PlayStation 2 logoThe PlayStation 2 (often shortened to PS2) is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game consoles. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was released a year later in Japan. Its primary competitors were Sega’s Dreamcast, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Nintendo’s GameCube. The PS2 is the best-selling console to date, having reached over 140 million units sold as of August 18, 2009 and a software library projected to exceed 1,900 games in 2009. Twenty games are scheduled to be released in 2010, giving the PS2 a marketable life of over 10 years, thus continuing the sixth generation.

PlayStation 2 Backside PS2

Technical specification

The specifications of the PlayStation 2 console are:

CPU:

  • 64-bit “Emotion Engine” clocked at 294.912 MHz (299 MHz on newer versions), 10.5 million transistors.
  • System Memory: 32 MB(32 × 220 bytes) Direct Rambus or RDRAM
  • Memory bus Bandwidth: 3.2 gigabytes per second
  • Main processor: MIPS R5900 CPU core, 64 bit, little endian (mipsel)
  • Coprocessor: FPU (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator × 1, Floating Point Divider × 1)
  • Vector Units: VU0 and VU1 (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator × 9, Floating Point Divider × 1), 32-bit, at 150 MHz. VU0 typically used for polygon transformations optionally (under parallel or serial connection), physics and other gameplay based things (Parallel performs transformations in parallel in the same moment, Serial (series) performs transformations in a series of steps or stages coherent to the design of each VU – Stage 1: VU0 does perspective and cam, boning, animations and movement laws per triangle, Stage 2: VU1 does colors, lights and effects per triangle). VU1 typically used for polygon transformations, lighting and other visual based calculations – Texture matrix able for 2 units (UV/ST)
  • Floating Point Performance: 6.2 gigaFLOPS (single precision 32-bit floating point)
  • – FPU 0.64 gigaFLOPS
  • – VU0 2.44 gigaFLOPS
  • – VU1 3.08 gigaFLOPS (with Internal 0.64 gigaFLOP EFU)
  • o 3D CG Geometric transformation(VU0+VU1 parallel): 66 million polygons per second
  • – 3D CG Geometric transformations under curved surfaces: 16 million polygons per second
  • – 3D CG Geometric transformations at peak bones/movements/effects(textures)/lights(VU0+VU1): 15-20 million polygons per second (dependent on if series or parallel T&L)
  • – Actual real-world polygons (per frame):500-650k at 30fps, 250-325k at 60fps
  • Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG-2
  • I/O Processor interconnection: Remote Procedure Call over a serial link, DMA controller for bulk transfer
  • Cache memory: Instruction: 16 KB(16 × 210 bytes), Data: 8 KB + 16 KB (ScrP)

Graphics processing unit:

  • “Graphics Synthesizer” clocked at 147 MHz
  • Pixel pipelines: 16
  • Video output resolution: variable from 256×224 to 1280×1024 pixels
  • 4 MB (4 × 220 bytes) Embedded DRAM video memory bandwidth at 48 gigabytes per second (main system 32 MB can be dedicated into VRAM for off-screen materials); – Texture buffer bandwidth: 9.6 GB/s, Frame buffer bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s
  • DRAM Bus width: 2560-bit (composed of three independent buses: 1024-bit write, 1024-bit read, 512-bit read/write)
  • Pixel Configuration: RGB: Alpha:Z Buffer (24:8, 15:1 for RGB, 16, 24, or 32-bit Z buffer)
  • Dedicated connection to: Main CPU and VU1
  • Overall Pixel fillrate: 16×147 = 2.352 Gpixel/s (rounded to 2.4 Gpixel/s); -  Pixel fillrate: with no texture, flat shaded 2.4(75,000,000 32pixel raster triangles), – Pixel fillrate: with 1 full texture(Diffuse Map), Gouraud shaded 1.2 (37,750,000 32-bit pixel raster triangles), -  Pixel fillrate: with 2 full textures(Diffuse map + specular or alpha or other), Gouraud shaded 0.6 (18,750,000 32-bit pixel raster triangles)
  • GS effects: AAx2 (poly sorting required), Bilinear, Trilinear, Multi-pass, Palletizing (4-bit = 6:1 ratio, 8-bit = 4:1)
  • Multi-pass rendering ability; -  Four passes = 300 Mpixel/s (300 Mpixels/s divided by 32 pixels = 9,375,000 triangles/s lost every four passes)

