I've had a PS2 since 2005 and now it won't read DVD games. CD games still work fine but DVDs are done for. I cleaned it but nothing helped. Is the drive just worn out or is there something that can be fixed?
After almost 20 years, the laser in your DVD drive is probably worn out! It's super common on PS2s, especially when CDs still work - that confirms it's really just the DVD laser that wears out first. You can buy a cheap replacement drive online or just drop it if you mostly play old CD games anyway.
It's clearly the DVD laser giving out, nothing to do with any major failure! Don't go taking the whole thing apart if you're not confident about it, but you can try cleaning the laser with a cotton swab slightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol - and I mean just a tiny bit of moisture, just gently rub the lens in a spiral from the center outward. If that doesn't work after that, the laser's truly dead and you can replace it, but honestly at this stage of the PS2 it might just be simpler to accept that your machine is aging! DVD drives for PS2 aren't too pricey on secondhand sites, it's worth it if you want to keep playing your DVD games.
Have you tried forcing the drive or just left it alone since it started glitching? Yeah, after 2005 it's pretty much guaranteed the DVD laser is wearing out - it's normal wear and tear, nothing dramatic. The thing the others didn't really bring up: be careful about buying a used PS2 to "fix" yours thinking it'll be cheaper, because an old console can have other hidden problems that are way worse. If you really want to keep playing DVDs, you've got the choice between learning to replace the laser yourself (there are tutorials all over the place but it takes some patience), or you can just keep your PS2 for CD games and use an actual DVD player for everything else.
The laser wears out over time, it's just inevitable, and on a PS2 from 2005 honestly it's a miracle it lasted this long! One dumb thing to try before you put it away: make sure the console is completely level, not tilted at all, because sometimes even a slight angle can disconnect the laser. If that doesn't help, you can also try dimming the blinds or lights in the room a bit while testing - sometimes a photo sensor that's a bit sensitive reacts badly to ambient light. After that, it's true that a tired laser is the most likely explanation, and unfortunately you can't really fix it without replacing the whole unit!
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