PS3 backwards-compatibility lag in Australia, Europe due to costs

[Lovecraft13]

When news first broke late last week of PlayStation 3 units in Australia and Europe being less backwards-compatible than US and Japanese models, many speculated that the move was all about cutting costs on Sony's next-generation console. Sony Computer Entertainment Australia managing director Michael Ephraim has now confirmed that to GameSpot AU, saying that software emulation of PS2 games was the cheaper option for Sony on the PS3.

The Australian and European model of the PlayStation 3, which is set for launch on March 23, 2007, will use different hardware specifications from the models already released in Japan on November 11, 2006, and in the US on November 17. Backwards compatibility is one of the key differences, with the new PS3s compatible with only a "limited range" of PS2 titles and a "broad range" of original PlayStation games. Ephraim said the main reason behind the different compatibilities is that Australian/European PS3s will not ship with the Emotion Engine chip installed. The Emotion Engine is the name Sony coined for the PS2's CPU. While the list of backwards-compatible PS1/PS2 games will be limited on launch, Sony will be providing regular updates to expand that list, Ephraim said.

"Clearly cost is one of the [reasons]. If software is cheaper than the cost of the chip, then why not do that?," Ephraim said. "We will be working on delivering backwards-compatibility through software emulation. The software emulation list will grow, and there’s a web site people can check to see what games are backwards-compatible. It will be a progressive emulation."

Ephraim played down the importance of backwards-compatibility on the PS3, saying that the new console has plenty more to offer prospective buyers.

"People will be able to play quite a few [PS1 and PS2] games. PS1 games are not a problem. I think PS2 backwards-compatibility is important, but when you look at what PS3’s doing with new games, digital content and so on, that specific functionality may not be as important as previously felt. But then again, that is something the consumer has to decide on. We are intending to deliver backwards-compatibility--just through different means," he said.

Ephraim said the full list of backwards-compatible games that will be ready for the PS3's Australian and European launches was still being confirmed. Sony's web site will feature a full list that goes live on March 23.

-gamespot

[Mr.Musgrave]

...lost their damned minds.

[Biofungus]

Hmmm... I think I mentioned this some time back (about how much easier software emulation would be than hardware). But does Sony listen to me? Nooooo...


nobody listens to me :cry:


:p

[Toyandgadgetguy]

What?


























:nyah:

[steveo]

I thought the PS3 wouldn't allow you to play any PS2 or Playstation games.

I guess I was wrong.

Still won't buy it because of how they handled the PS2 problems.

Sony = junk

SteveO
e3w

[Mwynn]

Hmmm... I think I mentioned this some time back (about how much easier software emulation would be than hardware). But does Sony listen to me? Nooooo...


nobody listens to me :cry:


:p
The software emulation has been a major issue for the 360. Sony got away with it, for the Japanese and US systems, yet the end price to the consumer would have been to high for the UK. Of course since it is Sony doing it, must be the end of the world. When it says in the article "Ephraim said the full list of backwards-compatible games that will be ready for the PS3's Australian and European launches was still being confirmed. Sony's web site will feature a full list that goes live on March 23."

Which opens the door for firmware updates down the line. Something that MS has yet to figure out with the 360. Also something that Nintendo does not have to deal with, because all their older games were on carts. But if you own said older games, they will not work in the Wii.

[Mwynn]

I thought the PS3 wouldn't allow you to play any PS2 or Playstation games.

I guess I was wrong.

Still won't buy it because of how they handled the PS2 problems.

Sony = junk

SteveO
e3w
The ps3 plays ps2 and ps1 games, because the Us and Japan system have a ps2 chip in them.

[Nitecrawlah2]

Hmmm... I think I mentioned this some time back (about how much easier software emulation would be than hardware). But does Sony listen to me? Nooooo...


nobody listens to me :cry:


:p
I hear ya buddy!

Provided that they'll eventually be able to support most/all of their games via the software updates, it shouldn't pose much of a problem for customers down the line. What sucks is that you'll have a system that already has the chip, and others that will be software/emulation-based. I wonder if they'll go that route for any of the newer US and JPN consoles they'll be producing in the future in order to cut more costs?

[Mwynn]

More than likely they already have plans for a psthree.

[Mr.Musgrave]

Of course since it is Sony doing it, must be the end of the world.

Nope. It was bullshit when it was Microsoft too. Backwards compatibility is a must. They both can stick their ass-backwards compatibility.

[Lovecraft13]

More than likely they already have plans for a psthree.

Like I said before, give Sony a year or two, and they'll rerelease a newly designed PS3 without the Blu-Ray player for a lot less.

[Calloway]

HA! No one noticed how the uk and aus are getting different hardware? Corrected systems perhaps? haha.

[Mwynn]

Like I said before, give Sony a year or two, and they'll rerelease a newly designed PS3 without the Blu-Ray player for a lot less.
Sony released a new cheaper Blu-Ray player today.

[Lovecraft13]

What's sad is that the PS3 is still a work-in-progress.

[Mwynn]

As is anything with firmware updates. My TV does firmware updates. Which makes it future proof.

[Lovecraft13]

In itself, there are a few things that irk me about the PS3's menu. The biggest gripe is the inability to do other things when downloading something from the PStore. At least, the 360 allows you to multi-task, which is great because you can play a game or something to kill time.

