Is PS2 Backward Compatibility Coming Back To PS3 Consoles
For many gamers, Sony “fanboys” included, the company’s biggest sin is removing PS2 backward compatibility from PS3 consoles.
When the Sony Playstation 3 was first released, one of its features was the ability to play Playstation 2 games flawlessly. This wasn’t like the Xbox 360’s backward compatibility with Xbox games which was emulation-powered, hence, subject to compatibility issues. Backward compatibility with PS2 games for PS3 consoles was perfect. PS3 consoles were able to play any PS2 games without fault.
This feature was removed gradually. Newer models introduced limited backward compatibility which was software-powered. The models after that removed backward compatibility altogether.
The result: the original 60GB PS3 consoles are being sold for a higher price on the secondary market than brand new PS3 units.
And PS3 owners – especially owners of newer PS3 consoles – were left wondering and crying.
“Why?”
Sony’s official reply: PS3 consoles can still play PS One games.
Yeah, right.
Sony never provided a definitive answer, leading many to speculate that – since the Playstation 2is still selling well compared to the more expensive Playstation 3 – Sony wanted to continue the profitability of last generation’s video game system.
For many owners of PS3 consoles, the removal of backward compatibility is a betrayal that was pretty difficult to forgive.
Well, forgiveness may be just around the corner.
Late in June, 2009, video game news sites received reports of PS2 backward compatibility possibly coming back for PS3 consoles. A tipster named Siliconera shared a patent he discovered, filed by Sony in December of 2008, registering a method by which the cel chips of PS3 consoles can translate and utilize code for the Emotion engine of the PS2.
Adding fuel to the fire is an earlier report about Sony conducting a survey regarding what fans want to be included in the God of War III collector’s edition. One of the choices: the first 2 games of the series. This immediately led to speculation that, indeed, backward compatibility is in the works for PS3 consoles.
Hold your horses, however. It’s still too soon to say for certain that backward compatibility is indeed coming back to the Sony Playstation 3.
For starters, what if such a patented method only allows PS3 consoled to play downloaded PS2 games? This means that our discs of Final Fantasy X and XII, Jax and Daxter I, II and III and other classics will never see the light of day on PS3 consoles. Even if we own those games, we still have to download them from the Playstation Store to be able to play them on our PS3 units.
Nevertheless, a possibility is still better than an impossibility.
Right now, PS2 backward compatibility – using already owned PS2 game discs – is very much possible, and this can keep us happy until confirmation (or denial) of the news is published.
1) God of War collection was released shortly afterward, ports of GoW1 and 2 to PS3.
2) The Emotion Engine patent isn’t a big deal. Sony already emulated the EE chip in the 60 gig PS3s from the 2nd generation, but the one chip that they still needed was the GS, the Graphics Synthesizer. Until we have proof they’ve emulated that, we have no ps2 games on our PS3s.
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