The Sony PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling video game console of alltime, with more than 70 million units sold worldwide since its autumn 2000debut. But with the PlayStation 3 not expected to hit store shelves until sometime in 2006, Sony has given its venerable cash cow a makeover. The new PlayStation 2 is smaller and lighter than a hardcover book and bundles a few extra features that on the original PS2 required bulky hardware upgrades.With dimensions of 1.1 inches tall by 23 inches wide by 6 inches deep, the revamped PlayStation 2 is downright tiny. In fact, it's less than a quarter of the size of the original console. Sure, Sony cheated by off-loading some of the system's bulk to an external power transformer ( a laptop-style power-brick AC adapter) , but the superslim miniconsole still representsan impressive feat of miniaturization. Another design compromise: the new PS2 is a top-loader. The disc bay popsopen like a Discman, and you snap the disc onto a spindle. ( Like theold PS2, the new one can be set up horizontally or vertically, though the latter configuration needs a special stand.) It looks a bit cheesy and requires extra headroom, but the spring-loaded disc door won't fail as easily as the motorized tray found in your DVD player.
