Playstation 3 80GB’s PS2 backwards compatibility sucks
September 10 Carl Nelson
Subscribe to our FULL RSS feed!
We’ve hinted at it in the past, that removing the Emotion Engine chip from the 80GB (and future) Playstation 3 consoles would ruin backwards compatibility with many Playstation 2 games. Without it, the console runs these games via a software emulator. You may not even care about this feature if you no longer play PS2 games, or kept your old console plugged in along with your new one. But one of the writers at Curmudgeon Gamer put his 90 game PS2 library to the test, playing each game on a 60GB and 80GB Playstation 3. The results weren’t pretty:
On the 60GB PS3, 84 of the 90 games worked perfectly fine, without any problems at all. 4 more had minor problems; 1 required a special controller that did not work with the PS3, and 1 suffered a show-stopping crash.
On the 80GB version, only 50 of the games worked perfectly (just 56.67% of his library). 12 of them crashed completely, 1 doesn’t work online, and there’s the one that required the special controller.
So if you care at all about playing your PS2 games and were planning on buying a PS3, you better run to the store now to pick up a 60GB version (as all remaining units are in stores now, and no more are being made). This is probably your last chance to buy a full-featured Playstation 3.
Filed under: Video Game Hardware
Tags: Playstation 3, Retro Gaming, Sony
I bought a 60GB when the price dropped, for this very reason! I have over 100 PS2 games, and I gave my ps2 to my little sis. There are still lots of games I want to play, and its nice to be able to play them on my PS3, upscaled! ;)
You don’t need to run out now if you want PS2 compatibility, just keep your PS2. If that is not an option they will eventually drop the prices to the point where a PS2 and a PS3 is cheaper than the 60 gig PS3 now.
But if you want the full GS+EE PS3, I can see your point. Me, I am cheap so I am waiting for the super neutered 40Gig PS3. As long as it plays Blueray movies and PS3 games I am set.
[...] In the US, it will most likely sit along side the 80GB, for the ‘power users’ who want limited PS1/PS2 compatibility and… memory slots. Remember, the hard drive is extremely easy to replace on the PS3, so hard [...]
oh jesus. I’m only able to get one by christmas. I don’t think they’ll be any left, and I don’t have a ps2 because someone decided an xbox was much cheaper.
I just bought my 60 GB PS3 Today…OH YEAH!!! I bought it because I wanted it of coarse, but I’m sure my PS2 breaking had nothing to do with it….right!!! haha
“This is probably your last chance to buy a full-featured Playstation 3.”
That’s what Sony wants you to think, to get people running out and buying PS3s!
Considering that they stripped backwards compatibility even more with the latest model, I doubt that is true.
@RB:
Doubtful. I mean, that’s what the savvy among us will do, but we are the minority. Sony just wants to sell less hardware for more money to dumb consumers.
~Maitland
Guys why u even care about PS2 backwards compalability?? That’s like saying Jese I can’t play Atari systems anymore. Here in Canada you can get a PS2 for $119. But the whole point of PS3 or 360 is to be in the circle of new generation systems. Again that’s like saying oh I got a Mac but my 1992 PC 386 250 megs of HD and 4 megs of ram. I really miss that?? Christ come on guys the whole point is to enjoy the technologies as they get better. I know PS3 doesn’t have alot of game titles right now but when they do they will be much more fun and way better graphics then a PS2. I mean what would u rather play?? Resident Evil 4 on ps2 or #5 on ps3?? Or devil may cry 3 (excellent game) or $4 on ps3??
The fact that a game is new or uses newer technology does not neccesarily makes it better than another. Backwards compatibility is all about being able to play the best games out there using the same console. There are LOTS of ps2 games that are way better and more enjoyable than todays ps3 games, of course, if someone compares a game to its sequel (that belongs to an even newer console), they’re gonna end up thinking the way you do, but games like Final Fantasy, you cant just replace them with the next one, they’re just different.
Your comment is not valid to anyone who enjoyed the greatest games of the PS2. Final Fantasy X, Summoner, Suikoden II, and other games with this replay value and uniqueness do not get made often. These titles will forever hold their place in the annals of the best games ever created. Not wanting to play these again is not an option for one such as I or most of the population who have enjoyed them. Get with the program Canada!
RB’s got it.. Its all marketing to get the old off the shelf..(the 60gb). Now they take backward comp. out of the current model (80gb), make less of them and wow.. both sell well till christmas.. then rumor of a 100gb model with full backward comp. which we will not see until the shelves are cleared and a few thousand left overs are written off. MaRkEtInG… see your local college for more information.
