Description
SCPH-700XX — The First Slim PlayStation 2
The SCPH-700XX series marked the debut of the Slimline PS2, with the earliest batches essentially serving as a compact version of the SCPH-500XX models.
Key Features
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To maintain full network compatibility, these models included a built-in SPEED chip.
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While not officially supported, this chip allowed for internal HDD functionality. However, unlike the earliest SCPH-1x000 models, these systems could not boot HDD software autonomously.
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North American exclusives SCPH-70011 and SCPH-70012 also featured a built-in dial-up modem, similar to the SCPH-10281 network adapter. These were later replaced by the SCPH-70001, which used a newer motherboard revision and dropped modem support.
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At least three major motherboard revisions exist for this model. One introduced the EE+GS chip, where the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer were merged into a single package.
MechaCon Crash Issue
The SCPH-700XX series was highly vulnerable to the MechaCon crash, so much so that Sony faced a lawsuit in the United States. As a result, Sony corrected the issue in the final revision of this model, adding extra circuitry that shut the console down when a crash was imminent.
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This fixed revision can be identified by its MechaCon software version 6.04 or higher.
Optical Drive Information
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Early 700XX batches: used the Sankyo drive assembly (SPU-3170 laser, manufactured by Philips).
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Later 700XX batches: used the KHM-430AAA drive assembly (Sony), sometimes paired with a TDP082W “K/L” chassis (Mitsumi), which was functionally identical to Sony’s version.
Compatible lasers for the later 700XX units included:
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KHM-430 (Sony)
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PVR-802W (Mitsumi)
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KHS-430 (aftermarket)
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TDP-182W (aftermarket, named after its assembly)
Despite the different names, all four lasers are identical in function.
BIOS Information
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All SCPH-700XX models shipped with BIOS ROM v2.00.
Datecode Information
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Production spanned from Q3 2004 (datecode 4C) to Q3 2005 (datecode 5C).
