Sony may fix copy protection in mass PS2 recall

Sony may recall all PlayStation 2s shipped so far...to stop the consoles being used to play US DVDs. A Sony representative said the manufacturer was considering recalling or exchanging the one million PlayStation2's in use, Bloomberg reports. The Japanese company refused to say how much it would cost to fix the machines already shipped. As reported here earlier this week, a glitch in the much-hyped PlayStation 2 means Region 1 DVD games can be played on the Region 2 device. This breaks the global rules where DVDs are concerned, and could get Sony into hot water with filmmakers over copyright infringement. This is the second DVD-related problem found in the consoles. Sony has received more than 1,000 complaints from users regarding a memory card fault that can erase data or programs needed to play DVDs. Sony said it was investigating both problems and expected to start making glitch-free disks next week. Meanwhile, another warning for all PlayStation 2 users in the UK. According to games company sources, PlayStation 2s have been dying horrible deaths because fuses in the consoles are not compatible with the transformer used for the Japanese and US Dreamcasts. The fuse inside the console will blow up if you use this transformer.® The Register welcomes any readers' comments on which transformer can be used. Mail us here. Related stories Sony plugs US DVD PS2 grey market Sony asks buyers to return faulty PlayStation 2 MCs