Hook Playstation 2 up to PC [Archive] - RonFez.net Messageboard

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angrymissy

06-30-2006, 07:33 AM

How can I hook my Playstation 2 up to my PC?  Would a video card work? 

Death Metal Moe

06-30-2006, 07:38 AM

May I ask, what are you going to do with it hooked up to the comp?  I can't help you connect it, but I'd love to know how to and for what purpose you're using it for.

angrymissy

06-30-2006, 07:41 AM

I don't want to put a TV in my office, but I want to be able to play video games in here.  I am hoping that I can somehow hook up my PS2 to my comp with a video card or something and play PS2 on my monitor.

HBox

06-30-2006, 07:50 AM

The simplest way would be to hook the PS2 directly to the monitor. Check your monitor to see if you have any extra inputs, some support S-Video or composite inputs. If not, you might want to check around and see if there are VGA cables available for the PS2. Hooking it through the computer and then into the monitor is more complicated and more expensive.

angrymissy

06-30-2006, 07:57 AM

meh, I just checked and I just have the VGA output on my monitor.  So I can't just buy a cheap TV Card with AV inputs and plug my PS2 wires into that?  WOuld it work?

Plethora

06-30-2006, 08:17 AM

angrymissy wrote: meh, I just checked and I just have the VGA output on my monitor. So I can't just buy a cheap TV Card with AV inputs and plug my PS2 wires into that? WOuld it work? Yes that'll work. Best Buy or similar will sell you a PCI TV Card that'll do the trick for $50 or less. Or head to the wilds of ebay and start hunting. I got an FM/TV card for < $20 off ebay. The TV quality on that card is not great though (I really only wanted the FM part). If you have a choice, I'd avoid ATI as their TV app is demented. Hauppauge seems like a good brand, but I've not owned one. If possible go for a card with S-Video input (I'd imagine that almost all of them have one now) -- but you'll need the S-video PS/2 cable too.edit - or if you want a more powerful graphics card at the same time, you can go for a combo card (gfx + TV in) -- just be sure of what type of gfx card you have now -- AGP, PCI, PCIx etc. 

This message was edited by Plethora on 6-30-06 @ 12:19 PM

Tenbatsuzen

06-30-2006, 08:26 AM

angrymissy wrote: meh, I just checked and I just have the VGA output on my monitor. So I can't just buy a cheap TV Card with AV inputs and plug my PS2 wires into that? WOuld it work?   No.  HBox is right, the best way is to plug your PS2 directly into your monitor.  You can try the TV card route, but in my experiences, they don't have the RCA output (the three-plug red, white, yellow) that you'd need for video AND sound.  The cheap ones only have a coaxial input.  <a href="http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106&Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter" target="_self">http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106& Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter</a> That's what you want.

Plethora

06-30-2006, 08:55 AM

Tenbatsuzen wrote: angrymissy wrote: meh, I just checked and I just have the VGA output on my monitor. So I can't just buy a cheap TV Card with AV inputs and plug my PS2 wires into that? WOuld it work? No. HBox is right, the best way is to plug your PS2 directly into your monitor. You can try the TV card route, but in my experiences, they don't have the RCA output (the three-plug red, white, yellow) that you'd need for video AND sound. The cheap ones only have a coaxial input. <a target="_self" href="http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106&Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter">http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106& Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter</a> That's what you want. Yep that'll work too. However, the TV card route would allow you to play PS/2 in a window while keeping an eye on email etc... The TV card would cost about the same or less and is more flexible (e.g. - you could hook up cable tv if you wanted to). The cables are an issue, but it's easily solved. Radio Shack sells a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103225">stereo RCA to stereo miniplug adapter</a> for a couple of bucks. So it would be RCA (or prefer S-Video) for video directly to TV card + RCA stereo cables to adapter to soundcard input.edit - Here's a <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7215603&type=product&productCategoryId=cat01151&id=1114638478841" target="_blank">Hauppauge PCI TV card</a> @ Best Buy for $50 

This message was edited by Plethora on 6-30-06 @ 1:03 PM

zentraed

06-30-2006, 09:00 AM

I used to hook up my XBox to my computer using an ATI All-In-Wonder videocard using the S-Video input (definitely want s-video. composite/yellow cable has lousy quality). It worked great. If you don't want a PCI card, you can also try a USB adapter, but I don't know what kind of latency they have. Depending on the quality of the card, you may have to hook the PS2 to your soundcard or directly to speakers if the tv-adapter you get doesn't have audio input.Getting one of those PS2-VGA adapters would make it where she couldn't use her computer and the PS2 at the same time. A TV card lets you play full-screen or in a window, and easily hide the window when you're done.

Doogie

06-30-2006, 09:03 AM

Just get a modded XBox. You can play it on any monitor or TV and have up to 50+ games for XBox, plus any emulator for any system ever made.

