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What You'll Need
In addition to a Sony PlayStation 2 console, you'll need an HDTV or EDTV that supports 480p or 1080i resolutions and has a component input. You'll also need PlayStation 2-compatible component cables -- also known as RGB cables -- to connect the console and television. Unlike standard red, white and yellow composite cables, component cables feature green, blue and orange video jacks. Some also have red and white audio jacks. You can order PS2 component cables from video game retailers and auction websites online. Additionally, you'll need PS2 games that support 480p or 1080i resolutions.
Enabling HD
Once you've hooked your PS2 to your HDTV or EDTV via component cables, access the console's main menu. Do so by powering up the system without a game disc. From the menu, select "System Configuration" and then "Component Video Out." Select the "Y CB/Pb Cr/Pr" option if you're using a component cable with five jacks and the "RGB" option if you're using a cable with three jacks. HD-compatible games require you to activate 480p or 1080i resolutions from their in-game menu, usually under the game's video options menu. For some HD games, you must repeatedly press the "Triangle" and "X" buttons on the PS2 controller as you power up the system.
Game Examples
As of 2011, hundreds of PlayStation 2 games support HD resolutions. Popular titles that support progressive scan or widescreen output include the racing games "Burnout 2" and "Gran Turismo 4," action games "Jak II," "SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals," "SOCOM II" and "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter" and fighting games "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" and "Tekken 4." Most HD-compatible PlayStation 2 games indicate this feature on the back of their disc cases.
Other
Sony's PlayStation 2 has had a few other run-ins with HD games in its history. In 2006, gaming peripheral company Fire International released the Xploder PS2 HDTV Player accessory. This product includes a component cable and a startup disc that allows users to play all PS2 games on HDTVs in 480p, 720p and 1080i resolutions. In 2009, Sony began adding HD-versions of classic PS2 games to the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3. The series began with the "God of War Collection" and later expanded to include the "Sly Collection."