This article assumes you prefer to play games on actual PlayStation hardware and not unofficial emulators.
I know what you’re thinking.
Buy console > plug it in > play games
Oh if only it was that easy. It used to be when we all had CRT TVs which is what these consoles are designed for. But unless you’re either really old or already into retro gaming you probably don’t have a CRT lying around.
So how do you play old PlayStation games on our modern 4K TVs? It would be a good idea to start to explain why it’s not as straight forward as just plugging the consoles in anymore.
The PlayStation 1 & 2 output analog signals to the TV usually via composite cables. Those are the red, white and yellow ones. For a CRT that was designed to accept analog signals it works perfectly with almost zero delay between the console sending the signal and image appearing on the screen and it looks nice a clear.
Your modern HD or 4K TV is expecting to receive a digital signal, preferably via HDMI. Some new TVs have composite connections, my Toshiba 4K TV does, but it still needs to convert those old analog signals to a digital signal that the screen can display. This takes time, not much time but enough for you to notice a delay between you pressing a button on a controller and the action happening on the screen. This is issue one.
Issue two concerns the resolution. If you have a 4K screen the TV has to scale whatever signal it gets to 3840×2160. The PlayStation 1 outputs a 320×240 resolution. If you were to display that at actual size on a 4K screen it would be about the size of a credit card. The TV has to stretch that image to fit most of the screen. It will still have black bars at the sides but it will be so stretched that it looks very blurry and isn’t really playable. The PS2 outputs a slightly larger 640×480 image so it’s not as blurry but still not great.
Issue three is caused by the games themselves. They were made to be displayed on a CRT which draws the image one line at a time but there is a tiny space between the lines. You don’t really see it unless you’re very close to the screen but it’s there. Games are designed to take advantage of this to make the images look nicer and to hide some of the jaggies in the graphics. Because modern TVs don’t have this “feature” you can see the parts of the game you weren’t supposed to see. So it’s not your imagination, games do look worse on modern TVs. So what can we do about it?
You can just plug a PlayStation 1 into your TV but as mentioned earlier, the image is so small it’s practically unplayable when scaled up to a HD or even a 4K screen. So what about playing PS1 games on a PS2?
The PlayStation 2 will play 99% of PS1 games but they play at the PS1’s native resolution of 320×240 so won’t look any better on a PS2.
The best way to play PS1 games is to play them on a PlayStation 3. All PS3’s from the original fat version to the super slim model can play PS1 games. You won’t even need to worry about memory cards as you can create as many virtual memory cards as you want. You’ll also be able to use the PS3’s wireless controller. The PS3 will also smooth out the graphics and load the games faster plus as the PS3 is designed for modern TV’s you don’t have to worry about the delay from the console to the TV. So for PlayStation 1 games play them on a PlayStation 3.
PlayStation 2 games are easier in some ways to play on a modern TV but there are more options when it comes getting the best experience possible. While you can plug a PS2 straight into your modern TV if it has the right inputs it won’t look very good but better than a PS1 and will suffer a similar input delay as the PS1. However most PS2 games are perfectly playable with a direct composite connection. Thankfully there are options for PS2 games to look very nice a modern TV. The first is the most expensive option. You can play PlayStation 2 games on the launch version of the PlayStation 3 but only on models CECH-A and CECH-B. These models actually have the PS2 hardware on the motherboard of the console allowing for near perfect compatibility. PS3 models CECH-C and CECH-E (there is no CECH-D) use software to emulate the PS3 hardware and the results are mixed with only about 70% compatibility and of those 70% most play with issues ranging from minor to near game breaking. This makes the A & B models very sought after and therefore very expensive. They also weren’t super reliable suffering from the Yellow Light of Death. A serious hardware issue where some components can become disconnected from the motherboard due to the heat the system can generate. It’s the very same issue that caused the infamous Red Ring of Death on the Xbox 360. So caution is advised on buying a launch PS3. Thankfully there are two accessories you can buy that will allow you to have a great experience playing games on a real PlayStation 2 on a modern 4K TV for a fraction of the price of an old PS3.
First up is a HDMI adapter. This little box plugs into the back of the PS2 where the composite cable would and then a HDMI from there to the TV then a USB cable for power is plugged into the front of the PS2. You’ll have to change the video settings of the PS2 before you connect the adapter but once you do the image quality will vastly improve. The blurry text will be gone and so will the general fuzziness of the picture. Colours will also pop a lot more. Also in my tests it actually improved the delay from the controller to the screen. It’s still there but much less noticeable.
The second accessory is for the controller. Original PS2 controllers in good condition and good working order are getting harder to find in 2023 so they are more expensive as a result. Not to mention that they are wired and the only wireless options are all unofficial and all rely in infrared for the signal which isn’t very good. This is where the brilliant Brook controller adapter comes in. It pricey at £38 but it will allow you to use bluetooth controllers with your PS2. So controllers for the PS3, PS4, PS5 and even the Switch Pro controller all work perfectly. If you have an Xbox controller without the latest update that will also work but Microsoft recently altered the way the bluetooth in the Xbox controllers works and they are no longer supported sadly. This little box plugs straight into the controller port of the PS2 and doesn’t require an extra power cable. You pair your controller with the adapter and away you go. I was worried adding a controller adapter would increase the lag but playing PS2 games with a DualShock 4 actually feels better than an original PS2 controller. It’s much more responsive and lot more comfortable in the hands. Unfortunately you will still have to get up off the sofa to turn the PS2 on and off but the controller will switch itself off when the PS2 goes off.
