What PS2 version is better for gta?

[Luis Vercetti]

I wanted to ask, Since the majority of the GTA series on the PS2 (3, VC, SA, LCS, VCS + [with backwards compatibility] GTA 1, 2, London,) which kind of ps2 is better? I have been doing research and I cant get a clear cut answer, ive seen many say the PS2 Fat is superior to the slim because its so easy to play backups of games off of your HDD, on the other hand I hear that the ps2 fat is more unstable and more prone to overheating than SOME models of the PS2 slim, then i have also heard that some earlier models of ps2 slim were actually even MORE prone to overheating than ps2 fat, but then later versions where much better, and that the ps2 slim lags like crazy if you try to play games off of your usb because it cant load video files so well from a 1.0 USB. So my question is, which PS2 runs the old gta games better, PS2 fat, or slim?

[universetwisters]

I always liked the fat PS2 because the slim one would always scratch my discs, but idk if that was a common issue or if I was just a dumb kid 

[Moncastler]

In terms of raw performance they're all exactly the same, at least when it comes to PS2 titles. Going for the latest Slim revision (SCPH-9000x) doesn't make much sense because most of them can't be softmodded and from what I remember they're not as good as previous models with PS1 backwards compatibility (likely an issue even on SCPH-7500x / SCPH-7900x units). I would also avoid the first models because of reliability concerns and the SCPH-7000x revision because you can't use a HDD (although MC2ISO is now a thing). Personally I would choose one of these 2:

- SCPH-3900

- SCPH-5000

 

If they weren't so expensive and prone to failure, the best PS2 would unironically be the backwards compatible PS3, digital output out of the box and no need to worry about memory cards. Worth mentioning, every single softmodded PS3 can play backup copies of PS2 discs and, since all 3D era GTAs were on the PSN Store, you should be able to play them quite decently (excluding LCS, I vividly remember how it performs on a PS3).

[HenriqueV5]

The Slim 7000x version of the PS2 is the best, best built, and safest. 
The 9000x often presents fast problems in the player, and I have heard from some technicians that the components are inferior.

 

But I believe that more important than the console, is the joystick. It is difficult to find an original one in good condition, while the fake ones are bad. It is necessary to spend a good deal of money here to get a quality one.

 

Remembering that for a better experience, it is recommended to use a component video cable, Ok? It is one with 5 connectors, being 3 for video and 2 for stereo audio. 
Playing on a 480p CRT TV must be something very nostalgic, there must be some good quality ones in Europe.

Edited March 17, 2023 by HenriqueV5

[Luis Vercetti]

On 3/17/2023 at 7:41 PM, HenriqueV5 said:

The Slim 7000x version of the PS2 is the best, best built, and safest. 
The 9000x often presents fast problems in the player, and I have heard from some technicians that the components are inferior.

 

But I believe that more important than the console, is the joystick. It is difficult to find an original one in good condition, while the fake ones are bad. It is necessary to spend a good deal of money here to get a quality one.

 

Remembering that for a better experience, it is recommended to use a component video cable, Ok? It is one with 5 connectors, being 3 for video and 2 for stereo audio. 
Playing on a 480p CRT TV must be something very nostalgic, there must be some good quality ones in Europe.

 

 

On 3/17/2023 at 5:07 PM, Moncastler said:

In terms of raw performance they're all exactly the same, at least when it comes to PS2 titles. Going for the latest Slim revision (SCPH-9000x) doesn't make much sense because most of them can't be softmodded and from what I remember they're not as good as previous models with PS1 backwards compatibility (likely an issue even on SCPH-7500x / SCPH-7900x units). I would also avoid the first models because of reliability concerns and the SCPH-7000x revision because you can't use a HDD (although MC2ISO is now a thing). Personally I would choose one of these 2:

- SCPH-3900

- SCPH-5000

 

If they weren't so expensive and prone to failure, the best PS2 would unironically be the backwards compatible PS3, digital output out of the box and no need to worry about memory cards. Worth mentioning, every single softmodded PS3 can play backup copies of PS2 discs and, since all 3D era GTAs were on the PSN Store, you should be able to play them quite decently (excluding LCS, I vividly remember how it performs on a PS3).

yeah i think im gonna go with the slim, I dont mind not having and HDD, thanks for info because as i was researching, pretty much all of them sounded like they had terrible flaws that made them unusable. 

[lol232]

On 3/17/2023 at 9:22 PM, universetwisters said:

I always liked the fat PS2 because the slim one would always scratch my discs, but idk if that was a common issue or if I was just a dumb kid 

I just straight up modded my fat PS2 to run games from a hard drive (very easy thing to do in 2023), never have to worry about discs, and much better loading times and no pop in. For forum mods, this ain't promoting piracy BTW.

Anyway to answer the OP, I mean kinda. They mostly are, but the games look really crappy on an LCD monitor, it's better to get a CRT for PS2 era.

 

For VC and SA, I'd recommend getting the first release. For GTA VC it's version 1.40/1.50 (same version, only difference is that 1.50 is European so it has more languages), and for SA it's 1.00. Overall there are some cool differences in them that make it more interesting to play compared to later versions. For GTA III, 1.40 is the launch day version but the only one of two differences is that Dead Dodo's flying path, it flies lower and in a different direction. The another difference is, to get 100% you need to complete Paramedic missions to level 12, 2 MORE times (3 total) to get it because of a small bug. The 1.60 version is the "normal" version that most will play, and you don't gotta do Paramedic 3 times, so you can pick between which one you want. For GTA LCS, VCS, I believer there are no differences between the versions on the PS2, only that VCS has more features on PS2 compared to PSP.

 

GTA III and GTA VC, honestly, look best on the original XBOX. For GTA SA, it's up to preference, but I like the PS2 version. For GTA 1, 2, London, the PC version is actually better but you need to install some bug fixes for them to work.

Edited March 23, 2023 by lol232

[m3ssO]

On 3/17/2023 at 5:07 PM, Moncastler said:

In terms of raw performance they're all exactly the same, at least when it comes to PS2 titles. Going for the latest Slim revision (SCPH-9000x) doesn't make much sense because most of them can't be softmodded and from what I remember they're not as good as previous models with PS1 backwards compatibility (likely an issue even on SCPH-7500x / SCPH-7900x units). I would also avoid the first models because of reliability concerns and the SCPH-7000x revision because you can't use a HDD (although MC2ISO is now a thing). Personally I would choose one of these 2:

- SCPH-3900

- SCPH-5000

 

If they weren't so expensive and prone to failure, the best PS2 would unironically be the backwards compatible PS3, digital output out of the box and no need to worry about memory cards. Worth mentioning, every single softmodded PS3 can play backup copies of PS2 discs and, since all 3D era GTAs were on the PSN Store, you should be able to play them quite decently (excluding LCS, I vividly remember how it performs on a PS3).

LCS was sh*t on a real PS2 so.

[Moncastler]

2 hours ago, m3ssO said:

LCS was sh*t on a real PS2 so.

I know, it was a bad port that had significant performance issues, PCSX2 is the only way of playing this version at a stable framerate.

But PS3s relying on software emulation struggled even more than original hardware, it feels like playing a slideshow for how bad it is. I imagine the experience would be a bit different if you put a LCS disc inside a backwards compatible PS3.