Yet again, a seemingly innocent press release from Sony – detailing the specification of the PAL territory PlayStation 3 – has been met with the reception you’d expect if the sky started falling in. That, as we all know, is because it revealed that PAL (why is Sony still calling them PAL, since HDMI renders the whole concept of PAL, NTSC and Secam redundant?) PS3s will have had the Emotion Engine chips surgically removed from their motherboards, so backwards compatibility with PS2 games will be achieved via software emulation. Sony’s decision to point consumers towards a website (http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc) detailing which PS2 games will be playable on the PS3, but which won’t go live until March 23 also hardly made PlayStation enthusiasts feel any less unloved. But we have good news: we managed to snatch a quick interview with head of worldwide studios Phil Harrison, in between putting the finishing touches to his Game Developers’ Conference keynote, and what he said firmly puts the contentious issue of backwards compatibility into storm-in-a-teacup territory.
Harrison would not be drawn on specific PS2 titles which will be playable on PS3 on March 23, but it seems the only problem we will have is deciding which ones to play: “The situation is changing every day, but on March 23, we expect the list to include over 1,000 PS2 titles.” That enough for you? Even when you’ve played your way through MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, Ridge Racer 7, Virtua Tennis 3, Call of Duty 3, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Formula One Championship Edition and so on?
Harrison also dropped another bombshell which could lead to a drop in the price of the PS3 sooner than expected – although that’s not good news for those who have placed pre-orders, it’s good news for the prospects of the PS3 in general. Alex Kwiatkowski, an analyst at Datamonitor, responded to the release of the PS3’s PAL hardware specs with what initially seemed a specious argument: “The move is significant, as it will have a positive impact on the PS3’s long-term cost profile. By launching the PS3 in Europe with the new chassis, Sony has at a stroke removed one of the barriers to future price reductions.” Yes, we all scoffed, but Sony has manufactured over 100 million Emotion Engines, so economies of scale dictate it’s a chip that couldn’t possibly cost more than a few pence to manufacture. Not so, reveals Harrison: “The Emotion Engine that has previously gone into PS3s on sale elsewhere in the world is a custom component that we have now removed from the motherboard of PAL PS3s.” So it will make an impact on the PS3’s cost of manufacture, after all. Not that PS3 price-cuts are expected by any rational people at any foreseeable time in the future, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Harrison adds: “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.” Having upgraded the firmware of our PS3 several times, we can confirm that it is a very easy process – and one which will become something that happens automatically when you are hooked up to the PlayStation Network.
There are no issues regarding backwards compatibility of PlayStation titles, and Harrison points out that: “There will still be thousands of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles playable on the PS3 at launch.” And who can honestly say that they ever played a PlayStation game on their PS2s? I personally, have played one on mine: the awesome Vib-Ribbon. And surely the vast majority of PS3 purchasers already own PS2s? Not that Sony themselves would ever be so gauche as to point that out.
You might ask why Harrison didn’t surface earlier with the information that there will still be over 1,000 PS2 titles playable on the PS3 at launch, and that the chip removed from PAL PS3s was a pricey custom effort, but give the man a break – he’s about to deliver the keynote at GDC (which takes place between 5 and 9 March – we’ll be reporting on it assiduously), and is running a vast international network of studios developing the games will show the world what the PS3 is all about. Some of which, Sony hints, will be shown at GDC for the first time. Keep your eye on Three Speech for all the details.
Here is the bulk of our recent chat with Phil Harrison:
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.”
Q: And presumably, you will be concentrating on the big titles?
PH: “We can’t give any information about specific titles but, clearly, that would be our policy.”
Q: It has been suggested that reducing the components on the PS3’s motherboard would pave the way for a reduction in its price to come about more quickly. Is that a fair analysis?
PH: “Price reductions are something that we wouldn’t comment on specifically. But you know the business model very well – we strive to get the cost of manufacturing down as soon as possible, and as soon as we can pass cost savings onto the consumers, we will.”
Q: Just how important is backwards-compatibility?
PH: “I think the reasons why people buy PS3s are the new games that it offers, and the HD content experiences provided by games and movies, the opportunity to access the PlayStation Network, and titles like MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man – leading-edge examples of what next-generation games are all about.”
Q: The flaw in the argument that removing the Emotion Engine from PAL PS3s is that you’ve manufactured over 100 million Emotion Engines. So, surely the Emotion Engtine can’t possibly cost you more than a few pence to manufacture?
PH: “If only that was the case.”
Q: Are you shifting capacity in your wafer fabs from making PS2 components to PS3 ones, then?
PH: “It’s not as simple as that – we’re obviously continuing to make PS2s in huge volumes, so there’s no reduction in that. But the Emotion Engine that has previously gone into PS3s on sale elsewhere in the world is a custom component that we have now removed from the motherboard of PAL PS3s.”
By Steve Boxer
Like it’s be said previously, this BC issue was always a ’storm in a PS3 tea cup’.
Comment by maikii — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:24 am
But if the GS is still there it cannot be such a big cost reduction.
Comment by Joakim Hagdahl — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:27 am
Thanks for putting my mind at rest threespeech!
Comment by reakt — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:28 am
Too little too late. My PS3 pre-order got cancelled on Friday and I bought a 360 on Saturday. BC *is* a big issue to more of us than Phil thinks.
Comment by Rhythm — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:44 am
Oh Mr Harrison. All this from the man that lambasted Microsoft for not offering 100% BC for XBox games on the XBox 360. He states that over 1000 PS2 titles will be compatible to run on the PS3. Out of almost 10,000. That’s 1/10th. Wow. Full on 100% BC eh Mr Harrison?
Then we have the sucker punch of Sony openly admitting to providing a cheaper product to PAL territories and charging more for it with the hope of reducing its price sooner rather than later. You have go to be kidding me? I mean really this is just a kick in the nads!
All I can say is to those that are buying a PS3 in 3 weeks time, assume the position…
Comment by Kropotkin — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:09 am
I agree with Kropotkin. Why why why can’t sony reps show european consumers some respect and give us simple answers instead of treating us like idiots? Fact is we pay more for less. Stop being so arrogant.
