Been having a retro itch to go back and play a bunch of PS2 games as I sort of missed most of that era. I have an old school PS2 phat that seems to work fine but was thinking if it was worth it to buy a slim model. I've got a component cable to get the most I can out of it but do the newer models provide any benefit?

I've got both but only really use the Wideboy these days - I've got a 250GB hard drive installed with Open PS2 Loader and most of my games installed that way. It's possible to connect a hard drive to the Slim but you'd be buying a replacement case which probably stopped being made years ago.

It's totally worth it if you're just looking to play a couple games. It looks nicer on the shelf and it doesn't take up a lot of space, so it's not this big eyesore once you're over playing those types of games but don't want to unhook it because "Maybe I'll play the games again".

Its way more compact and his a manual disc loader rather than a motor one so is better in the long run for collecting purposes if thats your thing - so yes!

Unless you're worried about space, I don't see much benefit to spending more money on a old console that you already have a version of. But I own a Vita and a PlaystationTV, so what the fuck do I know?

The way the door opens up makes the slim size of the thing pointless.

I wouldn't replace it unless it breaks.

I personally don't like the slim, I got one back when it came out because my phat's disc tray was acting up, the disc drive in the slim is too noisy, you can clearly hear the laser seeking similar to a Dreamcast, and it gets really hot from the lack of a fan, I took it back because I was afraid it'd overheat, used the money to have the phat repaired and have used it ever since (it's hooked up right now).

I personally wouldn't buy a second PS2 just cause. In terms of playing games there is no difference between any model of PS2.

I've owned two playstation slims in my time - both bought new (while the PS2 was still current) - and both of them eventually started getting disc read errors, and ultimatley refused to recognise the presence of disks at all. Two or three years ago I bought a phat PS2 used, and that hasn't failed me yet. No idea if that's representative or not, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

@immortal_guy: I think it's just luck of the draw with PS2 drives. My first phat developed read errors so I bought the Slim, which is still running fine. Bought another phat because I missed the hard drive and the DVD drive on that one is on its way out and won't read CDs at all now.

Great console. Shit disc drive.

If I had a perfectly functional PS2, I wouldn't buy a second one just because it was slimmer.

Wasn't the slim much less prone to get the Disc Read Error? My 2001 fat ps2 is basically useless because of that, although putting vertical helps sometimes.

As some others have pointed out, the issue with all of these PS2 models is that it's kinda luck of the draw when it comes to the disc drives. If you currently have a PS2 that works, regardless of which model, I'd stick with it for as long as it's working without issue. If/when you start having issues, then you can make a decision about how you'd like to replace it.

My fat boy eventually yellow ringed after 7 years of use. I picked up the previous slim to replace it and have been very satisfied. It won't play my old PS2 discs, but many of them are available via digital download these days. The best reasons to have a slim are it's super quiet when compared to the launch PS3 or current PS4, and it's the best media player I've ever owned. Streams from my P.C. like no other I've seen.

@penguindust: OP is talking about the original/slim PS2, not the PS3.

I'd try local thrift shops. I have, oh, six or so PS2s, originals and slims, and I don't think I paid more than $10 for any of them.

if you have a working ps2 then its fine go for it. the only reason I got a slim was cause my fat ps2 died.

Phat boy it is. Guess I was overthinking. Now to figure out what games to get and where (Amazon?). As I mentioned I missed a lot of that generation. Played a little Onimusha, MGS and first Xenosaga thinking I may look for episodes 2 and 3. Persona 4 will be am obvious choice and maybe a bunch of those SMT games? There's some interesting looking ones like Digital devil saga etc.

Just the tip of the iceberg I'm sure.

Just a heads up, dont throw out disk read error Fat PS2's. Open them up and clean the lens and they almost always come back to life. Just a tiny spec of dust is enough to make them stop reading disks. I made some decent coin "fixing" broken PS2's in high school. You can also lube the gearing that opens the drive doors.

The slim is definitely worth it aesthetically if nothing else, don't think there's ever been a better looking console.

@savagemanlove: I don't know if you have a PC capable of handling it, but if you legally own the games and can dump the BIOS of your PS2, emulation might be the way to go. You can up-res the games, add in some AA to clear up those jaggies, and even utilize turbo boost to cut down on some grinding (really handy when I decided to go back and beat FFX).

Turns out that a lot of PS2 games clean up pretty well, and the process is real simple, at least as simple as having to open up a PS2 to get it going again. I followed along with Metal Gear Scanlon 3 this way, game on one half of the monitor and the video on the other. Emulation is always a grey area topic, but as long as you physically own every part of the process (system and game), it'll be the best version of those games around.