cables and adapters

A) A PS2 sitting in the vertical stand is one of the coolest looking things known to man. (It's a lot sturdier and more well made than it looks in photos, too.)

B) Besides being space-economical and pleasing to the eye, it's part of a great tongue-in-cheek inside joke from Ken Kutaragi, designer of the PSX and PS2: The very first model of the original PSX manufactured back in 1995 had a tendency to overheat, and this would warp some of the plastic parts in the disc drive. Thusly the laser would sometimes get a little out of alignment and have problems reading disc data, and many PSX owners found that putting the unit on its side would alleviate the problem. And so, with a wink and a nudge, we have the PS2 vertical stand.

I don't know what it is about the Playstation 2 (PS2), but it calls out to you to be put into the vertical position. It just looks better standing veritcal rather than horizontal. That extra overhang on the right side just looks kinda sloppy when sitting horizontally. But I had a problem.

My television and consoles are all on a black steel wire shelves. When set on its side, the PS2 was on unsteady ground on my shelves. Then I saw that this stand was available. I decided to do some comparative shopping, but there was really no contest.

There are several stands available for the PS2, both horizontal and vertical. I haven't the faintest idea what the point is to the horizontal one, it neither adds to the visual appeal of the system nor the stability. I could be mistaken, but I don't think there is a danger of knocking the PS2 over while it's lying horizontally. The other vertical stands were all black and very cheap looking.

Installation is very simple. You just take it out of the box and slide the PS2 in the groove with the notched section in the back. The front of the stand should be flush with the inset part of the PS2's "bottom" side. After that, turn the Playstation logo on the drive tray a quarter turn clockwise and she's ready to go.

As for disc scratching, I haven't had a problem. I don't know how the PS2 "loads" the discs once the door is closed. I've heard enough talk to where it seems like the PS2 may scratch them in either position. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

This is a bonus - a way overpriced, but still a bonus. Basically this turns your PS2 into a tower making it sleeker and easier to place somewhere so that the PS2 takes up less room. Surprisingly enough it looks less stable than what it is. Mine has been through hell and the PS2 has NEVER toppled.

Is it worth it? The verdict is - Yes but not at that price. Since this is a monopoly item for the PS2 then you will just have to splash out if you want it. You do not get value for money but you do get a great addition to your PS2.