• Graphics: "Graphics Synthesizer"
• Graphics Clock Frequency: 147.456MHz
• Embedded Cache VRAM: 4MB

The video subsystem of the PS2 is called the Graphics Synthesizer. It runs at 147.456MHz, or half the processor speed. It contains 4MB of embedded VRAM cache, much like Intel's i810e chipset carries video cache for increased performance.

In comparison, the Dreamcast's PowerVR 2DC graphics chip runs at 100MHz. The Dreamcast does have the advantage of using a graphics system that only draws visible polygons, saving considerably on memory bandwidth usage.

The hardware is powerful, but how does it look in action? We took a look at five different games to see how well the PS2 draws pictures. Keep in mind that these are first generation PS2 games. As developers gain more experience with the PS2, graphics, sound, and game play should improve dramatically. Take a look at first generation PlayStation games versus new PlayStation games to get an idea of just how much developers can learn over the life of a console.