Ben-DutkaOur most recent poll may have yielded the most interesting results we've seen in months. We never would've guessed that so many of you feel so strongly about backwards compatibility!
Although it was close, the majority of you say that backwards compatibility is "extremely important" to you, and most of the rest of you say it's either "important" or at least "nice." This only proves that many PlayStation 3 owners want Sony to bring full b/c back to their next-gen console; the days of the original 60GB PS3 with the special graphics synthesizer chip are long gone. They moved to software emulation with the second iteration of the PS3 and have since removed b/c for PS2 software entirely. Obviously, this is a move that hasn't gone over well with consumers, even though we're only looking at a small sample, here. For my part, I love my 60GB PS3 but I already have a nice Slim silver PS2, 'cuz I know that when I went to replace my PS3 – it'll have to happen eventually – I would've had nothing to play my PS2 games on. How annoying is that?
Well, anyway, this week's poll should also be entertaining. We ask you what you think Hideo Kojima's next game will be; remember, he will announce it at E3 in June. We figure it could be any number of things, but most of you may believe that he's doing a Metal Gear Solid prequel of some kind with Raiden as the main character. This rumor was very popular over the past couple of weeks. However, he may surprise all of you as he aims to cater to the Western gaming audiences…maybe a stealth-based FPS of some kind? Or might he try his hand at a revolutionary RPG? Or a slam-bang action title that would compete with franchises like God of War ? What do you think?
I wouldn't be surprised if PS2 b/c does make it back at some point.
I would think this may occur if eventually PS2 sales really do bottom out.
Deman may be too high from older gamers who really do want access to their PS2 game collections but don't necessarily want to a] keep their PS2 hardware and would rather sell it on for a penny, or b] would like the convenience of having everything playable from one machine.
To be honest, I am still suprised Sony removed the backward compatibility of the original 60GB… i guess the numbers they had in front of them gave them reason to remove it; or maybe their financial model made PS2 b/c an irrelevant feature in this current generation.
Time will tell!
Q!
"i am home"
Last edited by Qubex on 4/5/2009 10:12:15 PM
Eh, the ps2 is cheaper now, so i dunno. Did everyone sale their ps2's or something when the ps3 came out? i still have my ps1, ps2(x3), and a ps3(80gb b/c model, with new 320gb hdd) so i'm fine either way, but i dunno, i think at this moment, b/c is too expensive for sony, especially with people wanting this price cut, b/c + price cut = major losses
I don't see how loading the software emulation onto the machine would even cost any money?
I agree with World – but I went and bought a silver slim line PS2 the other day and I'm happy. That's how important b/c is in my house.
i don't know either but software emulation isn't the greatest, any new games that come out you'll almost certainly have to wait to play it, which is strange since games like Naruto Ultimate Ninja 4 Shippuden has been out in Japan for 2 years now, but it still glitches on ps2. B/c with the EE chip is what i was mostly talking about, but I don't know how pricing works with the Emulation
It's no real surprise that it would cost money. It's a completely different console with different technology. Couple that with the fact that you have to tie them together so that the system has to detect which technology to use as far as the software side of things goes.
I think they saw how MS kicked Xbox 1 in the guts, took a dump on it, buried it, and pissed on its grave and yet millions still flocked to the next iteration and then thought "Well if we just dump backwards compatibility then people who run out of PS2 games to play will upgrade"
Too bad it didn't work out that way though, I think having all your games work on one console is essential. But at least Sony tends to listen to it's fans so you never know.
In my case, I've gone through 2 original "fatty" PS2 consoles both of which sit in my closet and not working. I then bought a slim PS2 which still works and a 60GB PS3 at launch.
It's nice to know that I can play my PS2 games on my PS3 because I have over 60 PS2 games and I still play most of them.
It wouldn't make much sense for someone in my shoes to fork over $99 bucks for a PS2 just because my PS3 doesn't have BC but many people have to do that if they want to play their PS2 games when their PS2 breaks.
I've spent over $500 bucks plus on PS2 consoles alone not to mention the $600 I spent on my PS3 ! Do the math !
Sony needs to bring BC back !
Last edited by phade2blaq on 4/5/2009 11:48:15 PM
did MS really do all of that to Xbox 1??
Lol yes they did!
i'm happy that i have an 80gb model with b/c. I know a couple close friends that are not planning on buying a ps3 because they removed b/c. All I can say is "you snooze, you lose" I still might be able to convince one of them though, especially because the ps2 just went a bit cheaper.
Backwards compatibility was always a big feature for me because my old PS2 "fatty" was dying and I needed something to play my PS2 library on.
Hence, I purchased a 60 gig PS3 a little after the launch, and it still works great.
do multi-disc psx games work well on the PS3 b/c? final fantasy 9 on the ps3 works fine for you?
havent tried it, good question though.
Yes, multi-disc games are fine.
What's the problem with having a ps2 around?