Comment by Alex — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:20 am
@Rhythm
And I assume that you are playing your PS2 titles on your new XB360 now
Oh wait, or may be you bought some of the few hundreds BC Xbox titles to play.
Comment by Max — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:22 am
In summary
Over 12% of PS2 games work
You don’t want BC
There is a price drop on the way
Comment by Sean — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:31 am
You better get a PS3 first and check it out before you complain all the f-ing time. I got one three months ago and I have to say, although it was expensive, also for me, Gran Turismo and Motorstorm Demo just are THAT MUCH fun I never regretted it. Believe it or not, but it’s totally amazing.
Once you start experiencing the new dimensions of next gen games, you not really are willing to go back to PS2, and if you want, just keep your old PS2 and play your games on it just like before you got a new machine. What’s the problem?
Comment by StopComplaining — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:45 am
“@Rhythm
And I assume that you are playing your PS2 titles on your new XB360 now ”
:-)
That’s the thing - I never owned a PS2 and was waiting for my PS3 so I could play Shadow of the Colossus and tens of other top games I never got the chance to play. It was a great way of justifying the purchase, especially given that the first months of the PS3 are looking so dry of releases.
Comment by Rhythm — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:52 am
I love the way Phil avoids answering the question.
Q: Just how important is backwards-compatibility?
PH: “I think the reasons why people buy PS3s are the new games that it offers, and the HD content experiences provided by games and movies, the opportunity to access the PlayStation Network, and titles like MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man – leading-edge examples of what next-generation games are all about.”
Comment by appmacguy — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:59 am
I see. Well, March/April/May is going to bring at least 10 top titles worth putting your eyes on (Now, there’s not much kick-ass stuff, you’re right: I got Resistance which is really great fun, for example the split screen coop mode, played it through twice with friends already): Motorstorm (Already the Demo kicks ass, Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion (updated and optimized grafics engine compared to xbox/pc), Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Lair – just to name a few.
Summer/Fall: Assassin’s Creed and Metal Gear Solid 4, possibly GTA 4 and Gran Turismo 5.
So is there anybody wanting to tell me this doesnt sound like weeks and weeks of fun?
Comment by StopComplaining — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:01 am
Buy a PS2 from ASDA for £49!!! you idiot!
You obviously dont like the PS3 as you have had nothing positive to say about it, oh and just another question??? Have you actually played on one yet?
Played it in November at the STUFF show and all i can say is that the room was pretty much built up on negativity towards which soon changed once people saw it in action!!
Trying to slam the PS3 down because you wanted to buy one to play PS2 games is just retarded
Comment by Sephirothsmoogle — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:07 am
Well least he gave a little bit more insight.. 1000 titles is fine i guess aslong as they include the latest and greatest and all time classic games. I wouldent mind poping in ff12 or 10 or GT4 from time to time.
Thanks threespeech
Comment by Ricky — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:10 am
#Comment 5 - Kropotkin#
Before making your next comment you may want to check your facts. There are currently around 2,500 PS2 games in Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2#Games
Comment by Three Speech — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:14 am
Maybe this comparison is wack, you decide. But back in the days I played games on my Game-Boy I ADORED, played them through like 5-10 times, but once I got my Game Boy Advance, I never touched them anymore because I just couldn’t do without color and new game features anymore. New concepts arose and this is basically how I feel when playing PS2 Games now on my PS3: the immersive factor is a lot smaller, I feel like scratching on the surface without really getting drawn into the game. Like I’ve looked into an another door that leads into a much bigger room. So I can’t go back to my cupboard anymore.
Comment by StopComplaining — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:19 am
I’d like to point out that the whole PS2 titles in Europe are about 2200 or so, so it’s safe to guess about 50% of the titles will work, according to Harrison’s interview.
Comment by ximpa — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:22 am
Plus (after this I gonna shut up): There’s no region restrictions for PS3 Games whatsoever. I ordered Virtua Fighter 5 (Asian Version) in Hong Kong, I ordered Resistance (US-Version), and they are in german even (Software, not the booklet, which I dindn’t need anyway since the In-Game-Tutorials are self-evident).
With PS2 Games you still get the country-code shit, order a game in the US (like a piece of software thats supposed to come out in european version months away) and without chip modification you are not going to be able to play it. Crap! I think that’s a big up for Sony to have let go of region restrictions for the PS3. Beside the stuff that went wrong with the PS3, there’s still some stuff that’s really great thinking.
Comment by StopComplaining — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:24 am
More Sony BS, STFU Phil you have broken enough already, let it die
Comment by meddow — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:37 am
What about free online service? Would you want to pay for XBox online services? I am VERY glad I don’t have to pay a single dime. Free online play, free Demos, fun downloadable content for cheap (like Tekken 5), HD-Movie-Trailers…
To me it seems a bit like everybody’s just trying to hate the PS3 so hard, without ever even having gotten close to one. Give it a shot, and look at the bright sides of the machine every once in a while.
Comment by StopComplaining — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:43 am
Cheers for the info. Don’t mind the trolls.
Comment by Shin-Ra — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:20 am
At last!
This is a very expensive and albeit very advanced console, but people were led to believe they could still run the best the PS2 can offer. I know Ico, SOTC, Okami, GOW2, FFXII, etc are last-gen, but it’s going to be a while before anything on the PS3 matches these titles. I’ve been playing HD games on the PC for years and I still play these low-res games. And no, I don’t want a pile of consoles and cables under my television thank you. That’s why Sony championed the whole idea of backwards compatibility in the first place and raised expectations for people like myself.
For early adopters and the huge amount of cash they’re asking, it’s not unreasonable to know if you’re old favourites are still going to work before making a purchase. People have reacted badly to the vague press release due to the perception of getting inferior backwards compatibility. This is compounded with issue of the other countries receiving a better version.
And for the record, Phil seems to have changed his stance on backwards compatibility:-
“[The PS3 will have] almost perfect backwards compatibility. There will be some exceptions, but we believe those will be even less than we saw from PSOne to PS2.”
