PlayStation 2 launches online service

August 27, 2002 2:23 PM

PlayStation 2 launches online service - Hard-core gamers looking for new challengers will now have an Internet full of them. Sony on Tuesday released adapters that make PlayStation 2 the first console player to go online. Playstation 2 players who purchase the $39.99 connector can link to Sony's network through a number of new games, including the military shoot-em-up "SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs" and the football simulator "Madden NFL 2003."
posted by DailyBread (24 comments total)

first console to go online? what about the dreamcast?
posted by boogah at 2:27 PM on August 27, 2002

I agree Dreamcast was the first.
posted by DailyBread at 2:31 PM on August 27, 2002

Here I was, all excited to post about my Dreamcast, and the wind has been taken out of my sails twice. Oh, the humanity.
posted by Xkot at 2:35 PM on August 27, 2002

I pray to you, Sony , please please come out with a version of a Jeremy McGrath or Ricky Carmichael MX Supercross World very soon, so the boyfriend will stop begging me to play with him.
posted by oh posey at 2:41 PM on August 27, 2002

XBox Live looks as though it's going to be very cool and will have a lot of support from the game companies because it's so easy to implement. EA is a bit of a one off in as much that they have already invested a lot of money building an online gaming infrastructure but for the smaller houses XBox Live gives them a great opportunity to add network support. The communicator is key, great way to build up a real community of users.
posted by zeoslap at 2:41 PM on August 27, 2002

I read through the site, and as a cheap bastard my original fear was proven wrong - looks like at least at the outset, there will be no additional fees.

But for how long?

Just how much will their approach scale before new games start to charge? Seems inevitable to me, even now these is boom times for gaming companies.
posted by Mutant at 2:46 PM on August 27, 2002

Just how much will their approach scale before new games start to charge?

Final Fantasy XI has a monthly charge in Japan. I think it will become something like the situation with computer games, where persistent worlds (Ultima Online) you pay a fee, but nonpersistent worlds (Quake III) are free online.
posted by bobo123 at 2:57 PM on August 27, 2002

No - God no. I have just broken the 130 hour barrier for Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy XI will kill me and my phone bill. I'm not so worried about my social life since, as you can imagine, FFX has already dealt the coup de grace. Girls just aren't receptive to chatting about how to scratch-build the best armour for Tidus. *shrugs*
posted by RokkitNite at 3:14 PM on August 27, 2002

Halo online.

*drools*
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 3:24 PM on August 27, 2002

ESPN.com's Bill Simmons has a marvelous (and believe it or not, heartfelt) history of Football video gaming and possible online impact of Madden 2003.

Aside from being the best sportswriter I've ever seen, his sports video gaming memories are nearly parallel to mine, albeit I began with Tecmo Bowl.

Unfortunately, I feel if you don't have your opponent on speakerphone, much of the enjoyment of playing your friends is lost. Such as the vaunted cry of "BULLSHIT!" and drunken discussion about perfect breasts is the major appeal of Football/Sports video gaming.
posted by Stan Chin at 3:31 PM on August 27, 2002

XBox Live looks as though it's going to be very cool and will have a lot of support from the game companies because it's so easy to implement ..... for the smaller houses XBox Live gives them a great opportunity to add network support. The communicator is key, great way to build up a real community of users.

Did you get paid to post this?
posted by sad_otter at 3:54 PM on August 27, 2002

sad_otter: Why aren't you asking that of DailyBread, who posted this original thread about Sony? What, only people praising MS products are to be accused of being crass shills for The Man?

I've played my X-Box many a time, including multiplayer Halo with 4 separate boxes and 16 total players over a LAN; the fact that X-Box will have native voice support and native LAN capabilities without buying any new hardware is something to rave about. Stan Chin's mention of being able to shout at your opponent is a reality in the XBox Live, because of that video talk feature built into the controller. Why not praise it, while in a discussion of this online console world we're entering into?

