Some Back Compat Problems For PS3

Via Opposable Thumbs at Ars Technica, the news at IGN that there are some annoying backwards compatibility issues with the PS3 and the PS2. Specifically, there are about 196 games that are experiencing issues. From the article: "In response to these issues, Sony's PR department pointed out that it, from the start, expected backwards compatibility to be less than 100%. It was also good enough to point out that some people can put up with playing games that lack sound. Regardless of this somewhat arrogant response, an official statement issued at the PlayStation.com site states that Sony will fix the problems with a future system update, and may even resort to individual patches for certain titles. When this will happen has yet to be specified." Qj.net has a list of some of the problem games, with their specific issues. It sounds bad, but to put this in perspective I believe there are still far more PS2 games playable on the PS3 than there are Xbox games playable on the 360.

i wonder

[thejrwr]

i wonder tho, why was the ps2 so good at playing ps1 games

They expected it, but did they point it out?

[Chris Burke]

"In response to these issues, Sony's PR department pointed out that it, from the start, expected backwards compatibility to be less than 100%"

So Sony's PR department expected backwards compatibility to be less than 100% from the start.

Did Sony's PR department point out that backwards compatibility would be less than 100% from the start?

I'll admit I haven't read every PS3-related press release, but have they been informing customers from the beginning that they too should not expect 100% compatability? I don't remember reading anything like that, and based on the good backwards compatability of PS1 games on PS2 I expected the situation to be the same. So if they expected these problems but just didn't tell anyone.. that's supposed to make them sound better?

Re:i wonder

[trcooper]

The PS3 uses software emulation. The PS2's IO processor was basically a PSX as I remember, and they were able to leverage it to run old games.

Since they're using software emulation now, they're in for the same issues that the 360 has. I don't think the issue to the consumers will be how many games work, but which games work. Few people will care if Madden '99 runs on the PS3, but they might be upset if their recently bought FF XII wouldn't.

More GH problems

[chrismcdirty]

I read on another site (possibly Destructoid) that Guitar Hero was having problems, due to the fact that you needed to hit a specific button (let's say 'X') that doesn't exist on a GH control. Then if you try to hotswap controls, you're told to turn on analog control, another feature which the GH control doesn't have.

Re:Why the bad press?

[PrescriptionWarning]

the way I see it, is that people don't need several consoles hanging around the house, when instead they could have one or two that can play em all. If it were a perfect world, a PS3 could play any game ever made on CD or DVD, same with the xbox 360. That is, if they were more like PC's instead of proprietary pieces of hardware that they try to lock you in with the purchase of one over the other, or in the case where you're willing to blow more money, all of the above.

too bad it ain't a perfect world. In the meantime, just pay the money and enjoy the ride :)

Re:Why the bad press?

[fistfullast33l]

Since 99.99% of the people buying a PS3 will want to play PS3 games on their PS3, this really isn't an earth shattering issue. For the small remaining crew, they have a PS2 they could hook up until the firmware updates roll out to correct it.

While I agree with you that it's not earth-shattering, I'll also point out that there will be people who are trading in their PS2 to lower the price of their PS3, so it might not be a feasible option for everyone.

Re:Why the bad press?

[Chris Burke]

I'm confused. If you need to play a PS2 game on the PS3, and it doesn't work well. WHY NOT PLUG IN YOUR PS2?

Because your PS2 is broken, and instead of buying a new one you've been waiting for the PS3 to come out so you can play both next gen titles and your current library? All optical drives fail, original PS2s had many problems and even the slim ones seem to have (though mine is still running fine), so I'd wager there's actually more people in this category than you think. Sony must think so, because they bothered to add it to the console.

I'm more or less in the same boat. My GC has given up the ghost; even after replacing the failed fan it still gives disc read errors. So for me the GC-compatability of the Wii is a major feature. I'll personally be rather pissed if it turns out Nintendo "from the start, expected backwards compatibility to be less than 100%" and just forgot to mention it next to the backward-compatability marketing bullet point.

because

[everphilski]

... you sold your PS2 and gave blood plasma for the past 6 months to finance your PS3 :)

Re:They expected it, but did they point it out?

[TGTilde]

Actually they did state this. In fact they specifically stated that any game that didn't follow Sony's TRC (technical requirement chcklist) in creating PS2 games would NOT work on the PS3. They also said any game that needed a new peripheral, such as Guitar Hero, would NOT work. They didn't need to state specifically "We did not expect 100%" because the above infers this to be true. Source: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/41353 [shacknews.com]

Re:Obvious.

[drinkypoo]

Would it be acceptable if your car had a bug where it would deploy the airbag if you opened the trunk and the doors at the same time?

Okay, look. I am hereby putting you on official notice. Do not use automotive metaphors if you know fuck-all about cars. That is approximately 99 & 44/100ths percent of all the people who try to make them on this thing. Just STFU right now, kthx.

What you apparently don't know, because your mother's basement is so warm and cozy, is that cars have serious design defects all the time. It's simply a fact of life. Sometimes they're the fault of the manufacturer and sometimes they're the fault of a supplier. In the case of the Ford Explorer/Firestone Tires thing, it was both; the tires were defective AND they were underinflated.

My 1989 Nissan 240SX has two safety recalls. One is that the fuel injectors are known to leak all over the top of the motor. The other is that the seatbelt button mechanism for the front seatbelts can fail. These are both potentially life-threatening issues. Nissan is still in business, albeit 33% owned by some Frenchmen. This is one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned or driven and an absolute joy to work on as rice burners go, but if the service recall had not been done (it has) then it could have caught fire and killed me or something.

So yes, it is acceptable for cars to have serious defects. Why do you ask?

Re:Oh no! My copy of Daito Giken doesn't work...

[DubbaJ]

Daito Giken Premium PACHISURO Collection Yoshimune loosly translated is "Duke Nukem Forever" in Engrish.