Reddit reviews PlayStation 2X Network Adaptor

> Okay, is there a card or something I could buy for our Playstation that will give it internet?

https://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-2X-Network-Adaptor-2/dp/B000051QDD

You need a fat PS2, and network adapter to put a hard drive in your PS2. The official one only supports IDE drives, so you need either a third-party network adapter, or a network adapter mod kit if you want to use SATA hard drives.

PS2 game backups can be played off the hard drive with a program called OPL (Open PS2 Loader). See my comment in this thread for more information about using OPL with hard drives.

All this assumes of course that you're already running FreeMcboot. More info on that can be found here

> Was this even a thing ten years ago?

It totally was! HDLoader (the software used to run games from a hard drive) has been around for quite a while. PS2 homebrew in general has some neat stuff.

The adapter you need is this one. Shop around a bit, you might be able to find one a few bucks cheaper on other places (ebay or the like).

You need this adapter because it also contains the IDE connector. You plug your IDE HDD into the network adapter, and then the entire thing goes into the expansion bay at the lower left on the back of your PS2.

HDD - Hard Drive - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KH4IDW
PS2 Network Adapter - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000051QDD
HD Loader - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Loader
Freemcboot - http://bootleg.sksapps.com/tutorials/fmcb/

Keep in mind, the links to the first 2 are for the sake of example. If you spend time looking around, you might be able to find a better price for those. The idea is that you're basically installing the game on the PS2 like you would on a PC, so that way you don't need the game disc to play.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000051QDD/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

You would need the network thing that plugs into the back of the ps2 it has ports for a hard drive and the hard drive will sit in the empty slot back there, it only fits a certain brand of hard drive unless you do a little modding and take some of the frame off the network thing. As for the install of mcboot im not sure, my little brother did it for me. The only part i did was plug the hard drive into it. Im sure there is a walk through some place, probably at the site. PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor

If the netcode is solid ill have to grab an adapter.

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-2X-Network-Adaptor-2/dp/B000051QDD

So it's apparently not popular to make this comparison, but can we actually think about this?

Steam works this way, as I understand it. I think they have a level between "banned from online play" and "banned from everything", but it is still entirely possible and legal for Valve to remove your access to an offline game you own. But Reddit loves Steam, for good reason.

Here's my prediction: For the moment, Microsoft can do nothing right. And they've been doing an absolutely shitty PR job throughout -- including this bit, which it turns out is either not official or they're backpedaling furiously already.

But in a couple years, no one will remember this, any more than you remember the PS3 banning OtherOS. For most of us, it'll be a minor point of annoyance, less important to anyone than what exclusives each console has.

Remember the interview where the Microsoft guy said, basically, "If you want offline, stick with the 360"? In that interview, the interviewer actually made a solid point. When the original Xbox came out, its competitor, the PS2, had this thing. Notice how it's got a modem in it? At that point, there were enough people still on dialup that this was actually an important feature, if you wanted to play online. Not that many people did -- after all, the network adapter was optional, not that many games used it, etc. You also needed this to plug in an approved hard drive, which the system didn't come with.

The original Xbox came with an Ethernet port. Built in, not optional, and no dialup support. Built-in, non-optional hard drive. Probably more expensive with all that extra, high-end hardware that nobody wanted or needed, especially when they were leaving dialup users out in the cold. So the Xbone, with its required Kinect and leaving people with unreliable Internet out in the cold, sounds very familiar.

By the time the 360 came out, it was pretty clear the Xbox had the right idea. I predict history will repeat itself there.

I'm not saying to get an Xbone. Microsoft seems incredibly disorganized here, and I can't imagine that will translate into a good experience down the line, especially if you have trouble with your account and end up losing your games. Plus, it's not like you're getting anything over the PS4, unless you really want a Kinect -- the PS4 is $100 cheaper, and Sony has said that every PS4 game that's available on a disc will also be available for download. So when you later realize I'm right and Xbone is almost as tolerable as Steam, your PS4 won't be left out. And the PC Master Race is getting better all the time, anyway. Plenty of MS bashing to go around.

All I'm saying is, let's be a little fair. The Xbone being able to revoke your discs may be a little shocking, as they're physically discs, but it's really nothing new. Remember when Amazon flushed 1984 down the memory hole? Yeah.

As u/amirzaim said, if you have a fat PS2, you can get a network adapter from Amazon or sometimes local used/retro gaming stores. You need an IDE HDD too (or you have to use adapters) I got mine here. Lastly, you need a cable to connect it to your PC and transfer game images IDE drive docks work but you can also use a cable like this one. Format with Winhiip and then install the ISOs. You can RIP ISOs off of your retail discs legally by using Imgburn on your PC. For all of this to work you need a freemcboot card, which a nice person in the sidebar sells.