Comment by roger mellie — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:41 am
As I said before
Sony’s “limited” could be over a 1000
And with over 2,457 PS2 games in europe 1000+ is a great number to start off with
I feel sorry for the ppl that overreacted and brought a 360
Red Rings of Death & shooters are all you’re gonna see this year
I still don’t get it thou
there’s a chance that you wont be able to play Fantavision at launch
so you ppl decide “if I can’t play Fantavision I don’t want Motorstorm, VF5, DMC4, MGS4, Heavenly Sword, FFXIII and Lair
its not worth without fanta!
Comment by TGO — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:41 am
1000 out of 2300 PAL PS2 games (roughly speaking).
That’s very good for a start. Hopefully more firmware updates will increase that number too.
Comment by Joel — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:46 am
@ Number 12
I have to totally agree with you on this one! The majority of people buying a PS3 to play PS2 games must be less than 1% who pre-ordered, plus the Euro launch line-up has enough to keep most gamers happy for a few months, we would like 100% BC who wouldnt but the games that made the PS2 like shadow of the colossus, all GTA, Final Fantasy ect ect I could go on forever here will be compatible and i’d imagine all games like Buzz, singstar ect will also be compatible. Chances are i’ll play only one or two of my ps2 games exactly as I did with the PS1/PS2 Switchover. Next-gen gaming will blow most people away so much they’ll wonder how they managed so long with ps2 considering the 360 has been around for about a year. Let’s not forgot that the 360 may have some better games and exclusives right now but one or two years down the line and PS3 will dominate the market again, a fully loaded 360 costs £270, chuck in a HD-DVD player and the costs are the same for each machine next-gen gaming will soon need increased disc space (resistance is 25gb on disc!)Sony is forcing the HD format onto us now so they won’t have to revise thier console in 3-5 years like the 360 will. I do however think that Sony try to shoot themselves in the foot though with the press releases they have regarding the EU launch but i cant wait to get my PS3 and play games like Motorstorm, Oblivion and Resistance!
Comment by bmaindj — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
@Rhythm
”
“@Rhythm
And I assume that you are playing your PS2 titles on your new XB360 now ”
:-)
That’s the thing - I never owned a PS2 and was waiting for my PS3 so I could play Shadow of the Colossus and tens of other top games I never got the chance to play. It was a great way of justifying the purchase, especially given that the first months of the PS3 are looking so dry of releases.
Comment by Rhythm — March 1, 2007 @ 9:52 am”
All I can say to you, is that you must be really dumb. Buying a PS3 just to play the lastest PS2 games, when you can buy a PS2 for around £50.
This excuse is so old it’s laughable.
If you only want to play the latest batch of decent PS2 titles, because there is nothing you want on PS3, then buy a PS2 not a PS3 and wait for the PS3 price to drop.
I think most of the people that make this excuse, are just making an excuse for the sake of making an excuse.
Yep, really dumb.
Comment by Cape — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
@Cape
If it’s such a dumb idea then why include the PS2 backwards compatibility at all? Sony made this one of their selling points, that’s why. They even made fun of Microsoft for not having any decent backwards compatibility.
Why can’t YOU get it into your thick skull that people don’t want multiple consoles under their television? To dismiss the huge and rich PS2 library is pretty stupid and not everyone will have played the key titles.
Comment by cape fear — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
Hmm… as much as the argument of buy a PS3 to play PS3 games is a valid one surely you don’t want me missing out on the many PS2 titles that have yet to be released, God of War 2, Rogue Galaxy, etc etc.
And I’m probably with the majority who will probably trade in their PS2’s for a PS3 to save up cluttering space under the TV, anyway why keep a PS2 around when the PS3 could do the same job?
The only problem i have with Shunning Europe like this is that i don’t know if any new PS2 games i was planning to buy will work on it straight away.
Comment by Steroyd — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Okay so 1000 (games per article) /2400(games released) = a 41% compatability rate. Not too bad - but could be MUCH better…
All I want to know is whether Final Fantasy 12 will work (this is after all a major release) - and ICO (which IMHO is one of the greatest games of all time)
Comment by Bazlurgan — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
There are exactly 2451 EU PAL games, not 10000. Emulating 1000 from the get go isn’t too bad, assuming that they are the games people expect to be able to play on the PS3. We know there is a great deal of dross available for the PS2 and I doubt anybody would be happy if the 1000 titles mostly consist of it.
Comment by DrXym — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
I’m all for having BC for PS2 games on the PS3, and yes, being able to get rid of your PS2 from under the TV if you don’t have the space is a good idea.
However, I think all this stupid talk of people saying they are buying the PS3 just to play the latest PS2 games is ridiculous, because a slimline PS2 really doesn’t take up much space at all.
The thing that is really stupid, is the people saying they aren’t going to buy a PS3 now, because they wanted to play the latest PS2 titles on it because the PS3 titles are lacking. That is what is plain dumb. If you want to play the latest PS2 titles because PS3 is lacking titles you want to buy, then buy a cheap £50 PS2 until the time comes that the PS3 has what you want.
Me, I have more than enough room, for 360, Xbox, PS2, PS3, Wii and my PC’s and other computers, that I’m quite happy. Then again, I suppose most people don’t have the space I do.
But Still, that excuse about buying the PS3 for PS2 gaming when nothing for PS3 exists that they want, is what I was referring to as being dumb, not the PS2 BC being dumb, as I’ll be quite happy if that happens.
I just think people are blowing it all out of proportion before they even see what Sony has planned.
Oh, and Cape fear, was that name supposed to put the fear into me?
Comment by Cape — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
I’m quite surprised at the small number of people who play ps1 games on their ps2 and intend to play these legacy games on their ps3. I often enjoy playing ps1 games on my ps2, particularly since I can now afford to buy the games I wanted when I was at school/university on eBay for next to nothing. Many ps1 games are still outstanding to play and represent fantastic value for money. I’m relieved that such a large number of ps2 games will by playable on the ps3 out of the box but hope that Sony do not forget their promise to provide backwards compatibilty across the playstation brand or corner the customer to re-purchasing older games as downloads.