Tenbatsuzen

06-30-2006, 09:15 AM

Plethora wrote: Tenbatsuzen wrote: angrymissy wrote: meh, I just checked and I just have the VGA output on my monitor. So I can't just buy a cheap TV Card with AV inputs and plug my PS2 wires into that? WOuld it work? No. HBox is right, the best way is to plug your PS2 directly into your monitor. You can try the TV card route, but in my experiences, they don't have the RCA output (the three-plug red, white, yellow) that you'd need for video AND sound. The cheap ones only have a coaxial input. <a href="http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106&Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter" target="_self">http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106& Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter</a> That's what you want. Yep that'll work too. However, the TV card route would allow you to play PS/2 in a window while keeping an eye on email etc... The TV card would cost about the same or less and is more flexible (e.g. - you could hook up cable tv if you wanted to). The cables are an issue, but it's easily solved. Radio Shack sells a <a href="http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103225" target="_blank">stereo RCA to stereo miniplug adapter</a> for a couple of bucks. So it would be RCA (or prefer S-Video) for video directly to TV card + RCA stereo cables to adapter to soundcard input.edit - Here's a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7215603&type=product&productCategoryId=cat01151&id=1114638478841">Hauppauge PCI TV card</a> @ Best Buy for $50 

This message was edited by Plethora on 6-30-06 @ 1:03 PM   Here's the thing... With a flip of the switch, you can switch between the computer and the PS2 on the box, which is basically the same as playing the game in the window. Another problem is that the picture quality has a distinct graininess when you play a video game through the video card.  I know this because I've done it. The card you linked does not have the RCA inputs.  By the time Missy gets the cables and everything, it actually becomes more expensive than the solution I linked.  Finally, and this is the most important - my solution does not rely on the computer's functions to play the game.  The TV card software isn't the most stable in the world, and you can experience BSOD, which could lead to losing both the PS2 game and your data.  My solution ensures good picture quality, no crashes, and it's the most inexpensive.

Plethora

06-30-2006, 09:23 AM

Tenbatsuzen wrote: Plethora wrote: Tenbatsuzen wrote: angrymissy wrote: meh, I just checked and I just have the VGA output on my monitor. So I can't just buy a cheap TV Card with AV inputs and plug my PS2 wires into that? WOuld it work? No. HBox is right, the best way is to plug your PS2 directly into your monitor. You can try the TV card route, but in my experiences, they don't have the RCA output (the three-plug red, white, yellow) that you'd need for video AND sound. The cheap ones only have a coaxial input. <a target="_self" href="http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106&Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter">http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=SEARCH&product_code=50187106& Pn=Video_Game_Jockey_Game_Console_to_PC_Monitor_Ad apter</a> That's what you want. Yep that'll work too. However, the TV card route would allow you to play PS/2 in a window while keeping an eye on email etc... The TV card would cost about the same or less and is more flexible (e.g. - you could hook up cable tv if you wanted to). The cables are an issue, but it's easily solved. Radio Shack sells a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103225">stereo RCA to stereo miniplug adapter</a> for a couple of bucks. So it would be RCA (or prefer S-Video) for video directly to TV card + RCA stereo cables to adapter to soundcard input.edit - Here's a <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7215603&type=product&productCategoryId=cat01151&id=1114638478841" target="_blank">Hauppauge PCI TV card</a> @ Best Buy for $50 

This message was edited by Plethora on 6-30-06 @ 1:03 PM Here's the thing... With a flip of the switch, you can switch between the computer and the PS2 on the box, which is basically the same as playing the game in the window. Another problem is that the picture quality has a distinct graininess when you play a video game through the video card. I know this because I've done it. The card you linked does not have the RCA inputs. By the time Missy gets the cables and everything, it actually becomes more expensive than the solution I linked. Finally, and this is the most important - my solution does not rely on the computer's functions to play the game. The TV card software isn't the most stable in the world, and you can experience BSOD, which could lead to losing both the PS2 game and your data. My solution ensures good picture quality, no crashes, and it's the most inexpensive.   "Basically the same" ain't the same. The TV card is more flexible -- play in a window, ability to watch cable tv if you want, encode old VHS tapes etc etc.Quality -- if you were using composite vide (RCA) then yeah, you're more likely to see the artifacts of that in crystal clarity you won't see on many TVs.  If you use s-video it's going to look quite nice.  A PS/2 s-video cable set can be had fairly inexpensively (and while not required would benefit both setups - the magic box and the TV card). As for cost they're essentially equal -- $50 for tv card + $5 for the adpater (which they'll likely have at best buy also) = the cost of the magic game console box -- which btw, should be like $20 for what it does. Just saying is all.... but I'm betting you're probably right Tenbatsuzen.

DeathMetalMatty

06-30-2006, 09:35 AM

STOP SAYING BEST BUY!!!!!!

FreshJ

06-30-2006, 09:51 PM

I have a view sonic box that is a tv tuner that outuputs to the monitor, it is quite nice because I can use a monitor that I don't normally use to play playstation, rather then using the same monitor for my computer. so it is nicer to have a box like the game jockey, cause later you could use an old monitor as a tv, you cannot do that with a turner card, unless you want to record your games then go with a tuner card.