cables and adapters

Sony did not just make this horizontal stand for aesthetic purposes. And like many people stated, it lends no physical support whatsoever to the console. But what it does do is save you the heartache and pain I went through. The PS2 is not supposed to be placed directly on carpet, in entertainment centers and should be raised somewhat when placed in bookshelves. Static electricity can be a problem, as it was with me because I did not have a stand. I had to get my console repaired/replaced because of some kind of a short due to the fact the console was not sufficiently isolated from the ground. Further, if the circulation around your PS2 is not really good, you need to raise it up off the surface to allow air to pass over, under and past it. This allows it to cool better and may help prevent accumulation of dust. Both of which can destroy the unit.

The only problem I have with this thing is that if a stand is essential for the PS2 to work (as they say in the users manual) why not put it in the box with the console, or build the unit so it is raised higher off the ground and better insulated? I think I know the an$wer....

When you see the "Vertical Stand" and "Horizontal Stand" listed next to each other, you may think that they're similar products. Don't believe it.

If you stand your PS2 unit vertically, a hard jolt _could_ cause the unit to fall over, which _could_ cause damage to a disc in the drive. The vertical stand will prevent this from happening. This is A Good Thing.

If you stand your PS2 unit horizontally, it will not fall over unless you pick it up and drop-kick it. (And if you do that, the stand won't do anything but injure your foot, and you'll probably void the PS2's warrantee.) A stand is _not_ necessary for a PS2 in the horizontal configuration. The Sony PS2 horizontal stand will _not_ improve your PS2's stability. It will _not_ lift your PS2 by more than an eighth of an inch or so. It will _not_ make it easier to access any of the PS2's controller ports. It will _not_ significantly improve the PS2's cooling. In short, the PS2 horizontal stand has no practical use whatsoever.

So is it a completely pointless product? Not quite. If you look at the picture, you'll notice a raised blue strip at the front of the stand. When you install the horizontal stand, this raised blue strip covers the bottom half-inch or so of the PS2 (at least the parts of it not used by the ports). In my opinion, this _does_ make the PS2 look marginally better (though it looks perfectly reasonable on its own).

So if you're looking to make a minor fashion statement for your PS2, then by all means, buy the horizontal stand. Just don't expect it to be anything more than that.

If you put your PS2 on the carpet or something similiar then this is the stand for you! It helps with keeping your Playstation 2 from getting so hot after hours of playing. It also makes the PS2 look better but it's not worth ten bucks just for looks.