Random: Every American PS2 Manual Has Been Preserved on the Internet

Back when we were little and we were lucky enough to be bought a new PS1 game by our parents, we’d spend the entire car ride home reading through the manual, trying to get a taste of the action that awaited us once we were reunited with our console. Those days are long gone, and while there are things to appreciate about the burgeoning digital age, we do yearn for those memories of physical items and paper pamphlets.

One particularly dedicated fan has made it his mission to preserve every PS2 manual ever released in the United States. This spans a whopping 1,900 games, and an eye-watering 230GB – although compression has brought that total down to a more manageable 17GB. It’s an impressive effort: each instruction booklet has been scanned in full 4K, with every page preserved – we imagine this is going to become a particularly useful resource as these documents slowly get lost to time.

For the archiver, known only as Kirkland, this is simply a labour of love. He estimates his PS2 collection is worth roughly $40,000, and the process of scanning the manuals itself takes thousands upon thousands of hours. But while he considers the results functional, he’d still like to improve his process, with the ultimate aim being to replicate every manual in pristine digital form: no borders, no creases, and perfect text.

In the here and now, though, browsing this enormous digital resource should prove a real nostalgia hit for those of you who grew up thumbing through PS2 manuals before jumping into a brand new game.