Sony's PS2 Slim... Sure winner? Or Fat chance?

Sony's PlayStation line of video game consoles has always been a winner in my eyes. I obtained my PlayStation 2 early on in its release. Years later, I saw that they had made a slim version of the system. The design looked nice, but I had never seen in it person. I never thought I'd have need for buying one either. That is, until now. Once again, as far as the design goes it is done very well. Form and function go hand and hand. One advantage to the new model is that the lens is accessible from the top. The very reason I bought this newer one is because my older one was having problems reading one certain disc, and I couldn't access the lens to try to clean it. I could not send it in for service, since it is a Japanese system and I am in the North America, and I dared not open it up myself to attempt repairing it. Hopefully I'll never have to worry about this again with the new model, but if I suspect the lens to be a problem in years to come, I can more easily do something about it. The system takes up a lot less space, period. I was really amazed by the size when I opened the package; it is much smaller than I thought. It is very lightweight as well. This means that wherever you sit it, you need to be sure that it will not be prone to falling or getting stepped on, as I can only imagine how fragile it must be. At the same time, it means that it is more portable (with great care of course) and can fit in more easily into your entertainment environment. There are some features that are gone, most notably the expansion bay. This means that one cannot use the internal hard disk drive. However, I don't know many people that mind this. Also, a port for internet connection is directly on the body of the unit now. All in all I think that Sony has done well with the Playstation 2 Slim. I have yet to experience any problems with it. And hopefully, I never will.Read full review