units have some inherent design flaw which results in a very short and terminal lifetime? I don't know. You decide... just keep this in mind before you plop down a hundred and fifty bucks. The PS2 is still the best console with the best selection... buy criminey! Whatever happened to the days when you'd buy a product and it *wouldn't* fall apart after a few months?? Happy gaming...