For some reason Sony has decided to combine a 22-inch HDTV and its oldie-but-goodie gaming console, the PlayStation 2. The resulting marriage is Sony’s new Bravia KDL-22PX300, now up for sale over in the UK for under £200 (around $312 USD).
So why would anyone want to buy this thing? After all, it’s easy to assume that PlayStation 3 owners have already hooked up an HDTV to the current-gen system. Those with old PlayStation 2 games are likely to own the console as well. However if not, the KDL-22PX300 kills two birds with one stone: HD video output and semi-backwards compatibility.
Although hardware and software backwards compatibility with old PlayStation 2 games was present in early PlayStation 3 models, Sony nuked support on the hardware level by removing the Emotion Engine CPU to bring down the console’s hefty price. The GPU-reliant software emulator was also discontinued as it was reportedly less reliable than the Emotion Engine chip.
Under the “hood,” the combo offers 720p, four HDMI ports, three USB ports, a built-in Freeview tuner, a VGA connector, a component connector and two Ethernet ports (Bravia Internet Video).
Ultimately Sony’s new Bravia KDL-22PX300 is probably better suited for the younger generation of gamers, or those who still haven’t purchased the previous generations of hardware. On the other hand, it’s a decent buy for those who need an HDTV and would like to explore Sony’s older catalog of PS2 and PlayStation (1) games.
