In readiness for the ultimate Xbox 360 experience I’ve done a lot of things. I’ve ordered and received a 360 pad from Canada. I have a HD TV bought awaiting it to be delivered to my house but one thing I’ve yet to experience being touted as part of the next gen revolution is online console gaming. I' ve never had a console game I wanted to play online but now have WWE SvR 2006 for PS2. I reckon I' m a bit good at this game and all my mates suck. Thus I' ve tried to get this online to prove my skill.
First things first, I bought a PS2 network adapter. For some reason they aren' t available in any shops near me. I had to buy it with Twisted Metal Black which I' ve no desire to play. At all. Ever. After reading through the manuals and such the initial stage looked straight forwards. The device screws into the back of the PS2 looking like an afterthought rather than a legitimate online experience. When I switch on the P2 the fan in the back sounds more pained than usual for a moment before settling back down. Bless.
I position my PS2 near my internet connection last night. My internet connection comes through a digital TV set top box. Plucking the Ethernet cable from my PC and placing it in my PS2 I fired up the Network Adapter instillation disk. A pretty ‘welcome to PS2 online’ video plays and oh dear, it’s telling me I need some codes and info from my PS2 now covered up by the network adapter.
After some swearing, unscrewing and screwing back I' ve got the numbers. The CD is booted up again and now I' m lost in a sea of jargon. The PS2 is doing everything itself and talk of ISP' s, STB' s, DNS' s and MAC addresses is flying over my head. One thing I do understand the words ‘connection failed’. Distraught I try it again but the same thing happens.
On to the internet, the worlds largest source of information, streamlined to me through Google. The right combination of words to search leads me
here. My set top box is no good and I need a router.
Today I took a trip to my local PC shop and found such a device. Its wireless but with 4 ports on the back so when I do get my 360 at least I' ve the option of playing in my room upstairs with the PC and set top box downstairs. At the moment I have to bring my PS2 to the source. The router installed with no problems and is currently sat next to my PC tower blinking at me.
Tonight I try and connect it to my PS2. Come back later for the exciting conclusion...