The PlayStation 2 is the most successful video game console of all time, with a staggering 158.70 million units sold across its lifespan. During that time, Sony only two hardware variants for the machine – the ill-fated PSX digital video recorder and the dinky PS2 Slim – and, for most people, the latter was plenty small enough to fit into any modern-day gaming setup.
However, Australian engineer Wesk clearly feels that the PS2 Slim could be... well, slimmer. He's created a mod which removes the console's optical drive and replaces it with a system that allows you to store your collection of games on a high-capacity MicroSD card, which essentially acts as the PS2's old-school hard drive.
The talented peeps over at Macho Nacho Productions have created a video showing off Wesk's mod, and we have to say, we've got a serious case of hardware envy right now. The PS2 'Ultra Slim' is tiny – so tiny, in fact, that the joystick ports and memory card slots take up almost all of the front edge.
It's a remarkable mod, but one that isn't without its challenges. You have to physically cut apart the PS2's motherboard to get it down to size, and you'll also need to 3D print the shell for the system. If you want to cut corners, then you don't have to include the internal MicroSD card slot as it's basically using the MX4SIO system internally – a system of loading games via SD card that is normally delivered via the PS2's memory card slot.
The obvious downside with this mod is that you no longer have access to your physical games – which, for some people, might be too much of a sacrifice, even if they do like the idea of loading titles from a MicroSD card. Another issue is that the MX4SIO system is still being worked on, and there are some incompatibility issues with it – so, for the time being, at least, the PS2 UItra Slim can't boast 100% compatibility with the entire PS2 library.
Still, this is one seriously impressive mod – if you're thinking of giving it a try, let us know with a comment below.