PS3 - not backwards compatible?

[Submeg]

The problem is, many people have "traded" in their PS2 to get the PS3, so when it comes out they wont be able to play any games...

[Demon Cleaner]

The problem is, many people have "traded" in their PS2 to get the PS3

That was the main thing we talked about in the topic of trashing, destroying or selling his old stuff. As I collect consoles and computers, I never have problems with backwards compatibility. F.ex. if I want to play a PSX game, I take my PSX and don't play it on a PS2. I just think that it feels more real.

[Submeg]

Fair enough, but I know that they guy I get my games from has told them that they are, so he is a bit pissed off right about now

[Harrison]

The compatibility issues with the PS3 are not as bad as you seem to be making out. A large proportion of PS2 games will still run perfectly well with no problems.

And most of the games with problems don't stop you playing the games. For Example Gran Turismo 4 only crashes if you leave it looping the games into movie for 4 times or more. Not something you will probably be doing if you have loaded it up to play. Others have minor graphical or audio glitches such as a few vertical strips appearing at a certain point in a game. All are a bit annoying but you can still play the games.

[Submeg]

I didnt know how bad it was going to be but at least that sounds ok. What about PS1 games?

[Harrison]

99% of PS1 games should work perfectly on the PS3 from the start. I have yet to see any reported as not working, or that have problems.

[Submeg]

Then why was everyone going so mental on the net?

[Teho]

Right. Anyone with half a brain could see that this hysteria was unfounded. But just to put the final nail into this, threespeech.com posted an interview with Phil Harrison earlier today, where he says:

Q: What is Sony’s thinking behind leaving the Emotion Engine off the motherboards of PAL PS3s?

Phil Harrison: “Our thinking involves being able to bring the latest hardware specification of the PS3 to Europe, although that does mean an initial slight reduction in the number of PS2 components. But it’s important to put that into context: there will still be thousands of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles playable on the PS3 at launch. It’s very easy to over-react. We’re working to introduce a resource on the Web to detail which titles will have backwards compatibility. And as we make firmware upgrades, we will be able to add to that list.”

Q: Can you give us a ballpark figure for the number of PS2 titles which will be playable at launch on the PS3?

PH: “The situation is changing every day, but on March 23, we expect the list to include over 1,000 PS2 titles.”

So no cause for worry then. 1000 PS2 titles is still less than 50% of the PS2 games released in europe (2,300+), but as he said they'll keep improving on that. Like most level-headed people had allready guessed.

[v85rawdeal]

The problem is, many people have "traded" in their PS2 to get the PS3, so when it comes out they wont be able to play any games...

My sentiments exactly... to this point i have sent the following e-mail to Sony...

Could you please let me know if you will be lifting all restrictions on the importing of japanese PS3 systems into the UK after the release of the Euro PS3, as I feel that I would so much better for myself by purchasing a system that I know will have very little difficulty in playing games that I have spent my cash on.

I feel very dissapointed in the lack of information on the software that will run on the PS3, and have no intention of buying the new system, to replace my broken ps2 (a purchase that I put off replacing because of the imminent release of the PS3) only to find out that all the new ps2 games I have purchased will not work on the system, when I know that i can then sell my games and purchase the japanese versions for less.

I would appreciate it if you could help me with this, otherwise I feel that my money may very get spent on an XBox 360

Mind you, i did forget to ask them if they had any intent of bringing out a PS3 Emulator for my PSP system