The PS2 was one of the consoles that defined my childhood, as did many of the best PS2 accessories in this list. Sure, the PS1 was great and had some incredible games, but could you stand it both horizontally and vertically?
Nope!
I remember the first time I saw a PS2. Heck, I can even remember the game I played. It was at my cousins house, the PS2 was upright with the little logo twisted round, and we played Smackdown Vs Raw multiplayer for hours. Good times!
But you didn’t come here to read about my nostalgic trips down memory lane (or maybe you did; I do this in pretty much every article I write to be fair…). You came here to check out the best PS2 accessories for this incredible console.
I’ve made a list of 10 of the very best gadgets that you need to complete your PS2 gaming arsenal. Some are new, some are old, and one of them is even a pretty rare find! Go forth, fellow readers, and spend your hard earned cash!
1. Wireless PS2 Controller
Wireless game play is something that we all look for in a console these days. It is, after all, what every console should have. Right?
Back in the day we had wires connecting our controllers to our home consoles, which meant you were limited to how far you could sit away from your screen.
The dog, the cat, your siblings, or a vacuum cleaner could all be potential culprits for pulling out your controller and interrupting your progress. Now, of course, there are so many modern day solutions for wireless play.
Finally, you can sit back on the sofa where you belong and not hunched up on the floor with square eyes. Just plug in and play: it’s that simple. The controllers feel like the real deal and are just as comfortable in your hands. Throw the cables away and go wireless today!
2. PS2 Multitap
Next up on our list of the best PS2 accessories is a little piece of kit for all the multiplayer fans out there. The PS2 multitap allowed more friends to battle, race, fight, and play in the same space. With zero additional setup required bar plugging in and instantly opening up more fun, this gadget is an essential for any collection.
The PS2 only had space for two controllers, but the multitap put the console in line with other multiplayer-friendly consoles such as the N64 and the GameCube.
It supports all Dual-shock features and includes space for four memory cards so players can load their own saves. You can use two at once and have up to 8 players in the game!
3. Guitar Hero 2 Controller
If you want to rock without putting in hours of practice time, then the next items on our list of the best PS2 controllers will be right up your street.
Guitar Hero, for those of you that were living in shells under the sea when it came out, is a melody-based game where you press buttons in time with colours on a screen. This allowed players to riff along with their favourite songs from legendary rock and metal bands like Guns N Roses and Dragonforce.
The guitar controllers themselves came in a variety of styles. You could rock out using your favourite guitarist’s choice of axe, using everything from a Flying V to an Explorer. The controllers are wired and even have a whammy bar to bust out face-melting solos.
N.B – Being good at guitar does not help you in this game. I’ve played guitar since I was 16 and I suck at Guitar Hero. It’s a-whole-nother world!
4. 128MB Memory Card
You might think that memory cards are boring, and you’d be right. Still, what’s the point in not being able to save your progress on your favourite games? No one wants to go back to the days of having to enter passwords to get back to their current level!
Compared to some of the smaller memory cards that came out back in the day, this 128MB memory card can hold around 250+ save files. That should be plenty for most gamers, but they’re so cheap that you could always buy two or three.
5. HORI Fighting Stick 2
We can’t have a list of the best PS2 accessories without including something that gives us an arcade feel. Meet the HORI Fighting Stick 2, a neat little pad with a left-hand joystick and two rows of easy-mash buttons.
This rare arcade pad works with both the PS1 and PS2, making it an interchangeable controller for fans of both consoles. As well as all of the original coloured controller buttons including the rear triggers, the Fighting Stick also has turbo and speed controls. Now your punches will be faster than ever before!
6. MadCatz Blaster
Why aren’t blasters still as popular today? This MadCatz light gun was the coolest, giving every game that space-age ‘Jet Force Gemini’ feel. It felt like a blaster from the future, despite the cable dangling from the rear end…
Light Guns only work with CRT television sets, so you’ll need to invest an an older unit if you want to use this gadget with your favourite games. The controller itself is light in the hand and felt great to use. There’s no great scope-sight feature like some of the other light guns on the market, but it’s still a nice controller to have.
7. Pound HDMI Converter
The sad fact about playing retro consoles is that the graphics are never as good as you remembered. I recently played Mario Party 4 on the GameCube and couldn’t ever believe I thought those graphics were ‘cutting edge’.
Now, thanks to the next item on our list of the best PS2 accessories, you can bump the output resolution of your PS2 and play your favourite games in crisp HD on modern TV sets.
This HDMI cable from Pound taps into the PS2’s RGB signal and upscales it to bring new life and greater definition to old titles. Now you can play Crash up on your HDTV or experience Tomb Raider in widescreen brilliance. The cable is 6-feet long and super easy to install. It also works for the PS1 and PSX!
8. Logitech Driving Force Pro
Before the Wii Driving Wheel was even a thing. consoles had ‘real-feel’ steering wheels with gearsticks that you could use with your favourite racing games. This was another feature that brought the arcade into the home, and the Logitech Driving Force Pro was one of the best racing wheels around.
This wheel gives you the closest feeling of being in an actual car when playing PS2 racing games. It was the first wheel to offer 900-degrees of rotation, just like a real steering wheel. What’s more, the ‘force-feedback’ reacts to different driving scenarios and locations in your games.
Twinned with the pedal unit for acceleration and braking, you’ve got yourself a real racing set-up right in your living room!
9. Dance Dance Revolution Dance Pads
Admittedly, I never had one of these mats. But I knew plenty of people who did, and they were good fun to play on (especially after a few beers).
If you’ve ever been to an arcade, or seen a film with one in, or watched any crap Netflix teen drama, then you’ll have seen a dance machine like this. The Dance Dance Revolution mat is made for the game of the same name and features arrow buttons to jump on to ‘step to the beat’.
Like Guitar Hero, players get scored by how accurately they can bust out certain moves. The pad has the main controller buttons built-in as well as start and select buttons. Control your console with your feet!
10. Singstar Microphone
Last but not least on our list of the best PS2 accessories, we have the favourite gadget of drunk gamers and karaoke enthusiasts everywhere. Singstar was a huge success for the PS2; finally you could sing badly in the comfort of your own home without everyone in a pub or club hearing you!
For stars in the making and singing enthusiasts, however, Singstar provided a platform for them to jam along with their favourite musicians or just have a good laugh with friends. The microphones worked with a number of other melody-based singing games that covered a wide range of genres. You can pick them up pretty cheaply and they’re always great for pulling out at parties.
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 31 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