Comment by Crickson — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
Why is everyone missing the point here? The fact is Sony lied. They freaking lied. They said the PS3 would be 100% backwards compatible. They said it would launch in Europe on 17 November 2006 and they said that their online service would be similar in quality to XBox live. They have achieved none of these things.
Now I grant you some may regard BC as not an issue as they want a PS3 to play PS3 games on, which is fine. But many people will be buying a PS3 in the assumption that they can play any PS branded game on it then they can’t. This is something Sony themselves cited as being very important in their bore-athon E3 2006 press conference whilst suggesting giant crabs existed in feudal Japan.
Now I grant you I did get my 10,000 figure ever so wrong so I apologise for that but 1000 titles out of 2500 is 40%. Not 100%. There is no excuse for this other than Sony seem to enjoy treating the PAL territories in a similar fashion to pond scum. They’ve done it before and they will do it again. Although no where near as bad as Nintendo did with its price fixing in the late 1990’s…
Comment by Kropotkin — Mar 1, 2007 @ 12:58 pm
It’s also worth considering that consoles do not last forever. I’ve seen out two ps1 and I’m on my second ps2. It’d be shame to have a great library of games sit redundant because operating hardware can no longer be found.
Comment by Crickson — Mar 1, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
do all the people complain have like the entire ps2 library? I mean wait for the list to come out and then flame… if it plays ALL your games it should be fine.and we buy new machine to play new games not play old games…. like phil said.. by the time you beat all these new games the support list wouldve increased drastically
Comment by shaselai — Mar 1, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
I think, unlike others who have posted here, I’m not well up on specs for consoles (although I have done as much research as I understand) so the war on 360 vs PS3 is lost on me… I just go for what I feel I would like to play and what is more beneficial for me personally.
However, I feel cheated by PS not doing a 100% BC… One of the main reasons I’ve pre-ordered a PS3 is so I can play the games I already own - I have always been a PS fan and have never owned an X-box (although I admit I was impressed playing one). Why is it we have to rely on having our fingers crossed with which games we can play and have to have a PS2 under the TV when we were assured we wouldn’t have to?
Cheated. Cheated. Cheated.
Comment by Amanda — Mar 1, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
This could have been solved if they had bothered to release the 20gb version in Europe.
20 gb - limited bc
60 gb - full bc
Comment by Roger — Mar 1, 2007 @ 1:49 pm
I wonder how many people on this comments list still play ps1 games on there ps2…backwards compatibility is a big deal when game systems first come out but i mean come on. I have 7 ps1 games that I haven’t played in almost 4 years the only reason I played them on the ps2 in the first place is because at the time there where no good games and I wanted to test the backward compatibility.
Comment by dolby — Mar 1, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
“That enough for you?”
Well my preorder is still cancelled and I wont be getting a PS3 on launch day so … no. I’ll wait for the website to launch and see how many of the games I’ve got to play on the PS2 work with the PS3. My own PS2 is dying and wont play many of my games so I may settle for a second hand PS2 till christmas.
Backward Compatability may not be a big issue in a couple of years when the more games have been released for the PS3 but until that happens it’d be nice for Europeans to be able to play the huge amount of great games available for the PS2 like American and Asian PS3 owners.
Comment by elmuerko — Mar 1, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
“The PS3 will feature backwards compatibility with PS and PS2 games from day one. I’m emphasizing this because, from what I hear, there are some platforms that haven’t been able to completely do this. It’s costly in terms of hardware, but we’d rather [invest] firmly on compatibility from the beginning, rather than to have issues later on.”
- Ken Kutaragi
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146007.html
Comment by Xbugs — Mar 1, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Phil Harrison on backwards compatibility
“Backwards compatibility, as you know from PlayStation One and PlayStation 2, is a core value of what we believe we should offer. And access to the library of content people have created, bought for themselves, and accumulated over the years is necessary to create a format. PlayStation is a format meaning that it transcends many devices — PSOne, PS2, and now PS3.”
http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=55108
Comment by Alex — Mar 1, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
1000 titles. That’s about 985 too many. I’d be happy having 15 games compatible, as long as those 15 are the ones I own myself.
So what if 1000 titles is less than 50% of the PS2-game catalogue? Who the hell is going to play *one* *thousand* PS2-games on their PS3? If you have that much time on your hand, I can’t say I envy you…
Who cares how many games are backwards compatible, as long as they are the right games; the Resident Evil-series, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, Gran Turismo, God of War, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, etc Who gives a shit if Fifa2001 or Tony Hawk 2 will play on your PS3 when you have Fifa2008 and Tony Hawk17?
Comment by [wcip]Angel — Mar 1, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
So Sony are trying to save money on producing the PS3, by taking bits out that where released in other regions last year.
While I can’t really seeing this been a huge problem to the degree everyone is complaining about I have to questions that Sony has already slapped Europe enough in the face already.
They are going to release a slightly different PS3, that actually costs more in Europe then it did in the US/Japan. You can quibble all you want about taxes etc.. but you are really asking people alot to fork out €600 euros on launch day to just get a machine and then having to fork out another €70 for a sup par give the release games are not all that exciting.
Sony really needs to look hard and actually give something to Europe else no one will actually bother.
I own both a PS1, PS2 and a PSP I am no fanboy but I am having serious doubts about spending a lot of money of something that is actually cutdown.
Comment by Ali — Mar 1, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
Personally I would prefer it if Sony put the Emotion Engine in the PS3, but as it is, with 1000 PS2 games playable and more available with the latest Firmware updates, I don’t really care.
Comment by HyperTails — Mar 1, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
why aint we seeing a cheaper ps3 right now? sorry but if you think that i will pay more for a console that has been downgraded your having a laugh
Comment by stehen — Mar 1, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
Without naming specific games (like Okami, Final Fantasy XII, God of War 2 etc) that ‘1000 titles’ promise doesn’t really mean anything.
Are we going to have an Xbox 360-style ‘why does Barbie’s Horse Adventure work but Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath doesn’t’ situation on March 23rd?
Comment by Stuart X Pearce — Mar 1, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
“Too little too late. My PS3 pre-order got cancelled on Friday and I bought a 360 on Saturday. BC *is* a big issue to more of us than Phil thinks.”