Audio:

  • “SPU1+SPU2″ (SPU1 is actually the CPU clocked at 8 MHz
  • Number of voices: 48 hardware channels of ADPCM on SPU2 plus software-mixed channels
  • Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz (selectable)
  • Output: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, DTS (Full motion video only), later games achieved analog 5.1 surround during gameplay through Dolby Pro Logic II

I/O Processor:

  • CPU Core: Original PlayStation CPU (MIPS R3000A clocked at 33.8688 MHz or 37.5 MHz)
  • Automatically underclocked to 33.8688 MHz to achieve hardware backwards compatibility with original Playstation format games
  • Sub Bus: 32-bit
  • Connection to SPU and CD/DVD controller

Interfaces:

  • 2 proprietary PlayStation controller ports (250 kHz clock for PS1 and 500 kHz for PS2 controllers)
  • 2 proprietary Memory Card slots using MagicGate encryption (250 kHz for PS1 cards, up to 2 MHz for PS2 cards)
  • Expansion Bay (PCMCIA on early models for PCMCIA Network Adaptor and External Hard Disk Drive) DEV9 port for Network Adaptor
  • Modem, Ethernet and Internal Hard Disk Drive (single IDE/ATA channel, possible to hook 2 devices to.)
  • FireWire (only in SCPH 10xxx – 3xxxx)
  • Infrared remote control port (SCPH 5000x and newer) — IEEE 1394 port removed and Infrared port added in SCPH-50000 and later hardware versions
  • 2 USB 1.1 ports with an OHCI-compatible controller

Disc Drive type:

Proprietary interface through a custom micro-controller + DSP chip. 24x speed (PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format CD-ROM), 4x (Supported DVD formats) — Region-locked with anti-copy protection. Can’t read “Gold Discs” i.e., normal CD-ROMs.

Supported Disc Media:

PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format CD-ROM, Compact Disc Audio, PlayStation 2 format DVD-ROM (4.7 GB)(some games on DVD9 8.5 GB), DVD Video (4.7 GB), DVD-9 (8.5 GB Double-Layer). Later models (starting with SCPH-50000) are DVD+RW, and DVD-RW compatible.

Into PS2

Compatibility – Hardware and Software

In addition to PS2 software, the PS2 can read both CDs and DVDs and is backward compatible with PlayStation games. The PS2 also supports PlayStation memory cards (for PlayStation game saves only) and controllers, although the memory cards only work with PS1 games and the controllers may not support all functions (such as analog buttons) for PS2 games.

The PS2’s DualShock 2 controller is essentially an upgraded PlayStation DualShock; analog face, shoulder and D-pad buttons replaced the digital buttons of the original. Like its predecessor, the DualShock 2 controller has force feedback, which is commonly called the “vibration” function. The standard PlayStation 2 memory card has an 8MB capacity and uses Sony’s MagicGate encryption. This requirement prevented the production of memory cards by third parties who did not purchase a license for the MagicGate encryption. Memory cards without encryption can be used to store PlayStation game saves, but PlayStation games would be unable to read from or write to the card – such a card could only be used as a backup.

The console also features USB and IEEE 1394 expansion ports. Compatibility with USB and IEEE 1394 devices is dependent on the software supporting the device. For example, the PS2 BIOS will not boot an ISO image from a USB flash drive or operate a USB printer, as the machine’s operating system does not include this functionality. By contrast, Gran Turismo 4 is programmed to save screenshots to a USB mass storage device and print images on certain USB printers. A PlayStation 2 HDD can be installed in an expansion bay on the back of the console, with some exceptions.