PlayStation 2



This is the best-selling game console ever, so you will find it has an absurdly vast library. As a downside, it also got a ton of shovelware, so let us help you get only the good stuff.

Another notable (and notorious) issue of the PS2 is the horrid, uncomfortable controller; truth is, the DualShock was a hack job, a quick way to add analog sticks to the original PlayStation controller, a clearly flawed design that somehow never got fixed. If you want something better, look into the Saitek PS2700 (aka Cyborg V.3), which lets you swap the left analog and the d-pad into their ergonomically correct positions.


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Emulation
The PS2 is reasonably emulatable, provided you have a decent PC (recommended 3.0GHz dual-core). Some games work flawlessly, better than the hardware, others work well, and some don't work at all. It's highly recommended that you don't go farming downloads for ISOs or ripping games to your PC en-masse without checking whether they will work or not.

The best (and most actively developed) emulator is PCSX2. However, you will need to find your own BIOS file for it.

Homebrew
The PS2 homebrew scene is tiny and undedicated. But with modding comes backups and "unofficial demos" so you may be interested. FreeMcBoot is the tool of the day, though installing it can be a hassle. You'll need ESR to boot disc backups, you can run games from an HDD with HDL, and USB Advance to load from a USB.