A great gaming experience doesn’t have to go hand in hand with an empty wallet.
For the gamer on a budget, playing great games without being left penniless can often seem like an impossible task. But as long you don’t mind playing games that are a few years old, the humble PlayStation 2 can actually be a very sound investment. In Issue 301 of The Escapist, Carl Watkins walks you through the myriad benefits of buying a PS2 if you’re a little strapped for cash.
For over a decade, Sony’s PlayStation 2 has been a gaming juggernaut, going from state-of-the-art next-generation system to the bestselling game platform of all time. According to Sony, there have been over 150 million PlayStation 2 units sold worldwide. When it comes down to sheer bang-to-buck ratio, nothing can compare to the PlayStation 2’s potent combination of affordable hardware and huge back catalog of games.
Even though advances in technology have led to rather significant price drops in the current generation of videogame systems, they still can turn into quite the financial investment … From $100 hard drives to $50 wireless controllers, the cost of basic accessories can quickly get out of hand during the initial set-up phase.
The PlayStation 2, on the other hand, is nearly minimalist when it comes to accessories. No need to buy an HDMI cable, hard drive, or wireless adapter. In most cases all you need to enjoy the PlayStation 2 is a controller, a memory card, and a game; all of which can often be purchased for $15 or less.
With some of the finest games of the last ten years available on the PS2 – and occasionally only on the PS2 – there’s a heck of a lot of top flight gaming to be had on a shoestring budget. You can read more about it in Watkins’ article, “Playing for Pennies.”
