New PS3 model not fully backwards compatible


by Omar Feb 23, 2007 fileunderFound in Sony Playstation 3


Today Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe sent out a press release stating that the model of PS3 that is to be released on March 23rd in Europe will not include the Playstation 2 hardware found in American and Japanese models. The exclusion of the PS2 CPU and graphics processor means that Sony is utilizing software emulation, similar to how the Xbox 360 accomplishes backwards compatibility, to emulate old PS2 titles.

The press release states that the new PS3 will have broad Playstation 1 compatibility, but only limited PS2 compatibility. Current PS3 models currently support 98% of PS2 games, limited is an ambiguous word, but Sony reps stated that the number of supported games would be far fewer than 98%, with an actual percentage not given.

This new PS3 model won't be limited to Europe, but is making its introduction there first. It's always been part of Sony's plan to replace the PS2 hardware inside of the PS3 with a software emulation solution, in an effort to cut costs. The new model has been released earlier than many have expected, and the level of software compatibility is the big unknown right now that will determine how serious this will affect consumers.

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3 comments

1.  avatar Omar  Feb 23, 2007 12:07pm

I think a lot of European gamers are pretty pissed off right about now, but honestly I don't think the situation is going to be that bad. I don't think Sony is going to follow the Microsoft route of rewriting every game to support the 360 architecture. Instead, using the virtualization technology that's already included in the PS3 and Cell, Sony is writing a software based replica of the PS2. Therefore, games won't be enhanced, but the compatibility percentage should be quite high, high enough to satisfy most gamers (as opposed to the 360's rather abysmal support). We'll see though, if the BC support is as shoddy as Microsoft's then this could be a pretty big deal. There are substantially more Playstation owners with large game libraries than Xbox owners, which means a lot more people potentially pissed off.
2.  avatar silence omo7  Feb 23, 2007 5:41pm

Europe is Sony's biggest supporter, and Sony basically screwed them. A late release date, hardware shortage, and now no backward compatibality? Sorry Europe!
3.  avatar Omar  Feb 23, 2007 6:07pm

Don't forget the higher price! The price is ranging from $700US to $900US depending on the country. It's madness. I think this music video sums it all up quite nicely:

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