RetroTink 5x Pro System Spotlight: Sony PlayStation 2 Component Video

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Sony PlayStation 2 with our latest RetroTink 5x Pro System Spotlight featuring the Sony PlayStation 2 using HD Retrovision Component Video cables

Chapters
00:00 - 0:39 - Introduction
0:40 - 2:50 - Settings
2:51 - 6:10 - God of War 2
6:11 - 10:47 - Black
10:48 - 14:59 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
15:00 - 20:40 - Gran Turismo 4
20:41 - 24:22 - Ratchet and Clank
24:23 - 28:30 - Final Thoughts

To connect my PlayStation 2, I am using HD Retrovision component video cables. One issue however, is that when recording on my Hauppauge PVR 60 Pro, the black levels are very soft. That is why you see what you see here from the recording, however, during gameplay the passthrough video was just fine. That is why you see what you see here.

Starting out with God of War 2, & I have to admit, I have not spent nearly enough time with this series. If you love hack and slash games, games with bloody and gory kills, and a kick ass protagonist, you definitely need to check out this series. As I had expected, the game not only looked great, but played amazingly well. Button presses were accurate, there was no added lag or latency, and it was just stupid fun.

Up next is one of the very first 1st-person shooters that I ever played, Black, and I played it on the PS2. One of the great things about Black, besides the story which is exceptional, is the fact that the entire environment is destructible. Walls, cars, fuel depots, you can blow up everything just about. Once again, everything felt amazing through the RetroTink 5x.

One game that I don't think gets enough love is Star Wars: The Force unleashed. It was groundbreaking for its time, literally and figuratively. Much like Black, You can destroy practically everything in the game around you. It's really super cool. Plus it just has an amazing story, Darth Vader's secret apprentice? It was really clever, and it still plays great today, even though the PS2 version is probably the worst looking version of this game.

Racing games were some of my favorite on the PlayStation 2, and it doesn't get any better for me than Gran Turismo. I played so much of this game back in the day, I even took my PlayStation 2 with me when I would go to big RC races to practice at night in the hotel room. Once again, Gran Turismo looked amazing in this setting. There's just something to love about the more boxy, less polished look of the PlayStation 2, especially in a game like Gran Turismo.

The final test had to be Ratchet and Clank, one of my favorite games of all time, not just for the PlayStation. While I have recently completed Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart on the PlayStation 5, it's interesting and fun to go back to where everything started on the PS2. Sure, again Ratchet looked a bit boxy, the controls weren't quite as tight as more recent games, but there's still so much to love about this series, And this is where it all began.

I completely understand that it is still quite difficult to get your hands on a RetroTink 5x Pro. It is something Mike is still working on. Make sure to follow him on Twitter for the most comprehensive updates for stock availability and shipping dates.

#PS2 #RetroTink #PlayStationInHD

The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)