04-29-2004, 07:00 AM
To answer your question, in order to keep the cost of the PS2 at a competitive price, Sony had to use cheap parts for the system, particularly when it came to the DVD drive. Every part of that drive is shoddy in design and manufacturing, not just the lens. Playing even R1 DVDs in it is potentially shortening the life of your PS2 by at least a couple years. I know someone who destroyed his lens in less than 3 months by playing DVDs on it for a few hours every day. So unless you're a rich bastard, stick with a standalone player and save your PS2 the agony.