PlayStation 2 Slim-Line Compatibility Problems Identified

Though the latest hardware revision of Sony's PlayStation 2, the "slimline" SCPH-70000, has no known compatibility differences with the models that have been sold since March 2000, an upcoming modification beginning with the Japanese SCPH-75000 line introduces some problems with a few games in the system's lineup. A list of the affected games has been posted to Sony of Japan's site, and translated by consumer site IGN.com. The largest concerns for American buyers, if the SCPH-75000 ever debuts in North America, will be issues with the recent Tekken 5, in which the save screen can freeze the game after loading Tekken 3 in Arcade History, and Hitman Contracts, which suffers from longer-than-usual save times. Other affected games on PS2, in relative order of impact, are Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, F1 2001, F1 2002, Racing Battle C1 Grand Prix, and The Stylish Mahjong. The list of affected PSone games, however, is quite a bit longer, though still includes a relatively small number of games to be concerned about. Chief among these is the Dual Shock or 5th Anniversary Package version of Resident Evil 2, where the sound playback during movies is incorrect, and Chrono Cross, which also has problems during its ending movie. Also on the list of 39 games is Test Drive 4, Krazy Ivan, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, and Worms. The listed games will only be affected on new models of the system, starting with the Satin Silver slimline PS2, so far announced only for Japan. Whether the SCPH-75000 model will eventually be the standard for all production PS2s is unknown, but Sony advises those wanting a thinner system which can play the aforementioned games to get a 70000 or above.