With the whole console gaming revolution rapidly taking place in India, we at Techtree.com feel it's about time the Indian consumer got all his doubts cleared about the console that is rapidly gaining popularity out here and around the world. This guide is not meant in any way to help you with troubleshooting; it will just inform you about everything you need to know about the PlayStation 2 and what you can do with it.

So here it is, everything you wanted to know about the PlayStation 2 but didn't know who to ask --

Hardware

* First comes first, what is a PlayStation 2?

PlayStation 2 (PS2) is the latest in Sony's PlayStation series of home-gaming consoles. Unlike its predecessor, the PLAYSTATION 2 primarily uses DVD media for its games, and is capable of playing DVD movies.

* What are the Specs of PlayStation 2?

CPU: 128 Bit "Emotion Engine"
System Clock: 300 MHz
System Memory: 32 MB Direct Rambus
Memory Bus Bandwidth: 3.2 GB per second
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)
Floating Point Performance: 6.2 GFLOPS
3D CG Geometric Transformation: 66 million Polygons per Second
Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG2

Graphics: "Graphics Synthesizer"
Clock Frequency: 150MHz
DRAM Bus bandwidth: 48 GB 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: ADPCM: 48 channel on SPU2 plus definable by software
Sampling Frequency: 44.1 KHz or 48 KHz (selectable)

I/O Processor
CPU Core: PlayStation 1 CPU
Clock Frequency: 33.8 MHz or 37.5 MHz (selectable)
Sub Bus: 32 Bit
Interface Types: IEEE1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB)

Disc Media: 4X DVD-ROM (24X CD-ROM)

* What's the price of a PlayStation 2?

Officially, the PlayStation 2 is available for Rs. 15,990 (unmodified, with one controller) but you can probably find one at under Rs. 13,000 (with a mod chip, one controller) on the street.

* Can I play Video CDs on the PlayStation 2?

No. But you can play music CDs and movie DVDs.

* Is there any other way I can connect my PlayStation 2 to the television besides the regular composite cable provided?

There are third-party cables available for connecting the PS2 to the S-Video slot of your TV for higher image quality. There is also a digital optical out on the back of the PS2 where you can connect an amplified speaker system for true 5.1 surround sound.