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The PlayStation 2 (Japanese:
プレイステーション2) is Sony's second
video game console, after the PlayStation. Its development was announced in April 1999, and it
was first released in Japan on 4 March
2000. It was released in the United
States on 26 October 2000.
The PS2 can read CDs, for playing audio CDs and original PlayStation games, and DVDs for DVD Video and PS2
games. Its ability to play DVD movies was an important selling point at a time when few people owned a separate DVD player.
When it was released, the PS2 had many advanced features that were not present in other contemporary video game consoles,
including its DVD capabilities and USB and IEEE 1394 expansion ports. It was not until late 2001 that the Microsoft Xbox
became the second console with DVD support, although playing DVD-Video titles on Xbox requires the purchase of an additional
module (containing decoder software and a remote control).
Support for original PlayStation games was also an important selling point for the PS2, letting owners of an older system
upgrade to the PlayStation 2 and keep their old software, and giving new users access to older games until software was developed
for the new system.
Software for all PlayStation consoles contains one of three region codes, for Japan, the Americas, or Europe. Discs also
deviate slightly from the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM standards in ways that make it impossible for the average consumer to duplicate
discs or create his or her own software for the system. However, Sony has released a version of the Linux operating system for the PS2 in a package that also includes a keyboard, mouse, ethernet adapter and hard disk
drive.
In Europe and Australasia, the PlayStation 2 also comes with a free Yabasic
interpreter. This allows simple programs to be created for the PlayStation 2 by the end-user. This was done to circumvent a tax
by defining the console as a "computer" if it contained certain software (details?)
The final hardware revision of the PlayStation 2 unit (model number SCPH-50000/50001) removed the IEEE 1394 expansion port and added support to play non-commercial DVDs. This hardware revision was also
lighter, quieter, and cheaper than earlier revisions, and included a built-in sensor for an optional Remote Control.
Specifications
- CPU: 128 Bit "Emotion Engine" clocked at 294MHz,later versions 299MHz
- System Memory: 32 MB Direct Rambus or RDRAM
- Memory Bus Bandwidth: 3.2 GB per second
- Main processor: MIPS R5900 CPU core, 64-bit
- Co-Processor: FPU (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator x 1, Floating Point Divider x
1)
- Vector Units: VU0 and VU1 (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator x 9, Floating Point Divider x 1), 128-bit
- Floating Point Performance: 6.2 GFLOPS
- 3D CG Geometric Transformation: 66 million Polygons Per Second*
- Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG2
- Graphics: "Graphics Synthesizer" clocked at 150MHz
- DRAM Bus bandwidth: 48.0GB Per Second
- DRAM Bus width: 2560 bits
- Pixel Configuration: RGB:Alpha:Z Buffer (24:8:32)
- Maximum Polygon Rate: 75 Million Polygons Per Second*
- Sound: "SPU2+CPU"
- Number of voices: 48 hardware channels of ADPCM on SPU2 plus software-mixed channels
- Sampling Frequency: 44.1 KHz or 48 KHz (selectable)
- I/O Processor
- CPU Core: Current PlayStation CPU (MIPS R3000A clocked at 33.8MHz or 37.5 MHz)
- Sub Bus: 32 Bit
- Interface Types: 2 Proprietary PlayStation controller ports, IEEE 1394**,
Infrared remote control port**, and 2 Universal Serial Bus USB 2.0 ports.
- Disc Media: DVD-ROM (CD-ROM compatible) with copy protection. 4.7GB capacity, few are DVD-9 (8.5GB)
* Polygons per second under ideal circumstances (e.g., no texturing, lighting, or vertex colors applied). Some criticize these
figures for being unrealistic, and not indicative of real-world performance, especially when compared to those released for the
Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube.The true polygons per second figure whith
full textures, effects etc. is around 13 million.
** IEEE 1394 removed in SCPH-50000 and later hardware versions, and Infrared remote port added.
See also
External Link
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