PlayStation 2 Slimline (SCPH-70000)

Much thinner 2004 redesign with built-in Ethernet, top-loading drive and external power supply, but no hard drive bay.

Sony unveiled the third major PS2 revision, the SCPH-70000 known as the Slimline, in September 2004 at $149, and put it on sale in late October. It measures 230 × 152 × 28 mm, runs quieter and has a built-in Ethernet port and, in some markets, a modem. To slim it down, Sony removed the expansion bay, so it cannot take the internal hard drive required by games such as Final Fantasy XI. The power supply became external and discs load from the top instead of a motorized tray.

The launch was hit by shortages: in the UK, a tanker stuck in the Suez Canal blocked a ship carrying consoles, and Sony had to fly units in on Antonov cargo planes. In early 2005 Sony recalled some power transformers made between August and December 2004 because they could overheat. Reviewers liked its size and built-in networking but criticized how easily it overheated and the separate power adapter. There were two internal variants, with the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer either separate or merged into one chip.

Models: SCPH-700xx