If that’s the case, then why did you buy a 360? It has far less titles for BC, by percentage and the 360 is getting CRUSHED in the actual number of titles. Around 10 to 1.
Either way, I hope you get to one day enjoy all the great PS2 (and even PS1) titles you missed out on.
Comment by mega-man — Mar 1, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Is God of War 2 last gen? Will it play on the PS3? Is FFXII last gen? Will it play on the PS3? Is Guitar Hero II last gen? Will it play on the PS3? What about all the GTA fans out there? Which and how well will theirs run from day one? Don’t even get me started on other great games that were popular on the PS2.
I’m sure that down the road there will be many more games out on the PS3. But until the PS3’s library reaches about some percentage (say 10?) of the size of the PS2’s, the fact is that there are very little games currently available or will be available on the PS3.
Lots of current owner of the PS2’s draw to the PS3 is that they can still play their fun games while PS3’s own library built up. Many are upgrading because their existing PS2 is either starting to show the wear and is breaking down and they don’t want to buy another ‘last gen’ box. I guess maybe Sony is doing this so that these ppl would HAVE to buy another ‘last gen’ box so that they can play their favorite games (either in existance or is coming out).
Fanboys, stop for a min and really think about what is it that you’re buying.
Comment by DreamingOfaPrefectWorld — Mar 1, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
[…] Three Speech spoke with Harrison recently about the subject and was told: […]
Pingback by FBMD Developers Blog » Blog Archive » Phil Harrison talks about PS3 Backwards Compatibility — Mar 1, 2007 @ 5:37 pm
[…] Mucha polémica se ha levantado tras el anuncio de que Playstation 3 llegaría a Europa sin emulación por Hardware. Para calmar un poco todo este lio, Phill Harrison hacía unas declaraciones al blog Three Speech en las que aseguraba 1000 títulos de PS2 emulados perfectamente en PS3 desde el lanzamiento de la nueva consola de Sony. Comentaba también que el chip para emular mediante software no estaba creado especificamente para Playstation 3 y su coste era demasiado elevado. Y una vez más, nos asalta la duda de ¿Y dónde esta la rebaja para Europa si llega una consola más barata? Aclaraba también que casi todos los títulos de PSOne se podrán jugar sin problemas. […]
Pingback by Gamepod-Online - Información a diario sobre videojuegos, Programa de Rádio-Online y mucho más. — Mar 1, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
Whichever idiot suggested it was 1/10 of titles, its actually 43.3% since Europe has 2,308 titles as of September 2006.
Good of Phil to clear up some issues. My problem isnt that we’re getting limited BC, its that we’re getting limited BC and still paying more. The fact that so many Sony executives said BC is so important and it will be 98% etc. just adds insult to injury.
I’ll only be playing a few PS2 titles on my PS3 anyway.
Comment by Tom Eccles — Mar 1, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
ahahhhahaa LAUGHED at those who cancelled their order.. HAHHAHAA OWNED..
Comment by [-Z-] — Mar 1, 2007 @ 6:17 pm
1000 titles sounds pretty good, but what really matters is whether the top titles that are still being released in Europe will work. I’d guess that the games released late in PS2 lifecycle will be the most difficult to emulate, because they are pushing PS2 hardware to its absolute limit and are using every trick found in PS2 lifetime to squeeze those last bits of performance out of the machine.
There are still lots of very good games released for PS2 this year in Europe (FFXII, Okami, God Hand, Digital Devil Saga 2, Rogue Galaxy). 1000 games mean nothing, if it’s mainly shite from six years ago.
Comment by norad — Mar 1, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
@Tom Eccles - And whichever idiot suggested that the 1000 mentioned backward compatible titles are actually 1000 of those roughly 2500 available European titles? Not Mr. Sony Sarariman here. Might as well be 1000 of the entire library of 10000 PS games on the market. Considering Sony’s blistering list of blunders, I will just wait and see what its going to be. However, even 43% is pretty crappy compared to 98% of the USA/Japanese model. Thank god that we have at least the honor to pay a premium price for the - for Sony - more cost-effective model. So very considerate. At least something to feel special about. No better milk cow than the PAL market.
Comment by Fidian — Mar 1, 2007 @ 7:23 pm
Euro PS3 will play 43.3% of PS2 titles…
In an interview on ThreeSpeech today, Phil Harrison said that the European Playstation 3 will be able to play “more than 1000 titles”. He would not say which ones, only that the full list and numbers will be available on the 23rd. Taking t…
Trackback by Absolute Blog — Mar 1, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
That’s pretty good compared to what it could have been. It’s still really pretty shoddy compared to the ‘near-100%’ we were promised.
Comment by iapetus — Mar 1, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
i can’t beleive there are still idiots on this site who cancelled their ps3 pre-orders and bought an xbox,last time i checked the xbox couldn’t do it,why would you spend £425 to play ps2 games when asda are doing a ps2 for £50,wise up and stop looking for things to complain about,if the european’s weren’t getting the silver trim that runs along the ps3 i’m sure idiots would complain about that too, who cares? i want ps3 games to play
Comment by marko — Mar 1, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
[…] Source […]
Pingback by KiffNews.com » Blog Archive » La PS3 européenne compatible avec 1000 jeux PS2 — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
[…] Afirmatia a fost facuta de catre Phil Harrison, seful SCE WWS (Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios) pentru TreeSpeech. […]
Pingback by PS3 va recunoaste peste 1000 de jocuri PS2 « bliTz — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
Has anyone asked the question concerning what the Emotion Engine is used for when not emulating PS2?
I see big red warning lights flashing at the moment. Having hardware that’s available for PS3 games being replaced by software emulation sounds like something that could be detrimental to future PS3 game performance.
I mean, if there’s a chip that can do 1+1 for you for free, wouldn’t you use it instead of writing an algorithm for it?
Comment by Vlad — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
Interestingly enough, 1000 titles is only 300 less than the entire number of games released in NA. It’s quite possible that as they improved software emulation, Europe will actually have more BC than NA.
