6 Forgotten PS2 Features That Are Pure Nostalgia

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By Eli Becht/July 4, 2023 1:31 pm EST

The PlayStation 2 is one of the most popular game consoles of all time, and it's a platform that many people look back on fondly. With it came the birth of many franchises that are still thriving today, such as "God of War," "Rachet and Clank," and "Kingdom Hearts." While it has since been outclassed by newer offerings, and many of its heavy hitters since ported to newer consoles, there are still many Playstation 2 games that make it worthwhile to plug in the second-generation console even today.

With all the bells and whistles available on modern consoles, you might be surprised to look back at some of what was possible on a PS2, released all the way back in the year 2000. A $299 price tag, coupled with the fact it could play DVDs and the latest games, made the PS2 quite a bargain for its time. Microsoft's Xbox, for comparison, needed a special receiver plugged into a controller port to play DVDs despite launching after Sony's console. Moreover, it boasted several features that only enhanced the PS2 experience further.

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It might be hard to imagine, but "Final Fantasy XI," a aassively multiplayer online video game (MMO) that's still running today, launched on the PS2. MMOs are mostly playable with a controller these days, but it wasn't always so easy, and a mouse and keyboard were a practical necessity for old-school games like this. "Final Fantasy XI" worked just fine with a controller as the developers knew this would be a console MMO as well, but you have your share of options. The PS2 actually let you hook up a keyboard, which was far ahead of its time for a console that was released in 2000.

Sony had an officially licensed USB keyboard that would hook up to the console, and you can still get one today if you're willing to spend a bit of cash for it. The console version of "Final Fantasy XI" has long been abandoned, so there's really no reason to own this keyboard outside of nostalgia purposes. If you want to collect all of the PS2 peripherals, however, then this would be something you'll want your hands on.

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Online gaming is very mainstream today, but it wasn't always. The original Xbox and Xbox Live helped usher us into a new era with "Halo 2" leading the way, but the PS2 also had a way to play online — though it didn't catch on the same way Xbox Live did. While it didn't have "Halo," the PS2 had its share of hits with the aforementioned "Final Fantasy XI" as well as its "SOCOM" series.

To make online play happen, you would have needed to buy a broadband adapter, which will run you just a few bucks nowadays. With this installed onto your console and coupled with an ethernet cord, you'd be able to hop online and start gaming. However, the PS2 online service didn't compare to the feature-rich Xbox Live that let you build a friends list or join parties. Playing a PS2 game online was rather more of a barebones experience that'd let you hop into a game. It wasn't until the PS3 that Sony started to add features like a friends list that are common today.

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While the PS2 was released in the heyday of CRT televisions and monitors with a 4:3 aspect ratio, there were a handful of games that could take advantage of the widescreen 16:9 format. With the console continuing production into the 2010s, it only makes sense that the gaming library would be able to take advantage of newer technology, but there are even some older games that you might be surprised to see on the list.

Some examples of this include "Dragon Quest XIII," the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, and "Madden." This helped the PS2 feel a bit more modern than it might otherwise have done due to the ability to play on widescreen TVs. Keep in mind that a large chunk of the PS2 library won't run in widescreen, so don't expect this to be the case for everything you pop in. It's also important to know that having the widescreen format won't make the PS2-era graphics any better.

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Before Netflix became the online streaming juggernaut it is today, it started as a DVD mailing service. Instead of having a downloaded app, you'd have to get an actual disc you pop into a DVD player. However, a rare PS2 version that was only available in Brazil had an on-console Netflix app,and it has become a neat collector's item if you're able to get your hands on it. Otherwise at the time, only the Xbox 360 had a native Netflix app, so Wii and PS3 owners had to rent discs around the world, while Brazilians with a PS2 could also join in on the fun.

Eventually, the app moved to other platforms and the PS2 version was discontinued. Netflix doesn't mail discs at all anymore as the company shifted into streaming, so the only thing left to do with a disc is to pull it out during a party as a fun little conversation piece as you reminisce about the past.

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PlayStation upped its game with the DualShock controller, a staple until the PS5 revamped it with the DualSense. However, there are all sorts of peripherals available for the PS2 during its time, and it's something we don't see a lot of anymore. "Guitar Hero" was very popular in the mid-2000s, and that meant you were able to play music with a replica guitar all the way back on a PS2. There are streamers today that use "Guitar Hero" guitars to play "Dark Souls," strangely enough, but the initial intent was to play music.

On top of that, "Resident Evil 4" launched on PS2 with a special edition chainsaw controller, and there was also one for the GameCube. Getting one of these today will cost a couple hundred dollars, so yours is worth something if you held onto it. Fans of "Onimusha" might be interested in knowing there is a katana controller that looks harder to play than it's worth, but it could still be worth the hassle if you find one in your possession.

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Something that still needs work even today is backwards compatibility support. Xbox has largely seemed to figure it out since the Xbox Series X|S has the ability to play games dating back to the original console. PlayStation is getting there, but the PS2 is a console that had near-complete backwards compatibility. 

With a very small exception, the PS2 was able to play all PS1 games just by popping the game disk in and playing. Simply put, if you are playing a PS1 game on your PS2, you will need to track down a PS1 memory card in order to save your game. It will plug into the newer console all the same, but game saves can't be mixed and matched on a memory card. It was such a nice feature that the PS3 went on to omit it for the most part. All PS3 models can play PS1 games just by putting in the disc, but only certain models can play PS2 games.