I love my ps2!
ps3 should be for ps3 games, imo.
You can't even buy a cell phone anymore that all it does is receive and make calls. Cell phones act as cameras, video cameras, internet browsers, GPS, text, calendars, etc, etc, etc. The world is moving towards more options with one machine, and that's the same direction that Sony is taking. It's just the most of us wish that they would add b/c into the list of many things the PS3 can do.
Final Fantasy IX works fine on mine, though i'm in the UK so my version is PAL, the PS3 back'comp' is pretty weird, someone platinum versions of games work while the originals dont, Thats the case with Final Fantasy VIII.
The PS2 games im bitter about are Farenhiet (Project Indigo), Shadow of Memories (Shaodow of Destiny), Tekken Tag and Jak And Daxter. Wish i could play them, but it has real issues as it is essentially an emunlator on the PS3.
Get yourself some firefox dude.
I bet that the reason that the Platinum versions work better is that some of those games may have had code revisions done for their re-release. The platinum version may have been specifically targeted at the new slim PS2, during the bug fixes. The PS2 compatibility built into PS3 is based on the slimline PS2.
There were differences between the original fat PS2 and the slim models. A lot of it is related to tricks that programmers may have used that were unique to the original PS2 hardware – undocumented features. Unfortunately not all these undocumented features exist in the slim models and so some games required a re-compilation/bug fix to work. When they did the re-release for the Platinum range they may have done this extra work.
IGN has posted some pre-E3 predictions of Kojima making a "MGS IV-Expanded" for the 360..
Any truth in this Ben? (or anyone?)
well if its predictions we dont know
That's IGN for you, too much wishful thinking for 360s sad lineup.
I'd love bc but I'm not going to buy another ps3 to get it.
I have a launched 20gig b/c ps3. I sometimes play ps2 games, i don't have a big library of them, now i do for ps1,the only reason i would get a ps2 is for my son due to him liking some disney games for the ps2,he's not keen on the Wii but loves the DS.
I gave my PS2 to my brother when I got my PS3. I bought a 80 gb with B/C so I kept a few games that I could still play..Haven't touched one since R2 came out. With all the great games coming out on the PS3 now, I don't even bother with the PS2 ones. Although I am going to grab my old PS1 and it's games next time I go home because my girlfriend likes playing the old games..but for me..it's all the games for this current gen.
I can see why people would want it..but at the same time it's not a system seller for me now. When the PS3 first launched, yeah it was a necessity to add B/C because there were no games, but as Ben has said repeatably on here, that argument is no longer valid.
At this point I have no need for b/c but if they do eventually add it I may go back and play some back PS2 games that I probably missed
PSN ID Biggest_GMoney
I have the 40g non b/c model. I was kinda pissed that it didn't have b/c but I should've known before hand though. It sucks that if you don't a b/c model then you can only play PS1 games.
Although I don't like it I don't have most of PS2 games except all the Metal Gears, GTA's, and MK Armageddon. Be nice to have b/c but with all the great games coming out it's not a necessity
Somebody remind me why Sony got rid of the b/c emulator from the 80 GIG? I know they got rid of the emotion chip in the 60 GIG because of cost, but the software emulator probably didn't cost that much to make. Isn't it possible for Sony to add b/c to all PS3s with a PSN download like downloading a PS2 emulator for the PC.
Last edited by psxmax on 4/6/2009 10:27:03 AM
That's what I'm speakin about. A bit of software stuck into a machine doesn't cost money. I think it was a maneuver meant to illicit a response.
The PS2 compatibility in the 80GB models was a half and half combination of software emulation and a specially built Graphics Synthesizer chip replacement to provide the functions that were hard to emulate.
Sony had not (at the time of the original 80GB with BC) completely solved the riddle of 100% software emulation of a PS2. So they included the bare minimum hardware necessary for the emulation to work.
It's possible that with further work since then, they have pulled off the trick of emulating a PS2 properly through software alone. However if they have, they sure aren't talking about it.
Thank you highlander, you answered my original thought, see I didn't know if it was all software or if a little hardware was involved too.
What if they are just messing with people? Coca cola kind of stopped being popular at one point, sales stagnated, then they brough out "New Coke" which tasted like liquified garbage and everyone raged on the company. Then they released Coca Cola Classic and sales friggin skyrocketed. We gonna see something like this?
What we have now tastes better than new Coke, but it's formulation is different from the original. The original pre 'New Coke' Coca Cola used real sugar, the new 'Classic' Coke uses high fructose corn syrup. The 'Classic Coke' is better than 'New Coke', but neither are as good as the original Coca Cola.
Some have alleged the entire 'New Coke' thing was done simply to allow Coca Cola to make the switch to the cheaper high fructose corn syrup without too many people realizing. After all it's almost impossible to do a side by side taste test when the original product is long gone.
Sounds an awful lot like what could happen with a new PS3 version.