Comment by Veritas II — Mar 1, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R98qC0fd_1w
Silly silly fanboys.
Comment by Sylus — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
Fidian… not sure about you but I dont think Sony would provide backwards compatibility on the European Playstation 3 for games that havent been published in Europe.
Comment by Tom Eccles — Mar 1, 2007 @ 9:41 pm
I know that Croatia is a small market for BIG SONY, and that they couldnt’t care less for us here, but I am very dissapointed and very very sad because of that decision (cutting the EE out of “PAL” PS3 consoles).
I am giving up on Sony, I am going to buy Xbox 360!
That’s final.
Comment by Ivica from Croatia — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:02 pm
A thousand huh?
Okayyy.
I seem to recall a basic marketing strategy that says ‘get them to buy new stuff’.
I suspect that more recent PS2 games like FF-XII, Kingdom Hearts 2 and Guitar Hero II will play OK. If Guitar Hero II offers a Hi Def play option it must be PS3 playable.
Maybe a good guess is the better the graphics the more likely the game will play on a PS3.
Comment by Sil — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
[…] Read - Harrison interview [Via Joystiq]Read - Upscaling rumor [Via PS3 Fanboy] […]
Pingback by TightReviews.com » Blog Archive » Sony’s Harrison on Euro PS3: 1,000 PS2 games at launch — Mar 1, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
The solution… buy a JAP PS3 with Emotion Engine !
Comment by Mudrk — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
[…] Read - Harrison interview [Via Joystiq]Read - Upscaling rumor [Via PS3 Fanboy] […]
Pingback by Sony’s Harrison on Euro PS3: 1,000 PS2 games at launch -- oGadget.com - The Gadget Blog — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
“And who can honestly say that they ever played a PlayStation game on their PS2s?” - Steve Boxer
I can. Resident Evil 1-2-3, Parasite Eve 2, Silent Hill, Fear Effect 1-2, Vagrant Story, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Dino Crisis 1-2, Tomb Raider 1-2-3, Final Fantasy 7-8, Soul Reaver, … need I go on? Over the past 4-5 years, I extensively played my PS1 library on the PS2, mainly because of the benefits from the faster loading times and smoother textures (although there were texture errors in some games, I must admit). The PS2 also seemed to scratch the game CDs far less than the PS1, so it was a more than welcome transition. Of course, I also began playing PS2 titles during this time, but all in all the PS1/PS2 ratio was about 8/2 in the beginning and eventually transitioned into a 3/7. Why I still played the PS1 games? Because quite simply put, they’re still pretty good. And it’s the same with the AAA PS2 titles. Sure, weak in the graphics area compared to the current standard, but great in story and gameplay. Purty gfx and sounds does not make a purty game.
Perhaps it was this positive BC memory which fueled my anger when hearing the Euro PS3 wasn’t going to offer the same experience. Perhaps it was the fact that I’d be paying more than USA or Japan for less hardware. Perhaps it was the fact that Sony decided to not specify anything more on the matter and would only open their compatibility list on launch day. Perhaps it’s this whole BC “core value” vision being not that core anymore.
Either way, thank you Three Speech, for getting the additional information on such short notice. Giving us all at least an indication of the size of the BC list is a good thing.
Analysing Phil’s response, I do have some afterthoughts, though:
“It’s very easy to over-react.”
Why yes, sir, the overall vagueness of SCEE’s previous press release concerning the matter tends to promote such behaviour in droves. Perhaps including mentioned ballpark estimate in said release would’ve made it just a little less easy for everyone to over-react? Surely the general response over the past few days didn’t come as a surprise?
“And as we make firmware upgrades, we will be able to add to that list.”
Yes, as is Microsoft with their console. Hopefully, a higher standard than theirs will be maintained lest someone eventually utters the words, “I don’t believe that was backwards compatibility, either”.
Comment by VMerken — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:29 pm
[…] Unfortunately, most of the other questions were dodged expertly. View the full interview here […]
Pingback by Think Theory » Blog Archive » Phil Harrison On PAL Woes — Mar 1, 2007 @ 11:42 pm
[…] Read - Harrison interview [Via Joystiq]Read - Upscaling rumor [Via PS3 Fanboy] […]
Pingback by King of News » Blog Archive » Sony’s Harrison on Euro PS3: 1,000 PS2 games at launch — Mar 2, 2007 @ 12:02 am
[…] Interview - Phil Harrison on Backwards Compatibility Enlace Permanente | Enviar por email a un amigo Más anotaciones de: Noticias, Playstation3 […]
Pingback by Ecetia » Sigue el drama: Harrison habla de la retro-compatibilidad del PS3 — Mar 2, 2007 @ 7:11 am
[…] Source: Three Speech » EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - PHIL HARRISON ON BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY […]
Pingback by LazyGamer.co.za » Blog Archive » PHIL HARRISON ON BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY — Mar 2, 2007 @ 7:14 am
[…] Jetzt hat der Chef von Sony Worldwide Studios versucht, mit einem Interview auf Three Speech die Wogen zu Glätten, wo er sagt, es werden über tausend Titel der PS2 auf der PS3 spielbar sein. […]
Pingback by medienlese » Blog Archiv » PS3 nur beschränkt abwärts-kompatibel — Mar 2, 2007 @ 9:55 am
Kropotkin, ok, so Sony CAN’T predict the future, just like everybody else. What’s your point.
Specifications are adapted to the circumstances. As long as the product isn’t released, it isn’t final. People like you are *exactly* why Sony is staying so close-mouthed, because otherwise whatever they say will be taken as a promise and all hell will break loose if they don’t deliver on every single thing.
~Grauw
Comment by Laurens Holst — Mar 2, 2007 @ 11:12 am
Threespeech, any news about the immersion/sony legal case? It appears news agencies are reporting the case is over..
Could mean PS3 getting ‘TouchSense’? Hope so… but there is no point in including the new controller for launch as no games would support it yet anyway. Nice to buy as an extra later though.
Looks like Sony listented to everyone that wanted vibration function back!
Comment by Royster — Mar 2, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
Anger subsiding, cool refreshing breeze in my face, ahhhhhhh.
