Backwards compatibility

If you already own a collection of PlayStation games, you'll be pleased to know that PlayStation 2 is backwardly compatible with virtually every PlayStation game available.

This simply means that you can pop a PlayStation game into your PlayStation 2 and it will run exactly as it would do on a PS one console. In some cases, you can even improve the loading times and visual quality of your PlayStation games by following this simple process:

• Switch on your PlayStation 2 without a disc inserted (or with the disc cover open) to be taken to the console's Main menu screen.
• Press the [Triangle] button on your controller to open up the Version Information menu.
• Highlight "PlayStation Driver" and press the [triangle] button again - you'll be taken to the PlayStation Driver sub-menu.
• There will be two options to choose from: "Disc Speed" and "Texture Mapping". Both should be set to "Standard" as default.
• Press the X button on either selection - switch from "Standard" to "Fast" (for Disc Speed) and "Smooth" (for Texture Mapping).
• Once done, press the [Circle] button twice to return to the Main menu screen and place the PlayStation game in the disc tray (or just close the tray if it's already in there).
• Start playing!

Changing the Disc Speed and Texture Mapping options will not only make use of the console's faster disc drive speed to decrease the loading times of your PlayStation titles, but it'll also use the console's extra processing muscle to (literally) smooth out the games' rougher graphical edges.

If you reset the console for whatever purpose, these settings will stay the same.

However, switching your PlayStation 2 off or putting it into standby mode will reset the changes back to default.

Note: A PlayStation Memory Card is required if you wish to save your progress in a PlayStation game.