PS3, Backwards Compatibility, and Controversy? Lets Cross Examine
Okay, I have a bone to pick with Sony. Sony has this whole issue with “backwards compatibility” and it’s causing a bit of a mixed reaction among the gaming community. Some are blowing it off as just a thing of the past, and expects everyone else to move on from the last gen and focus solely on the current gen. Other’s are completely on the opposite side of the fence. They feel backwards compatibility is important, and should be re-included in today’s PS3 models. Now some wonder why is the need of backwards compatibility important? Claiming we have a wide array of current gen games to play, why go back? I’ll explain why, it’s a lot deeper than you think.
Before the beginning of this current generation, the three big gaming companies that dominate the market were all faced with one major question: if we were to move on, should we continue supporting our current systems after the launch of our next gen systems? One said no (Microsoft), another said “meh, for a little bit” (Nintendo), and the third said “full support for ten years since the launch date.” That last little bugger was Sony’s claim, offering a Ten Year Plan for their Playstation 2 owners to continue full support and production of the console and its software, as well as peripherals. The other two systems offered little to no support for their consumers, only focusing on the next generation and it’s consumers. Well by the launch of the three systems, it came as a surprise that all three systems would include or later include backwards compatibility. This was especially big for Nintendo and Microsoft considering that production of the last generation’s games would’ve eventually came to cease sooner than later. However, this was to no one’s surprise that Sony’s system would be backwards compatibility, considering its previous claim of the Ten Year Plan. Even in future press releases, and further statements, Sony stilll claims that it is still in support of its last generation’s system. Now here is where the problem comes in.
After the release of the original PS3 models, the 60gb and the 20gb, both offered backwards compatibility via the hardware’s inclusion of the Emotion Engine (which is the chip used in PS2’s). Sony later dropped those models approximately 6 months later, and introduced the 40gb and the 80gb. However, the 40gb was not backwards compatible, but the 80gb was (this time via emulation software, not hardware). Months later that model was eventually dropped (the 40gb that is) and only the 80gb was in full production. That particular model (the 80gb) was eventually changed, dropping the emulation software and only allowing for current gen games to be played on the system. A new model was later released (the 160gb), but it too did not have the emulation software for backwards compatibility.
Now this is where I flip the switch and shine the light in Sony’s face and turn from good cop to bad cop. Sony, what the fuck is your problem? Pardon my french, but seriously a major problem lies within that decision to cease support of backwards compatibility. How can you expect to stand by a Ten Year Plan with your last generation console, when your current generation’s system do not allow playback of the last generation’s titles? Now some may argue, and say that they only support specifically PS2 owners and specifically PS3 owners and there should be no in between; I understand that argument, but hear me out. You can’t expect for your current PS2 owners to become PS3 owners if they are not allowed to play their PS2 games on their new system. And we’re not talking about old games like The Bouncer and Oni, but new games as well. Thats right, new games, because you know what? The PS2 is the only last generation system that still has games in mass production for it. And to make a system that doesn’t support full playback of those games, how can you expect to transition those PS2 owners? That’s like telling them “you can’t play your old games unless you have the previous hardware.”
Actually, that’s exactly what they’re telling them, and that is where the inconvenience comes in. Microsoft and Nintendo didn’t include backwards compatibility just for the hell of it; they included backwards compatibility to slowly move their last generation crowd into the new generation, letting them know that “hey, I know you’re a little skeptical about moving on and paying for a new system, but just so you know that our new system plays your old games. So you dont have to hold on to that old system, the new one does everything it did before and THEN some. Toss away your old system, you don’t need it, this new one takes care of everything for you.” That’s kinda how Sony was in the beginning too, but now it’s like they tossed that whole idea out the room (strapped to a bomb) and yet still says its going to support that “old archaic piece of hardware” (as some of you may call it) for the remaining three years? That’s where the issue lies, that is why so many people complain about the lack of backwards compatibility. The average American consumer likes convenience, not too many people like switching back and forth between systems, and not too many people have the space or room in their entertainment display for more than one or two systems. Also, we can’t rule out that not too many people still play last generation games when your last generation console still makes the charts with significant sale numbers.
Sony, I have a better idea for you. How about this, limit your production of PS2’s, like damn near cease it. With the money that was going to be used to produce the PS2’s, invest it in emotion chips to be placed in future PS3’s. Then, maybe you can work out a price drop. That way in the future, to those people who might want to buy the PS2 for whatever reason it is today, you can offer them a counter choice due to the difficulty of finding the cheaper counterpart; that way sales associates will start saying “oh we don’t get too many PS2’s anymore, but we do have the PS3. It’s cheaper than what it used to be, it still plays PS2 games, and it’s designed for the FUTURE!” or however they want to put it. Now that may not be the best idea, or financially stable one, but it’s an idea nonetheless; an important one at that, because if you still have consumers to this day complaining about the lack of backwards compatibility then obviously it’s more important than what the company expected.
TK Poll
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good post. when they discontinue the ps2, they will bring the backwards compatibility. so when the current ps2 owners find that out, they will purchase a ps3.
Anybody think this is the last year for the ps2??
i cant call it…i thought last year would be the final
good post. i was gonna address this on my rant but u nailed it here.
I believe there is a bigger reason Sony removed backwards compatability from the PS3. Here is why I think they did it…
When the PS3 was announced it’s price tag was at a staggering $599.99, 2X the amount of the any recent launch price. Consumers were shocked and most unwilling to pay such a high price for entertainment. Now the PS3 was in short supply and their weren’t many games at launch, so they had the PS2 backwards compatibility in the PS3.
As time went on though people weren’t really buying PS3 games for their PS3, oh no they were buying PS2 games for their PS3 and for a good reason, they couldn’t really afford to constantly buy games at $59.99, so they would either wait for the PS3 games to go down in price or they would buy the PS2 version and catch up on their older games they hadn’t beaten.
Now Sony is loosing hundreds of dollars on each console sold and everyone knows that the money usually comes from the sale of the software not the hardware but, no one is really buying the PS3 games. So what does Sony do to stay afloat??? Remove Backwards compatibility from all PS3 models so that anyone buying a PS3 is guranteed to be buying either a PS3 games or Blu-ray movie discs.
Makes sense ehh? but if Sony brought back PS2 backwards compatibility in any way other then software emulation that would be available to all PS3 owners that don’t have PS2 backwards compatibility it would backlash Sony harder than not bringing it back at all. So Sony is bideing it’s time and may bring back backwards compatibility when the PS2 finally play’s it’s last game.
All we can do now though is wait and see.
Hah, like they care.. I want backwards compatibility. I dont even have a PS2. I bought a PS3 specifically so I could play PS2 and PS3 games. and what do I find? shit. They’re trying to release games they can sell for more. thats all they care about, money. what makes more money? PS3 and PS3 games. I might hope for a PS2 emulator when it’s dead, but I highly doubt it, because Sony sucks nowadays.