@sasha:
I dunno, I just like games. I like ps2 and ps1 and super nintendo and Sega Saturn and etc… However, all those things look really bad on a 1080p monitor. It’s cool to be able to play all my ps2 games on a nice screen with upscaling.
I didn’t really even buy the PS3 for the (current) games. It’s amazing just as a $500 computer. Where else do you get an 8-core powerPC64 (that’s “G5″ in apple-speak) processor, a nice video processor, AVCHD,Blu-Ray,DSD Disc, Super Audio CD, and LINUX(!!) all in one box?? Nowhere, that’s where.
Now if they could just make the PS1 upscaling better (ever heard of Super Sal2x, Sony??)
haha, i’m a weirdo, i know.
~Maitland
[...] The Playstation 3’s price situation is a bit murkier, as models have been dropped, new ones introduced, prices were dropped to clear out old models, features were left out on some new models, and so on. We started with the 60GB and 20GB versions, and both of those have since been dropped completely. I won’t talk about all that has happened with the PS3’s SKU situation since then, as that would just confuse things. Instead, just consider that we now have a 40GB model for $399 and an 80 GB model for $499. Besides the hard drive size, the 40GB model lacks flash card readers, 2 USB ports, SACD playback, and Playstation 2 compatibility (the 80GB will play PS2 games, but its software emulation is not even close to 100%). [...]
If the PS2 compatibility is now just software on the 80GB, why can’t it be put on the 40GB model as well? I am sure it can, it’s just a matter of getting it right?
I have no problem keeping my PS2, but I have enough cables running to the TV as it is. It would be nice to put the PS2 in another room. Also, I am hoping the emulator runs the old games in progressive scan.
Check the website link above at http://www.edepot.com/playstation3.html
Contains all the different ps3 model numbers and a detailed analysis of all the differences!
i hear rumor of a 100+ gb fully backwards compatable dual g5 ps3 released right now in japan. it is flying off the shelf at somewhere close to $1000. as to whether or not it will come to the U.S. and how much it will be is left unsaid.
I have bought PS3 (80 GB) . Will i able to play PS2 games on PS3(80GB) . Can anyone in the forum suggest me which all games are working .
i have the 80gb limited edition Motorstorm and was outraged when i found out it have very limited ps2 compatibility i have over 40 ps2 games and my ps2 is on its last steps… but also i heard the ps2 will cost 100$ so that’s basically the price Sony saved by taking out the ps2 compatibility…and i bought it after the huge price drop for 599.99, now they have a 40gb with no ps2 compatibility for 499.99 which is not bad considering blu-ray won the format war… i just love my blu-ray movies… The main reason why i did’nt buy x-box 360 is because of the red ring of doom i heard that the x-box has a failure rate of over 50% within a year… ps3 is close to 1%… and have you seen the power bar for the x-box 360 now come on thats almost the size of the console itself… ps3 is going to win in 2008 maybe in 2007 it was behind in game selection because coders were too lazy to code anything next-gen (halo 3 is not next gen), final fantasy XIII, Metal Gear Solid 4, Motorstorm, just about all the exclusive games for the ps3 are the only next gen games out there…
I bought the PS3 (40gb) without knowing the un-compability it has. I raised all hell when i tried to play Socom on it, by calling the Rep who sold it to me and didn’t explain that to me.
I was told too bad so sad, I said I’d call the Corp Office (not saying what store), they called back in 15 minutes telling me to return and I’d get my money back.
I’m waiting for the next generation PS3’s. I hate not to be able to play the games my buddies are playing for now, but ohh well. I heard the 80gb had issues, that’s why i didnt run and get one.
Now, I’m trying to patiently wait, in the meantime, the red circle of death came and is gone….my system (360) is good and well, COD4 is off the shizzle (my PS3 friend played both, says 360 is much better). So I am content, for now…..