[Mwynn]

Background downloading is in the next firmware update.

[Biofungus]

The software emulation has been a major issue for the 360. Sony got away with it, for the Japanese and US systems, yet the end price to the consumer would have been to high for the UK. Of course since it is Sony doing it, must be the end of the world. When it says in the article "Ephraim said the full list of backwards-compatible games that will be ready for the PS3's Australian and European launches was still being confirmed. Sony's web site will feature a full list that goes live on March 23."

Which opens the door for firmware updates down the line. Something that MS has yet to figure out with the 360. Also something that Nintendo does not have to deal with, because all their older games were on carts. But if you own said older games, they will not work in the Wii.
Except that it's still a hell of a lot easier to refine a software program and mass distribute it to the masses, than to create a hardware solution and distribute that.

Software emulation was always the way to go, even if it's far from perfect.

[Mwynn]

Except that it's still a hell of a lot easier to refine a software program and mass distribute it to the masses, than to create a hardware solution and distribute that.

Software emulation was always the way to go, even if it's far from perfect.
Yes I agree with that. Which is why I do not see it as an issue.

[Biofungus]

The issue comes from the fact that Sony produced what, a million consoles based on *hardware* emulation. So what happens now? Do they ignore that chip in the system and tell everybody to download the software?

It's all part of the Sony ass-backwards marketing machine.

[Calloway]

Yes I agree with that. Which is why I do not see it as an issue.

Yet. I am willing to bet the hardware change for eur and aus will cause a whole new buttload of problems.

[Mwynn]

The issue comes from the fact that Sony produced what, a million consoles based on *hardware* emulation. So what happens now? Do they ignore that chip in the system and tell everybody to download the software?


No they can not do that. Each region has its own update firmware.

[Mwynn]

Yet. I am willing to bet the hardware change for eur and aus will cause a whole new buttload of problems.
As of yet the Ps3 has not had any major problems, that can not be fixed with firmware.

[Calloway]

failed diodes comes to mind.

[Mr.Musgrave]

failed diodes comes to mind.


And that bit where the blu-ray players were ripping themselves out of the system. Fix that with a firmware update.

[Mwynn]

And that bit where the blu-ray players were ripping themselves out of the system. Fix that with a firmware update.
Link?

[Mr.Musgrave]

I thought there was a thread here about it. I'll have to find the story. It was right after the PS3 came out. The system tray was ripping the blu-ray player guts right out of the system. The pictures were ugly.

[Mwynn]

Oh, if you can find it post it I missed that one.

[Lovecraft13]

I thought there was a thread here about it. I'll have to find the story. It was right after the PS3 came out. The system tray was ripping the blu-ray player guts right out of the system. The pictures were ugly.

I remember the PSP popping UMDS out, but nothing about the PS3.

[Mr.Musgrave]

No, it was about the blu ray player but fuck all if I can find the article now. So I retract my previous statement.

[Calloway]

EVERY new system has had hardware problems...ps3 is no exception

http://www.unscleric.com/news/2006/11/17/widespread-ps3-problems/

http://news.softpedia.com/news/PS3-Kaboom-37085.shtml

(this link the ps3 wasn't out yet, but in 2 months time you cannot reengineer a whole system and throw away production up to that point)

http://radarnation.gamesradar.com/thread.jspa?threadID=6394&tstart=0

also found some crap on the hardware scaler that horizontially changes 720 to 1080 making games look crappy...but you get the point. I honestly can't think of a disc based system that wasn't released with problems.

[Mwynn]

EVERY new system has had hardware problems...ps3 is no exception

http://www.unscleric.com/news/2006/11/17/widespread-ps3-problems/

http://news.softpedia.com/news/PS3-Kaboom-37085.shtml

(this link the ps3 wasn't out yet, but in 2 months time you cannot reengineer a whole system and throw away production up to that point)

http://radarnation.gamesradar.com/thread.jspa?threadID=6394&tstart=0

also found some crap on the hardware scaler that horizontially changes 720 to 1080 making games look crappy...but you get the point. I honestly can't think of a disc based system that wasn't released with problems.
The scaler issue was fixed in a firmware update.

As for the last link you posted, he played all day. You play any modern system all day it will overheat.

[Biofungus]

While I agree about the 'play all day=overheat' issue, the thing is a lot of games make you have to play for a few hours at a time just to get to a point that you can save/shut down the system. And even then systems overheat from that.

[Calloway]

I've played my psone, and xbox for over 7 hours with no problems. I'm sure gamecube is the same way. Some of those games get pretty involved and if you have free time.

Should it overheat? Hell no. that's a lame exscuse when you consider many computers are left on for days at a time without overheating.

Overheating probably has to do with the genuis idea of sticking the adapter inside the box.

[Toyandgadgetguy]

I've played my psone, and xbox for over 7 hours with no problems. I'm sure gamecube is the same way. Some of those games get pretty involved and if you have free time.

Should it overheat? Hell no. that's a lame exscuse when you consider many computers are left on for days at a time without overheating.



I agree 100%. With my original x-box, we often had 8 hour marathon championship games of halo... and longer. No problems with it. It still works fine. It's something else.