New PS2 cooling problem!

  • Thread starter Azagoth
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Azagoth

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Yes, I'm a newbie! Infact this is my first post on this forum!

My question is this. I used to have an original PS2 that worked just fine! Sadly I lost it to a mate in a stupid game of cards a month ago (we all do stupid things when drunk). I just want to know if the reported 'cooling problem' with the new slimline PS2's is an actual problem or just an 'urban myth'!

The reason I ask is because I'm going to grab one when they come back into stock over here, mainly because I have to as I have quite a few games that I can't use at the moment. Not to mention, GT4 is out in a few months and it's my favourite series of 'games'. :)

Thanks in advance for your answers!

 
I think the only reason they say that is because of the fact that the case is smaller, and doesn't allow as much air to pass through and to cool it off. So far I haven't noticed any problems with my slim PS2, so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Well I've had mine since the first day they were released and I haven't had a problem. Reading some of the stories on the cooling problem, it seems the majority of people who get these problems are the people who play the Slim PS2 (PStwo) excessively.

If you're the type of person that plays fairly often, but you don't spend all day, every day, playing it, I don't think there would be a problem. I think battle_stage has the reason down pat. The casing doesn't seem to allow much air flow.

Also, I'm not saying you have to play in moderation. I play mine fairly often, especially when I have Blake around here. We play for long periods of time. But as long as you aren't doing that every day, it should be fine. I say go for it. The only disadvantage of having one is that you can't connect a HardDrive to it.

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I've been using one for about a month. It gets warm sometimes, but no overheating here.
 
I don't see any problem playing the new slim PS2 as much as wanted. It's the same deal with desktop computers and notebook computers. Notebooks are smaller with little to no airflow cooling their components. Notebooks are not subject to chronic overheating problems. At work, we run notebooks every day for 16 hours straight, and not a single problem.
It's the same deal with the PS2, one just runs a little warmer due to lack of airflow, is it something to worry about? Nope. I'd say the only ill-effect you could come across is slowdown. But that's in extreme heat conditions.
 
I think it's partially an urban myth, with some basis in twisted fact.

The fan was there in the PS2 primarily for the purposes of cooling the power unit. Just like that big honking fan next to the main power switch on the back of your PC. It had the side-effect of also doing some minor cooling to the interior components of the system, although they really didn't need it. If you think about it, the PS2 is little more than a DVD player. And my DVD player has no fan. Nor does any other component of my entertainment system, for that matter.

The PSTwo has an external power supply, so the fan in the console itself is no longer needed. So, the console will indeed get a little warmer. But, I'm confident it's well within the tolerances of the components.. Sony knows what they're on about when it comes to electronics, you know. I think what happened is that people who were overly paranoid about the lack of a fan started imagining that their PSTwo was "overheating" when it started getting a little warm. And then, possibly, it shut down after they played it for eighteen hours straight. But then again, going back to my comparison.. I imagine my DVD player would also have a fit if I ran it for eighteen or twenty hours without a break. However, I doubt the system is actually "broken", even if it does shut down. If it's anything like any other piece of high-end electronics, it has a fail-safe built in, to shut itself down in the event that it overheats, before any damage is done. So all you have to do is wait for it to cool down, and you can start playing again with no problems.

But, I think the problem will occur only if you're insane with your PSTwo. Most normal people don't play for days straight without turning the system off. Me, I go no more than six hours or so on a long day. Normally it's less than an hour. GT4, probably six or seven hours a day depending on a lot of different things. But not days on end.

As long as you play the system like a normal person and not a videoholic maniac, you'll be fine.
 
Ok, thanks for clearing that up for me. I actually did think along the lines mentioned above, that the PSTwo is basically a DVD player that can play games. I didn't know about the external PSU though, but yeah that will take a lot of the heat away from the console itself. Seen as I'm not into 18hr gaming sessions I guess I'll be alright with the PSTwo until the PS3 is released.

It looks like a shopping/hunting trip is in the pipeline for tomorrow.

Thanks again and thanks also for the welcome!
 

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