bighap,
I'm not challenging you, just looking for clarification - have you tried both +R and -R in your PS2? I've run +R in my v4 and the laser seems to have to work harder to run them (it's certainly a bit noisier) than regular DVD's... but then again I have a v4 and (at the moment) a Neo2.5 chip, so that might account for it.
I know that +R works in every DVD player I've tried them in, even the ones that DON'T run backups. My friend's old Sony, which won't play a single burnt CDR or CDRW, plays +R's fine. My Dad's Samsung, which specifically doesn't play ANY backups, plays +R's. Even this nasty old ProScan DIVX player my other friend has ... runs +R's.
I haven't found a device yet that doesn't run them. I'm not saying that you're wrong, just that my experience doesn't bear your claim out. I am FAR from the definitive source. I've only tried a half dozen units, so it's not a scientific sampling.
And hell, -R media is cheaper and the units are MUCH cheaper. If I thought it were the superior technology I'd be all over that!
- Gurm
P.S. Here's an interesting article, detailing why +R/+RW is "better". Take it with a grain of salt, but here it is:
http://www.dvdplusrw.org/video/comparison.html