There are other things you can do to make the PS2 experience slightly better but these involve yet more accessories, a lot more setup time and a lot more money. So unless you are worried about your disc drive crapping out I would stick with what I’ve described here and enjoy playing the vast library of amazing PlayStation 2 games on you modern TV.
So that’s how you can play your PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games in 2023 without having to find space for a bulky CRT TV and more importantly you get to play these amazing games again, or perhaps for the first time on official PlayStation hardware.
I am not affiliated with any of the products talked about or linked to in this article. I bought them with my own money and I am offering my unbiased opinions on these accessories.
Whoa, that was a long read
I just play them on my steam deck
I thought about getting a Steam Deck for emulation but I like having original hardware too much and this way my PS2 discs don’t just sit collecting dust.
On the subject of the Steam Deck how is it for playing games like Sea of Thieves and Sims 4? It seems like a far cheaper alternative to a gaming PC assuming I could also connect it to a monitor and use it for non-gaming stuff too.
This is a great write up thank you for sharing. I bought a launch PS3 back in 2015 that is still going strong fortunately.
I have considered picking up an original PS2 as well and performing a mod to be able to run games from a hard drive but I’m not very technologically savvy with mods/console repairs so I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. If I do I’ll definitely grab the adapter you recommended!
First off, thanks for the read!
I went down this road last year as part of my initial “retrogaming exploration” (really buying every and all consoles I could get my hands on, before realizing I only wanted to keep a handful to actually play on OG hardware and emulate the rest).
PS2 is a tough one to play on modern TVs, only because most game were designed with interlacing in mind (and very run at a native 480p/576p, not accounting for the myriad of other exotic resolutions you could find) and most upscalers won’t use appropriate deinterlacing algorithms.
The OSSC is a good middle ground (around $130 USD on AliExpress or similar), provided you’re willing to invest in some pretty good quality RGB SCART or Component cables. There’s a big “but”, however, in that it uses Bob deinterlacing for 480i/576i games (ie most of the PS2 library) and that doesn’t look great… But YMMV.
The RetroTINK 5x is the best upscaler out there atm, with way better deinterlacing, however it is significantly more expensive ($325 USD). You’ll absolutely want great quality RGB SCART or Component cables for this one.
Ultimately, these can be costly, especially if you’re only interested in playing your old PS2 games, but they become a much better investment as soon as you have at least a handful of consoles you’d like to plug on a modern TV. I can personally vouch for the OSSC, it’s a great (mostly) easy to setup upscaler, with a number of different inputs and a fair price IMO.
(To get back to my intro, I gave up on playing PS2 games on OG hardware, I sold both my OG PS2 and my CECHE PS3 for a much more robust Super Slim PS3 for PS1/PS3 games and am now emulating PS2 games on my Series X or Steam Deck… But it was pretty fun to explore what options were available, although poor deinterlacing techniques and reliability concerns got the best of me)
I’ve played some PS2 classics on PS3 (digital downloads) and it was just never good, especially one could never get the aspect ratio right. From what I hear, it’s no different than playing games on a BC console.
Today I’d honestly just emulate… Or if I’d really want OG hardware, then a HDMI modded PS2. But probably just a CRT TV. I never had a PS2 so I’m not nostalgic, but if I were, I’d want to go all the way.
BTW: the PS4 controller is nice, but doesn’t have pressure-sensitive face buttons that a handful games require.
Yeah the digital PS2 classics are hit and miss.
As for the pressure sensitive buttons I’ve tried a few games that “require” them like MGS2 and it’s perfectly playable without them just like the HD versions on the PS3 are.
But I completely get why some people would just emulate them. You’re never going to get 4K from a real PS2 but I guess as I remember getting my PS2 on launch day (and PS1 for the matter) I have that nostalgia that makes me want to play it as close as is possible to “stock” while still throwing in some modern quality of life upgrades. Like can you imagine wired controllers in a house with two kids who never watch where they’re going? Plus I just don’t have space for a good sized 16:9 CRT.
like MGS2 and it’s perfectly playable without them just like the HD versions on the PS3 are
I’ve not playes MGS2, but the PS3 HD MGS3 does support pressure sensitivity. Now it’s been a while since I played it, but didn’t the gun do odd things when one would just smash the fire button quickly?
Maybe nothing serious, I just remember how I enjoyed these little details in MGS3 - standing on tip toes, gently pressing the gun trigger and such.
But more importantly, car games like GTA SA use pressure sensitivity on face buttons for throttle/breaking and it’s difficult without them.
But I guess if you’re using an adapter to use a PS4 controller, you can also rebind those to L2/R2 which solves that problem and presumably makes it better.
