Az
02-10-2017, 02:59 AM
One of these arrived in the mail this week and I finally got a chance to check it out. If you've ever seen a Wii HDMI adapter it's exactly the same thing; a cigarette lighter sized rectangle that plugs into the A/V port on the back of a PS2. It changes the component output video to HDMI and carries the audio over a 3.5mm cable. The only difference between this and a Wii one is that it requires a USB cable to be plugged into the side for +5v power for the audio. You can either plug the cable into your PS2 or into a separate power adapter. Or, you can not plug it in at all, but you will have no audio. At least from what I can tell there's no adverse effects to the video without the USB power but I might be wrong.
They work on both the original and slim PS2 models. However due to the placement of the console A/C adapter plug on the slim models you'll have to bend the power cable to the side for the HDMI adapter to fit. It's no big deal but if you're paranoid like me you might want to avoid long term use on a slim model. I could see this pressure possibly knocking the solder points loose on the systems power plug, but maybe that's just needless worrying.
The adapter itself works well enough as long as you understand what you're getting. Being that it doesn't upscale and very few PS2 games were 480p the end result may look like shit depending on your screen size/quality, as it's just the same as if you were using component cables. I tried out a few games, both 2D and 3D, on a low-end 22 inch Sanyo TV. Visuals looked bright and crisp but extremely jaggy, obviously no fault of the adapter though.
Last year thanks to everyone's input I upgraded my PS2 connection to component on my CRT SDTV and noticed an immediate improvement. Comparing them side-by-side the CRT via component still wins over the LCD over this HDMI adapter, which is to be expected. I'd still recommend picking one if you've got a smaller HDTV with no component inputs and enjoy PS2 games.
As a side note, this actually worked out better than component cables for an arcade project I'm working on. I was going to install a PS2 (with HDD) in a gun game cabinet and use the Aimtraks as Guncon 2's. The CRT was shot and has been replaced with a flatpanel LCD monitor, which is fine for the MAME PC but left me with no way to hook the PS2 up. Originally the plan was to run the PS2 with component to a CGA>VGA converter board, then into a VGA switchbox. With this I can just run both the PS2 and PC with HDMI through a cheap HDMI auto-switcher.
They work on both the original and slim PS2 models. However due to the placement of the console A/C adapter plug on the slim models you'll have to bend the power cable to the side for the HDMI adapter to fit. It's no big deal but if you're paranoid like me you might want to avoid long term use on a slim model. I could see this pressure possibly knocking the solder points loose on the systems power plug, but maybe that's just needless worrying.
The adapter itself works well enough as long as you understand what you're getting. Being that it doesn't upscale and very few PS2 games were 480p the end result may look like shit depending on your screen size/quality, as it's just the same as if you were using component cables. I tried out a few games, both 2D and 3D, on a low-end 22 inch Sanyo TV. Visuals looked bright and crisp but extremely jaggy, obviously no fault of the adapter though.
Last year thanks to everyone's input I upgraded my PS2 connection to component on my CRT SDTV and noticed an immediate improvement. Comparing them side-by-side the CRT via component still wins over the LCD over this HDMI adapter, which is to be expected. I'd still recommend picking one if you've got a smaller HDTV with no component inputs and enjoy PS2 games.
As a side note, this actually worked out better than component cables for an arcade project I'm working on. I was going to install a PS2 (with HDD) in a gun game cabinet and use the Aimtraks as Guncon 2's. The CRT was shot and has been replaced with a flatpanel LCD monitor, which is fine for the MAME PC but left me with no way to hook the PS2 up. Originally the plan was to run the PS2 with component to a CGA>VGA converter board, then into a VGA switchbox. With this I can just run both the PS2 and PC with HDMI through a cheap HDMI auto-switcher.