In September 2004, Sony introduced the third edition of the main consoles (V12, model SCPH-70000) - much smaller, thinner, quieter than the old version. In addition, the new model includes a built Ethernet-port. In some regions, the model also had a built-in modem. Because of the small size of the new model was expelled expansion slot; thus, lose compatibility with the internal hard disk from the previous model, but it does not hurt to solder the IDE cable to the piping on the 70xxx chip CXD9731AGP / CXD9731GP. The power supply of the internal became external. In the sale of this edition came in November 2004.
The emergence of the incompatibility with the hard drive has been the subject of criticism, as it was a few games (like Final Fantasy XI), which required the presence of a hard drive; his presence and demanded an official PS2 Linux package. Expanding MultiTap for SCPH-70000 has also changed. The Sony currently sells only new model MultiTap, which means that the owners of the older PlayStation 2, if they want to play four or even more now - have to find a second-hand or take MultiTap MultiTap another manufacturer. It had the opportunity to also buy adapters from third party manufacturers to connect a hard disk, but the ability to connect to the IDE has been completely removed in the V14 edition.
In 2006, Sony released the V15 (SCPH-77001a and SCPH-77001b), the first time they went on sale in Japan on September 15, 2006, then in North America and other parts of the world.
Since July 2007, Sony has begun to deliver a new edition of the thin PlayStation 2 Slim - V16 (SCPH-79000) weighing 600 grams (compared to 900 grams in the SCPH-77001 model); the weight of the power supply was also reduced to 250 grams (350 grams in the previous edition). The next edition of the V17 (SCPH-90000) was announced for sale in Japan on November 22, 2007, with a revised interior design, which this time included the power supply, resulting in a total console weight of 720 grams