Using a PS2 with modern HDMI-only TVs

TheVoice

TheVoice

TheVoice

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Merry new year all. While visiting my folks over Xmas I got my PS2 down from their loft but realised on the way home that my TV won't have the connectivity for it. On previous TVs I always used the RGB SCART cable I had for it but that's obviously not an option on newer TVs any more.

I've done some searching and found various PS1 and PS2 compatible HDMI cables/converter boxes ranging in price from suspiciously cheap to eye-wateringly expensive, and they all seem to work a bit differently or have odd quirks that need to be taken into consideration, plus a lot of the reviews/articles I've read are from the US so I'm not sure how that applies considering the NTSC/PAL differences.

Has anyone got any experience with any of these that they can recommend? Realistically I don't want to spend a massive amount on this, it's just to replay some old games and relive some old memories then pack it up again for a few more years.
 
If this is just a spur of the moment thing to play a few games it might be worth just getting the cheapest all in one cable you can find, and then if you find you actually want to play it over the long term invest in some of the high quality options.

If you want to spend a bit more there are adapters like the Sony PlayStation 1 RAD2X cable.

Otherwise you have more expensive devices like the OSSC and Retro Tink which are great if you have lots of different devices you want to connect, but will also require you to have a high quality RGB SCART or Component cables to connect from your console to the device for the best picture. They aren't perfect though; for example I can't play PAL PS1 games via my OSSC because it outputs an off-spec signal which my TV won't accept. Another thing you keep in mind with PS2 is that a lot of games ran with an interlaced output 480i which can result in a flickery output. With the OSSC you can let it passthrough such signals directly to the TV and then your TVs deinterlacer handles it (which from what I recall was better but still not perfect), some other devices like the above RAD2X don't let you do this and you may find the jittery image quite jarring (and headache inducing).
 
andshrew said:
If this is just a spur of the moment thing to play a few games it might be worth just getting the cheapest all in one cable you can find
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That is pretty much it to be honest! Just something to tide me over until the nostalgia wears off and it all gets packed up again. I had taken a look at that RAD2X but it's a bit more than I'm really prepared to pay, something in the region of £20-30 would be fine if it delivers decent enough results. Thanks for that info though, really helpful.
 
TheVoice said:
That is pretty much it to be honest! Just something to tide me over until the nostalgia wears off and it all gets packed up again. I had taken a look at that RAD2X but it's a bit more than I'm really prepared to pay, something in the region of £20-30 would be fine if it delivers decent enough results. Thanks for that info though, really helpful.
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Sell the PS2 on eBay.

Take the £30 you were willing to spend along with the cash from eBay and buy a raspberry pi and install a retropie build.

You now have 30 consoles in 1 and 80,000 games.

Then buy the Logitech usb controller for £30 that works well with pi.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
Sell the PS2 on eBay.

Take the £30 you were willing to spend along with the cash from eBay and buy a raspberry pi and install a retropie build.

You now have 30 consoles in 1 and 80,000 games.

Then buy the Logitech usb controller for £30 that works well with pi.
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Interesting option but overkill for what I want really. I've got the console, the controllers, the games and the memory card, I just want a cheap but decent way to plug it in to my TV so I can play a few games for a few hours then probably pack it all up again until I want to reminisce again.
 
TheVoice said:
Interesting option but overkill for what I want really. I've got the console, the controllers, the games and the memory card, I just want a cheap but decent way to plug it in to my TV so I can play a few games for a few hours then probably pack it all up again until I want to reminisce again.
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I only see negatives with what you want to achieve Vs a retropie build in which I can only see positives.

Your current solution is outdated, not got a long term future and requires third party adapters which are expensive and likley built cheaply and not to last.

Retropie gives you everything you currently have plus a lot more. Dual 4k hdmi outputs. Compatibility with a host of different controllers and multiple uses and options.

For example you can do an arcade build and buy an arcade stick to get the old school cabinet feel, etc. Maybe not for you but the options are literally limitless. Whereas with the PS2 your stuck with just a PS2.

You also have access to 80,000+ games from 30 different consoles. Overkill but so what it doesn't cost you any more to do bar storage space which is cheap enough on SD card or you can even get a usb to ssd adapter or mechanical if that's your thing.

You can also use the pi for other things too like pihole, home assistant, etc. Whilst also using it for retropie.

Overkill yes. But in terms of cost it's probably cheaper to implement and you get so much more. Holding onto old incompatible hardware is just a waste of time and more hassle than its worth. It's also due to the collector factor still worth decent money but that will change with time as those niche collectors die out.

I don't see the point in throwing money at a PS2 in this day and age. Especially since that money could get you so much more. Personally I find retro gaming boring. Which is why my pi build is more focused on fighting games and using fight sticks.
 
No need for a raspberry pi if you already have a pc or a laptop. That way you get even more games when you include older PC titles, plus you can also emulate many PS2 games quite well with PCSX2.
 
Was it really 20 years ago I was playing Rez on PS2? Nice to see they are still being used, surely the tv has rca inputs?, i connected an old wii up to this on a new tv over xmas.
 