If Sony pulled something like that then I'd definitely believe that there is no end to their entertainment genius.
You're showing that you're older than me. New Coke existed in my lifetime, but I was too young to know what it was. I think the Coca-Cola Classic is pretty good. Strange though, sometimes it tastes so much better from a soda fountain.
My 60 gig is great cause I had the origial Xbox and missed on a lot of the great PS2 games. Just added Shadow of the Colusus to my Gamefly Q 🙂
Had a wicked dream about SotC last night, one of those giants busted up my house and was after me!
More B/c = Less Purchasing To No Purchasing Of Its Predeccesors. . . It*s Nice, But Not Essential, Y*all Been Surviving Til Now Yes?
OK, this is going to be a little bit long-winded here, but I can't help it, cause I've just bought a 60Gig PS3!
Well first off….. B/C was very important because I had no more A/V jacks that I could plug another component or console into my system.
I didn't have the money when the 60 gigger's were out, & I didn't want a 40(had a few less bells & whistles), & I refused to get an 80 because I heard from many sources that it had an emulator instead, which only allowed about 80% of the PS2 games to play.
I stopped in Gamestop 4 days ago & was able to order a 60 gigger that they had at another store.
But I stopped in yesterday to see if it came in yet, and an even better chromed-60 gigger had just been traded in a few hours earlier, so I bought it ASAP, & also paid for a year warranty just in case the ex-owner abused it(very doubtful though, because it's in mint shape & without a single scratch on it).
I also bought these 13(used) games below to start out with, but I've only had time to play1 of them, so feel free to let me know if any of them are real good or not.
Alone in the dark: Inferno
Assassin's Creed
Battle for the Pacific
Blazing Angels
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
DarkSectorFracture
Haze(Majority reviews didn't like this one, but I'm enjoying it so far)
Jericho
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Rainbow 6: Vegas
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Soldier of Fortune
Anyways, after I got my PS3 home, I was rummaging in a box of extra left-over electronic & gaming cables I've saved over the years & I found a 6 sets of piggy-back cables I forgot I had(they plug 2 or more sets of cables together just before they plug into the A/V jacks), so I was able to buy a Gamecube later in the day too, & 23 games(used) to add to my always-growing collection. And I was even able to keep my old fatty PS2 hooked up too.
So I spent the day re-routing all my video consoles & my surround theatre's cables, & then double checked that everything was working fine, & I would up with 2 very frustrating problems with the PS3(so far). Since it didn't come with the manual, I didn't know how everything on it actually works(they promised one by the end of this week & that's one f*cking promise they had better keep!!!).
The only spot I had vacant, was up on a shelf above my head, so up it went. I figured how to switch it on from both, the main power in the back, & the heat-sensing on/off switch in the front(very cool high-tech feature,BTW), but for me being the non-tech dummy that I am, when it came to turning it off, days I couldn't get the damn thing to turn off from the front panel for 2 frigging .
I touched it with 1 finger, I touched it with 2 fingers, 3 fingers, 4 fingers, and even my whole damned hand, I also kept waving my hand across it, & even facepalmed the bi*ch, to no avail!!!!!!
I even gave it a few dozen double-barreled "one finger salutes" , along with a long string of other obscenities
I "FINALLY"(and quite accidentally) learned how to turn it off though. As I was once again trying to figure out how turn it off from the front, my phone rang & while I was distracted from listening to my answering machine, I had unknowingly kept one of my fingers on the panel & "Lo & Behold"…. it turned off.
Sooooo now I know to keep my finger on the sensor for 3-5 seconds to shut it off.(duhhh to me).
The other thing I had trouble with was figuring how to ejecting a disc. Since I had put it up on the shelf, I didn't realize the little arrow thingie was a sensor too, because it just looked like a design from below ,
I most've turned into a genius today(or maybe some slipped some brain food into my drinks) because I figured this one out…"all by my Lil Ole Self"), LMFAO
Damn, I'm happier than Phylis Diller getting a a face lift(how many is that now, I've lost count).
The only one that I have played so far is Assassin's Creed. I thought it was pretty good. It's not about a hardcore assassin like you would think, but an assassin against the actions of the Knights Templar around 1200 AD.
I wanted a PS3, but when I could finally get one, they had stopped making b/c ones. I really like the few PS2 games that I have and I wasn't anywhere near ready to give it up. I searched eBay and Craigslist to find one. I finally found one, a 60 GB, and it is absolutely spectacular. I use it everyday now. This thing, original release, runs like it will never die, like my 17 y/o truck with 180,000 miles on it.
I figured out a few ways that Sony could offer b/c without raising the cost on every console they sell:
1) Like mentioned earlier, offer a free downloadable software package that will emulate PS2. It might have glitches at first but it will probably improve with each firmware update.
2)Offer some accessory hardware that will allow the PS3 to use its optical drive through the external hardware.
3)The external hardware could be offered as a slide in, similar to the HDD.