Well im glad that the outrage the first statment caused has prompted a follow up statement by Sony, this is a good thing. The nearest thing you get for this thing for Microsoft is BBC watch dog.
50% of the games compatable is very good if you think out the 2000 or so PS2 titles there are games you wouldnt play at all anymore (all the old fifa games from way back in the day as an example)
So if Sony target the key games which im sure they will all is good in the hood as they say.
Still slightly miffed that the yanks and the japs dont get shafted with it but i guess its coming.
Comment by Scorn — Mar 2, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
@ Grauw
What on earth is that supposed to mean? Sony made promises they failed to keep! They stated everything I cited in my post (no. 33 folks!) in a public forum at last years painfully dull giant crab fixated press conference. I don’t remember anyone saying at that press conference ‘ooh by the way this is all subject to change as we really can’t guarantee any of this’.
They made absolute statements and failed to live up to them. For that should should be vilified.
Lets consider their competitors behaviour: Nintendo were honest about the capablities of the Wii and agreed that it is not the most powerful machine in the next gen market. Microsoft openly admitted that the XBox 360 would not be 100% BC yet Sony attacked them for doing that. They also released the machine when they said they would.
Sony’s competitors have not lied in the build up to the release of their consoles and have delivered on their promises.
Further, neither of the two companies cited above has ripped PAL territories by releasing a reduced spec console. Unlike Sony.
Sony has lied repeatedly and failed to deliver. They should therefore be held to account for their actions.
Comment by Kropotkin — Mar 2, 2007 @ 1:20 pm
Backwards compatibility is a BIG issue to me. I don’t care if it’s managed on software or hardware basis.
The fact that European users always get their butt ****ed is obvious. It has always been that way. I hate sony for that. I mean, MS and big N don’t do that to us, do they?
I WILL buy a PS3, but not at any rate. EUR599 for that gaming eunuch is way too much for me. 499 for a double-castrated machine is just a joke…Come on, Sony, why does it always have to be us Europeans?
Comment by Sebi — Mar 2, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
I’d be more worried about the lack of a really great game to put the marketing campaign underway. Xbox 360 has Halo 3, Wii had Zelda and now SMG. Sony needs it’s partner studios to forget about PS2 for a while and start releasing Okami’s, MGS, Katamary’s and FF’s for PS3.
If you look at what made the PS2 great, you’d realize it was the amount of key games, but at the same time it had a lot of utter crap, so I think people need to chill. Some of the best PS2 games came only a couple of years ago.
Comment by Nouveau — Mar 2, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
[…] Sony’s own Phil Harrison has confirmed that the Euro version of the PS3 will include emulated support of “over 1000 PS2 titles.” While a bit stronger than the 360’s compatibility list it’s still less than half of the PS2 games currently available in Europe. […]
Pingback by Stuff I See » Blog Archive » PS3 Story Confirmed — Mar 2, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
[…] There would be over 1000 PS2 titles which will be playable at launch on the PS3. Recently ‘Three Speech’ has a chat with Phil Harrison. He said - “The situation is changing every day, but on March 23, we expect the list to include over 1,000 PS2 titles.” The full list will we available from March 23 onwards at Playstation 3 website Regarding the imporatnce of backward compatibility Phil Harrison said: “I think the reasons why people buy PS3s are the new games that it offers, and the HD content experiences provided by games and movies, the opportunity to access the PlayStation Network, and titles like MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man – leading-edge examples of what next-generation games are all about.” Read complete story […]
Pingback by » Over 1000 PS2 titles will be playable on European PS3 - Gadrev — Mar 2, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
Sony has no respect for European/Australian/New Zealand customers. I’ve spent more than $5,000 on Sony consoles, games and accessories. I took it on the chin when they delayed the PS3 four months. I took it on the chin when they announced that it would cost A$1,000. But hobbling the console for a friggin $30 component tells me that there are morons running that company and there’s an iceberg ahead for the good ship Sony. I’m buying an Xbox 360 and Wii this weekend and will buy a PS3 when it gets to $300-if they’re still in the console game at that stage.
Comment by Dirk — Mar 3, 2007 @ 12:03 am
“(why is Sony still calling them PAL, since HDMI renders the whole concept of PAL, NTSC and Secam redundant?)”
Umm, it’s coments liek this that betray that the blog is written by people who don;t really “get it” - the industry I mean.
The reason dear author is that HDMI is irrelevant for the vast majority of PS3 users, as HD is irrelevant for the vast majority of 360 owners. HD flat panels are becoming more common but most consoles are used on second sets which will not be mostly HD for a long time.
Becuase of the way Live works MS know exactly how many of their users are using HD and how many are using SD - notice how they have never shouted about it?
Fact is HD will become important - one day, and it’s nice for us hardcore gamers but to your average gamer it means nothing. 720p, 1080i, 1080p means nothing if you are playingon a 14″ portable in your bedroom.
Comment by shinesevens — Mar 3, 2007 @ 11:59 am
this site is just a big PR machine. might as well be posting press releases.
oops.
Comment by el moco — Mar 3, 2007 @ 10:05 pm
Everyone keeps saying its stupid to buy a PS3 for backward compatability. Thats fine if you can afford to buy the latest games/consoles all the time, but for those of us on a budget, BC IS a big deal. I had my PS2 for near on 2-3 years before I seriosly invested in PS2 games. Not cause i didn’t want to play them, but simply cause i couldn’t afford them. Of course id splurge on one now and then, but the majority of games i bought were PS1 simply cause they were cheaper, and because there were a plethora of games that i couldn’t afford when the PS1 was the latest and greatest thing. Some of us do need to leech on the games as they become less “cutting edge” and move into the “classics” category. Quite simply for those of us who shudder at the price of new titles, backward compatibility is a big deal. Ultimately, now that I’m not in the same finacial situation I was when PS2 was released, I doubt i will realistically want to play PS2 titles once i get into the new stuff. Yet I still feel betrayed by what seems to be a shameless grab for money at the expense of PAL gamers.