Just thinking, if your TV doesn't have the right connection an amp might. I did as above and hooked up the Wii recently, but went via the amp. Be warned that it will look gash compared to anything else:p.
 
theone8181 said:
Just thinking, if your TV doesn't have the right connection an amp might. I did as above and hooked up the Wii recently, but went via the amp. Be warned that it will look gash compared to anything else:p.
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Such an obvious thing and yet i never gave it any thought :D
Mine has loads of ports so will give this go some time! Will be interesting to see what 480 looks like again. Will use the optical too seeing as it's there.

Just checked the manual for my AVR, seems to have some options/processing available so might not be too bad.
 
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Psycho Sonny said:
I only see negatives with what you want to achieve Vs a retropie build in which I can only see positives.

Your current solution is outdated, not got a long term future and requires third party adapters which are expensive and likley built cheaply and not to last.

Retropie gives you everything you currently have plus a lot more. Dual 4k hdmi outputs. Compatibility with a host of different controllers and multiple uses and options.

For example you can do an arcade build and buy an arcade stick to get the old school cabinet feel, etc. Maybe not for you but the options are literally limitless. Whereas with the PS2 your stuck with just a PS2.

You also have access to 80,000+ games from 30 different consoles. Overkill but so what it doesn't cost you any more to do bar storage space which is cheap enough on SD card or you can even get a usb to ssd adapter or mechanical if that's your thing.

You can also use the pi for other things too like pihole, home assistant, etc. Whilst also using it for retropie.

Overkill yes. But in terms of cost it's probably cheaper to implement and you get so much more. Holding onto old incompatible hardware is just a waste of time and more hassle than its worth. It's also due to the collector factor still worth decent money but that will change with time as those niche collectors die out.

I don't see the point in throwing money at a PS2 in this day and age. Especially since that money could get you so much more. Personally I find retro gaming boring. Which is why my pi build is more focused on fighting games and using fight sticks.
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I do see your point and that would be an ideal option if I wanted something long-term but, like yourself, I'm not interested in retro gaming. I have my childhood PS2 and a box of the games I had, and I just want to play about with it a bit and relive some old memories. I want to use the original console, the original memory card, the original discs, have the full tactile experience and play them the way I used to. Anything more complicated like emulators or building anything to play thousands of games is beyond the scope of what I need really, I've got enough current-gen stuff to play without digging back into the archives!


theone8181 said:
Doesn't your pS2 have the yellow, white and red? Just use the composite connection on your TV, I think modern ones still do.
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I've got all the cables but my TV is HDMI only.

theone8181 said:
Just thinking, if your TV doesn't have the right connection an amp might. I did as above and hooked up the Wii recently, but went via the amp. Be warned that it will look gash compared to anything else:p.
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No AVR, just a soundbar which is also HDMI. An HDMI converter is going to be the only way it seems.
 
RedStarRiot said:
Tbh I'd rather use the PS2 over any emulator. I just like the old console from a visual and functional perspective. It's part of the nostalgia trip
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I agree with you to a point, which is why I use both the real hardware and emulation :D
But take Gamecube and Wii for example through the Dolphin emulator. You can internally upscale resolution, and some look like they would have been HD remakes if you didn't know any better. Also using original controllers like Wiimotes through a dolphinbar almost makes the experience feel authentic. Then we have PPSSPP for PSP, again internal upscale resolution makes the games look great on a large screen. The best Outrun for example in my opinion is Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast 2006 on PPSSPP, upscaled to anything above 4.
 
I bought a Kaico branded hdmi adapter a while back. It works ok but the colours are definitely out i think i paid about £10 but it managed to do the job to test my old PS2 and play a bit of Ridge Racer5
 
IMO, just check FB marketplace for an old TV - half the time CRT TV's are free as people struggle to even give them away. that or check your local tip/recycling centre, they might have some. Plus, extra nostalgia if you bag a 14" crt/dvd combi ha ha. cheaper and easier than buying adapters etc.
 
I think andshrew gave best advice, the cable will be best bet for you as cheap

personally I would go with the OSSC device as there’s quite a noticeable difference with the upscaling but might be overkill for you
 
squarehead94 said:
IMO, just check FB marketplace for an old TV - half the time CRT TV's are free as people struggle to even give them away. that or check your local tip/recycling centre, they might have some. Plus, extra nostalgia if you bag a 14" crt/dvd combi ha ha. cheaper and easier than buying adapters etc.
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This. A CRT will probably look a lot better than a modern TV as well thanks to the blurry, low quality :D. We've bought loads of CRTs over the years for 90s film props and they tend to be £10-30 even for massive ones.

One made me realise that I can't hear high pitched tones when we turned it on and everyone winced into the fetal position whilst I was just like "what?".
 
The_Arbiter said:
I never gave this a thought until it was mentioned, but some dvd players and tv boxes have inputs so any luck there?
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No nothing like that any more.

squarehead94 said:
IMO, just check FB marketplace for an old TV - half the time CRT TV's are free as people struggle to even give them away. that or check your local tip/recycling centre, they might have some. Plus, extra nostalgia if you bag a 14" crt/dvd combi ha ha. cheaper and easier than buying adapters etc.
Click to expand...

Already got a TV, don't need another one! :)
 
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