Repeat after me: it's a good platform, it's a good platform, it's a good platform...
posted by hincandenza at 4:11 PM on August 27, 2002

Stan Chin- Video conferencing might be needed too, how else are you going to pointlessly demonstrate that your controller keeps getting stuck?
posted by jonah at 4:14 PM on August 27, 2002

I feel if you don't have your opponent on speakerphone, much of the enjoyment of playing your friends is lost

The aforementioned SOCOM comes with a headset, though it appears any number of USB headsets will work with the PS2. Now if I could just find an adapter. I have some religious objection to pre-ordering that always bites me in the ass.
posted by yerfatma at 4:18 PM on August 27, 2002

Hard-core gamers looking for new challengers will now have an Internet full of them.

Yeah, assuming they can get a hold of the Online Adaptor. I talked with a guy at Microplay eariler today, and he said that Sony massively underproduced the adapter, and lots of stores simply aren't getting any; and there aren't plans for a new shipment anytime soon.

While I anxiously await "Twisted Metal: Black Online" -- which I might or might not get, depending on Sony's adaptor stock -- I'm just going to sit here and enjoy my nice, simple, single-player Mario Sunshine right now.

(And to nit-pick (as someone already did mention the Dreamcast, and I want to get a little more minute here) these new games aren't even the first to go online for the PS2. Tony Hawk 3 has been 'net capable since it's been released. Sure, you'd need a USB ethernet adaptor, but it was online nearly a year ago.)
posted by mkn at 4:29 PM on August 27, 2002

NewsReleaseFilter.
posted by Tacodog at 5:15 PM on August 27, 2002

Actually, one of the first services offered by what became AOL was a telecom link for the Atari VCS/2600 that allowed it to download and play games.
posted by NortonDC at 6:38 PM on August 27, 2002

Uh, the PS2 is far from the first. The Dreamcast wasn't the first either. Heck it wasn't even the first Sega system to have a modem. Anyone remember the Saturn? You could buy a modem that came with web browsing software. There were 5 or so games you could play online one of which was Duke Nuke'em.
posted by whirlwind29 at 6:45 PM on August 27, 2002

I bought a Playstation2 for the express purpose of playing Final Fantasy X. I will buy this adaptor for the purpose of playing Final Fantasy XI. And just to prove I'm not shilling for Sony, I bought an XBox for the sole purpose of playing Morrowind. (I am a hopeless goober.) And the XBox really does kinda rock, as much as it pains me to say it.

My life would be SO different if I'd never ever started playing that first Final Fantasy game on the Nintendo back in the day...it was a rental from Blockbuster. I still have it. *sigh*
posted by BitterOldPunk at 8:26 PM on August 27, 2002

Morrowind on Xbox is so sweet I want to crap my pants.

System linked Halo also kicks ass.
posted by uftheory at 8:47 PM on August 27, 2002

this is a good video game week :)

oh, and tony hawk 3 can be played online as of right now as well

*goes back to playing super mario sunshine and super monkey ball 2*
posted by mabelcolby at 11:03 PM on August 27, 2002

Why aren't you asking that of DailyBread, who posted this original thread about Sony? What, only people praising MS products are to be accused of being crass shills for The Man?

hincandenza: I didn't mean to pick on MS, specifically. zeoslap's comment just jumped out at me with its press release/street team/love letter vibe ("going to be very cool....a lot of support....so easy to implement....a great opportunity....great way to build"). And now that you mention it, DailyBread's is indeed a straight-up product announcement (with pricing! buy! buy! buy!). I say we hang 'em both.
posted by sad_otter at 9:21 AM on August 28, 2002

sad_otter ...I was not paid and I don't have a playstation either. I was just keeping everyone informed. (For people who like games..im sorry you don't). I will also post Xbox's online adapters and network when it come out.
posted by DailyBread at 11:32 AM on August 28, 2002

I own a PC with lots of games, and no consoles, don't see a need for console when I have a PC.
And Halo was supposed to be for PC! You stole it! You bastards! Damn Microsoft! Damn..
posted by ac at 11:55 AM on August 28, 2002