The first packages of the console included the following components:
The new slim version of the PlayStation 2 comes with a built-in Network Adaptor but without the Expansion Bay, a slot necessary to install the Hard Disk Drive. For this reason, it is not possible to play Final Fantasy XI on a slim PlayStation 2.
A Memory card, necessary to save the data of any game, isn't included in the package; it currently retails at $24.99 in U.S. A Memory card was included in the first Japanese package of the PS2; in fact, the card was necessary for the DVD to work because it contained the drivers for the player. North American, European and Australian versions of the PS2 have always had all drivers preloaded into the system ROM, so Sony decided to sell the memory card separately in these areas.
Here is a list of the main first-party accessories released for PlayStation 2:
Like it did with the original PlayStation, Sony Computer Entertainment released a redesigned version of the PlayStation 2 (V12 model). The console is much smaller in size than the original version, and it comes with a built-in Ethernet port and a modem. In some parts of the world, like Europe, the console comes just with an Ethernet port. While most redesigned PlayStation 2 come with a new chip which integrates the Emotion Engine and the Graphics Syntesizer (CPU+Graphics Processor), some early V12 models came with the old separate chips.
The console is arguably more stylish than the original PlayStation 2, but it doesn't include the Expansion Bay, a slot necessary to install the Hard Disk Drive required to play Final Fantasy XI for the PlayStation 2. Unfortunately, many players purchase the new version of the console without knowing this. Some early versions of the redesigned PlayStation 2 let people modify the console and hook it to an external HDD, but this wasn't obviously a viable solution for the average gamer. Anyhow, the connections that made this hack possible were completely removed from the console starting from the V14 model.
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