If you may have landed on this text, than you discovered your self asking the age outdated query: “what’s the difference between the PS2 Fat Vs PS2 Slim?”

When speaking about PS2 Fat and it’s streamline sibling, we gotta break down the primary variations and adjustments made by Sony within the improve.

We did break down a few of the variations in our article of All Playstation Consoles & Handhelds In Order.

It’s fairly apparent, if you happen to have a look at some outdated photographs of me… the Slim Anthony is best than the Fat Anthony. But it’s not so apparent which Playstation 2 mannequin is best.

Is one console higher than the opposite for taking part in the 10 Best Selling PS2 Games of All Time?

Let’s break that down!

PlayStation 2

The unique Playstation 2 mannequin was launched within the 12 months 2000.

To today, it’s nonetheless the primary promoting sport console of all time at over 155 million models worldwide.

Clearly it was a fan favourite, and this was partially due to the inclusion of a built-in DVD participant and its web connectivity.

The unique Playstation 2, which is now generally known as the “fat” mannequin, included a front-loading disc drive in addition to HDD help.

This HDD function (a PlayStation 2 Hard Disc Drive) was maybe one of many largest benefits of the unique fats mannequin.

Just over 120 video games in complete ever used this 40gb laborious drive (34 exterior of Japan), most notably was Final Fantasy XI which required it to play the sport in any respect.

This HDD decreased load occasions by sharing reminiscence obligations and in addition served as a backup sport save location.

Because Final Fantasy XI requires the HDD to play, meaning you can not play that sport title on the PS2 Slim in any respect! And with FFXI being such a preferred sport, that’s a fairly large motive to need the unique fats mannequin.

However… like many unique iterations, the Playstation 2 Fat was not with out its quirks.

The machine was actually pushing the boundaries in efficiency, and was recognized to have many disc learn errors and in addition get fairly scorching.

Overheating would trigger the fan go into overdrive. This might be fairly annoying, particularly if you happen to’re making an attempt to play at evening when your associate was sleeping.

Needless to say, Sony knew {that a} new mannequin that was extra dependable, quieter, and cooler was due.

As the identify suggests, the brand new Playstation 2 Slim console was a smaller, slimmer, and quieter unit launched in 2004.

The redesigned mannequin made huge enhancements in general {hardware} efficiency and effectivity, which in flip reduces warmth and fan noise.

This time round, Sony opted for a top-loading disc tray, which permits for a slimmer drive, and in addition provides to the reliability of the drive.

And within the new Slim mannequin, Sony shed the HDD port, beforehand used for each the 40gb laborious drive addon and the web capabilities for the console.

The new slim mannequin didn’t want the web addon, because it now included a inbuilt ethernet port.

It can also be vital to notice that there have been a number of iterations even inside the PS2 Slim fashions.

Sony made minor enhancements in dimension, weight, cooling, BIOS, drivers, a unified Emotion Engine (EE) + Graphics Synthesizer (GS) chip, an upgraded laser lens, energy adaptor dimension, and so on.

All of those enhancements touchdown on the ultimate mannequin within the Slim sequence, the SCPH-9000x, launched in 2008. This was the smallest and most effective unit within the PS2 Slim line.

They additionally tried to redeem the HDD addon from the PS2 Fat by introducing the HDPro peripheral, nevertheless it didn’t show to be one thing that many gamers missed.

Overall Review

It’s most likely solely a matter of tastes and nostalgia relating to PS2 Fat vs Ps2 Slim.

Both consoles are backwards suitable with unique PS1 video games, can play most of the identical PS2 titles.

The major variations within the two consoles are primarily dimension and weight.

However, with reliability and cooling vastly improved within the newer mannequin, the PS2 Slim is the superior console in nearly each manner.

Unless you’re a large fan of the basic console or of Final Fantasy XI… your finest guess is to attempt to get your fingers on a PS2 Slim mannequin. Ideally, the 2008 9000 mannequin.

Which model of the PS2 did you favor? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Anthony has been a online game lover ever since he can bear in mind. He grew to become a fulltime nomad in 2018, dwelling all through most of Asia. He targeted his ardour in retro gaming and commenced making a sport for the Game Boy Color whereas dwelling in Nara, Japan throughout the 2020 pandemic. He is now in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the place he spends most of his time gaming, occurring lengthy walks and assembly as many stray canines as doable.