Comment by Tim — Mar 4, 2007 @ 11:02 am
LOL at the moron who cancelled his PS3 preorder to buy a 360 citing BC as a big issue (Enjoy the 350 versions of Barbies Horse adventure playable on the 360) Moron.
@ LOL at the Dumbass who stated there are 10,000 games available for PS2, Dumbass.
PS1 Emulation Is a go, PS2 BC is larger than expected and will continue to improve as the emulation software improves.
Stupid morons.
@ THe Biggest Dumbass is… the fools who are ready to shell out 600$ bucks on a new system to citing the ability to play old games as a make or break feature. F**king Retards LOL
Comment by LOL IDIOTS — Mar 4, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
lol again @ spending money to play games that your stupid ass can play on an old system.
Comment by LOL IDIOTS — Mar 4, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
[…] This should be the end of the backwards compatibility information. First, we told you about Sony getting rid of a portion of backwards compatibility, then we mused that the decrease in manufacturing costs due to the change may lead to a price drop by the end of the year. Sony recently talked about the issue and RumorReporter said that in addition to this, summer may yield a new firmware update that upscales PS2 and PS-One games to 720p or 1080i. There. Now it’s all in front of you. Let’s move on to what Phil Harrison said to the semi-official ThreeSpeech in an exclusive interview. […]
Pingback by PS3 Game Geek » Phil Harrison promises 1,000 backwards compatible titles for Europe — Mar 4, 2007 @ 9:25 pm
[…] This should be the end of the backwards compatibility information. First, we told you about Sony getting rid of a portion of backwards compatibility, then we mused that the decrease in manufacturing costs due to the change may lead to a price drop by the end of the year. Sony recently talked about the issue and RumorReporter said that in addition to this, summer may yield a new firmware update that upscales PS2 and PS-One games to 720p or 1080i. There. Now it’s all in front of you. Let’s move on to what Phil Harrison said to the semi-official ThreeSpeech in an exclusive interview. […]
Pingback by Phil Harrison promises 1,000 backwards compatible titles for Europe » PS3 Game Players — Mar 4, 2007 @ 9:25 pm
In Australia, the PS3 will cost $999. A quick check on ozforex.com would place that at exactly $776.22.
In Aus, We’ll be paying around AU (US$176) more for our console. Now we don’t get BC.
Sony is irresponsible and do not care about their consumers.
Comment by Dale J Williams — Mar 5, 2007 @ 3:03 am
jesus wept!!! leave it!!!
as somebody correctly pointed out in a previous post…with a ’software emulator ‘
IT IS possible to upscale AND add graphical effects to earlier games(PS1/PS2)…but nigh on impossible with a hardware chip WITHOUT a built in upscaler!
WE WILL GET IT CHEAPER EVENTUALLY! (enouth moaning with regards to the price here)
bloody hell…it WILL work out better in the long run
;)
Comment by seedaripper — Mar 5, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
[…] Phil Harrison, seines Zeichens Sonys Oberboss in Sachen Laber/Rababer, tut auf der Game Developers Conference etwas was ich von Sony kaum noch erwartet hätte: Er kündigt eine Art eierlegende Wollmilchsau des Internetzeitalters an: Playstation Home. […]
Pingback by Kantenflimmern » Playstation Home: MySecondMiispaceMMORPG — Mar 7, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
I sold my PS2 a few weeks ago in advance of the PS3 launch next week. I though if I sold it early then I would get more for it - unlike Phill Harrison, im not a rich man. A couple of days later, Sony announce the removal of the emotion chip in the European consoles so I may not even be able to play all, if any, of my PS2 games. I may have to go any buy another PS2 now. This is the kind of thing that is making people angry with Sony.
Would Sony try this trick on the US market? I think not.
MS said they would keep adding more Xbox titles to the BC list on the 360 - i beleive they do it very infrequently. I bet sony will do the same.
So it may be a storm in a tea cup for Sony, but its a real issue for me.
Comment by Gaffs — Mar 14, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
[…] Which titles are being backwardly supported hasn’t been released yet as the backwards compatibility site hasn’t gone up yet, but 1000 games is a very good number compared to the support that Microsoft gave older XBOX games when the 360 was released a year ago.� More information on this can be found at the Three Space blog, which is apparently a semi-official Sony blog by clicking here. Looks like I’ll need to try an get a pre-order done again after cancelling my PS3 in haste. Don’t like my chances. Doh! […]
Pingback by Over 1000 Games. « entertainment overload — Apr 18, 2007 @ 8:43 am
[…] In an “exclusive interview” with “semiofficial” Playstation blog, Threespeech, Sony’s Phil Harrison provides some clarity regarding the PAL PS3’s range of backwards compatibility, not to mention the opportunity to place even more quotation marks into this paragraph. “The situation is changing every day, but on March 23, we expect the list to include over 1,000 PS2 titles.” Sony’s head of worldwide studios is referring to the list of PS2 games that are expected to be supported by the software emulation found in European PS3s. This announcement certainly defuses some of the controversy that resulted from Sony announcing the removal of PS2 hardware from European PS3 systems. After promising software support for a “limited” number of titles, many European gamers were feeling rightly cheated for having to pay a higher price for a PS3 with fewer features. Though the specific titles that comprise the list have yet to be announced (Harrison notes that Sony’s policy is to focus on popular titles), it seems Sony is already far better equipped than Microsoft when it comes to fighting the inevitable onslaught of gamers complaining about their favorite title not being supported. […]
Pingback by Over 1,000 PS2 games to be backwards compatible with Euro PS3-- eGamingLot — May 3, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
[…] Read - Harrison interview [Via Joystiq]Read - Upscaling rumor [Via PS3 Fanboy] […]
Pingback by Multimedias.mobi » Sony’s Harrison on Euro PS3: 1,000 PS2 games at launch — May 6, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
[…] More information on this can be found at the Three Space blog, which is apparently a semi-official Sony blog by clicking here. Looks like I’ll need to try an get a pre-order done again after cancelling my PS3 in haste. Don’t like my chances. Doh! […]
Pingback by Over 1000 Games. « And Through It All… — Sep 25, 2007 @ 2:46 pm
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