Well.. I was wondering if the backwards compatability option would have that Region Free thing as in the PS3 console… I come from Iceland and was thinking about buying this bundle for it wont come to Icelandic stores (As far as i know)… but it would be a bit useless for me to have the backwards compatability if it won’t work for PS2 games from Europe… so does anybody know something about this?????:D
See… I have just got my ps3, and got it for the new releases (DMC4, MGS4, GOW3, Etc…) no one mentioned, at the store where I bought it, that my 80 GB would not have full compatibility with my PS2 Games, but you know what? if I would like to play ANY PS2 game, I´ll have it played at my PS2, wanna play an PS3 Game? play it at the PS3 80 GB Console… quite simple, oohh wires everywhere, connecting to the TV PS2, PS3, well, that´s not a problem, I can do it, and maybe a few months later, change my PS2 to another room, I don´t know, I don´t think of that as such a big problem, is it really something BAD about the PS3 80GB that would make you decide not to buy it? (despite the price)
Guess what? The playstation 2 is last generation. Move on. First off you you have 90 PS2 games you need to get a life. Second if you have that many games you already have a PS2. When I got my PS2 I played a few PS1 games and put the whole setup in the closet. I played one Gamecube game in my Wii. The whole purpose of getting a next gen console is to play new games not to play old games on a new console. Backwards compatability ruined the PC. Thats why it has so many problems and can’t advance. Droppin wholesale compatability saved the 360. It came in at a lower price point and got the exclusives because it was not hampered by legacy code which makes it easier to program for. The best thing Sony did was kill the 60gb. This allowed them to compete again. My advice, put the PS2 on ebay and buy 90 PS3 games. Maybe the system can get back to its previous standing.
Hmm, until MGS4 came out, my PS3 has been pretty much exclusively used to play PS2 games. Aside from the occasional demo, there just isn’t much out there that isn’t better on the 360. Games that aren’t on the 360 have been pretty much disappointing so far. So I’m glad I got one that has backwards compatibility that works ;)
Again, that is all PRE-MGS4. Should be interesting to see how it goes from now on…
Don wrote: Guess what? The playstation 2 is last generation. Move on.”
What a ridiculous comment. Since the PS2 was the most popular gaming console of it’s day Sony rightly knew that it could attract all those PS2 gamers IF if protected their investment through backward compatibility. To start with a new system would negate that market advantage. I think Sony’s big gamble was to try to leverage the PS3 to gain an advantage for Blu-ray. But I’ll acknowledge that backward compatibility is expensive. I wrote the following yesterday and I don’t know why it’s not up:
I invested in a PS2 because it was backwardly compatible with the PSX. I’d hoped the PS3 would maintain this backward compatibility since I intend to KEEP all my favorite PS!!! If Sony is going to abandon support for these older PS game consoles… and who knows how long the old PS2s will be made, then I would hope Sony would create a quality emulator for PC and manufacture a USB controllers for multiplayer use. Sony has made it’s money off of us and that’s the LEAST they can
Does anyone know if sony is gonna release more ps3 80gb bundles with metal gear ? im trying to find one in montreal but its all been sold on the 1st day.. :(
I wanted the 80gb for compatibility with ps2 games but also because it came with MGS4…
I am deciding what playstation 3 to buy, 40gb/80gb (which I can’t find) or wait for a newer one? we have p2/xbox 360, etc.
I appreciate any suggestions or comments. thanks.
did you know Sony is not earning anything on the Playstation 3, also I just saw this http://www.desktopexchange.com/gallery/Video-Game-Wallpapers
just a tip for some game images, but the Sony thing is for real.
I invested in a PS2 because it was backwardly compatible with the PSX. I’d hoped the PS3 would maintain this backward compatibility since I intend to KEEP all my favorite PS!!! If Sony is going to abandon support for these older PS game consoles… and who knows how long the old PS2s will be made, then I would hope Sony would create a quality emulator for PC and manufacture a USB controllers for multiplayer use. Sony has made it’s money off of us and that’s the LEAST they can do!
I am deciding what play station 3 to buy, 40gb/80gb (which I can’t find) or wait for a newer one? i want play more games on ps3 console but i cannot decide to take any unconscious
pls anyone surges me that how is much better for all games
Tanks
Well, now I am stuck finding a 60GB version, used most likely. I was planning to buy a new one, but oh well. I guess Sony won’t lose money by my buying used, but they will lose some good will.
for those of you who say sony is making a killing off of the ps3 and/or that it is overpriced: 80gb model $847 to manufacture, 60gb model $927 (due to EE) to manufacture, 40gb model $804 to manufacture and finally 20gb model $781 to make. In other words sony loses significant money on the console. Otherwise wait for the 160gb model with full backwards compatibility, to be launched late 2008
If you want to see what games work on the 60gb and 80gb PS3 you should check this
it may be helpfull