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140°

Does Backwards Compatibility Matter?

Gioteck discuss if backwards compatibility is going to become more of an issue in this console transition when compared to previous generational leaps.

T9004805d ago (Edited 4805d ago )

Depends from person to person, If someone has 40-50 games purchased on a system then yes it will matter to them. As the games alone would have cost them 2-3K USD, thats alot of money.

Specially i think graphics this gen have gotten to a point where they were really good. The jump to next gen wont be as big as it was in previous gens. Hence people wont find older games unplayble. Which is why i feel BC is becoming more and more important.

Dylila4805d ago

it matters and id be willing to pay 600quid for a ps4 that plays ps1,ps2 and ps3 discs and digital games. the truth is though that i wont be playing these past games for very long though because ill be playing ps4 games mostly

jimbobwahey4804d ago

I'd also be willing to pay extra for backwards compatibility, to cover the cost of putting the necessary hardware inside the new consoles.

Really, Sony and Microsoft need to realize that it's very important to some people and if it's too expensive to put in every console, then just release a more expensive SKU with BC included and charge enough to cover the cost, that way everyone wins.

darthv724804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

it depends on the type of BC. I would not expect the latest platform to support all games from all other previous platforms from the same company, but to have at least 1 generational level of BC isnt that much to ask for. others may say it compromises the new platform by having to account for older games which could be true/false depending on how the BC is achieved.

If it is something direct then there isnt much lost nor is there any compromises. Like looking at the PS2 was certainly capable of running PS1 games. The hardware was capable and the optical format of the PS2 started off as CD but gradually moved to DVD. There was a portion of the system set aside for such that reason.

It was a smart move by Sony as they knew the sheer amount of PS1 games on the market would be a benefit to the consumer to be able to buy the new system AND be able to play all their existing games on one unit.

Even nintendo has always maintained some level of platform BC with each new gameboy released. It wasnt until the wii that we had console level BC with gamecube games just as the wii-u supports wii games. It doenst support GC games but it still has that 1 prior platform level of BC to be a convenience for consumers.

I see BC as a major selling point to those who dont have the current platform. Meaning someone who doesnt have a PS3 and they are looking at the Ps3 on the shelf next to the PS4. The PS4 (if it had PS3 BC) is the more attractive option because it can not only play all the new PS4 games but also the hundreds of existing PS3 games.

We can even go back further. If given the choice to buy the 2600 or the 7800 which do you think is the better deal? Yeah i know...its atari but even they had BC back in the day.

BattleAxe4804d ago

It matters when you've purchased digital versions of games, which you can't sell or store in box in your closet.

KrisButtar4804d ago

i agree with you, speaking about myself i have over 65 360 games and over 70 ps3 games, and about half of them i havent played yet.. i have a very big backlog

@ jimbobwahey "Really, Sony and Microsoft need to realize that it's very important to some people and if it's too expensive to put in every console, then just release a more expensive SKU with BC included and charge enough to cover the cost, that way everyone wins."

if they had a model that had BC included i would jump to next gen during the launch but as it stands my backlog of games is too big to jump into another console

jimbobwahey4804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

Yeah, same here. If I can buy a BC PS4 and next Xbox, I'll make the jump to next gen at launch. If I can't though? I'll stick with my PS3 and 360.

I've got no desire to have four different consoles under my TV, that's utterly ridiculous, and I've so many games for these two consoles that I enjoy that I don't intend to abandon them for new hardware that will have what, maybe three good launch games if we're lucky?

New consoles always have a severe lack of worthwhile games for the first year after launch, and consoles having backwards compatibility makes this a non-issue since you can still play your older games too, which makes the transition from old to new much easier on people.

Not having BC is just crazy. Besides, a lot of people sell their old consoles to help fund the purchase of new ones.

infamousinfolite4804d ago

I wouldn't mind paying either mostly because like you said I'd be having to large game systems in my room and I don't want to abandon the PS3 in favor of the PS4 because it's too big to abandon.

Minato-Namikaze4804d ago

I have 155 (30 unfinished) PS3 games and it doesnt matter to me much. I'll be keeping my ps3 until i finish these games at which point i'll sell my ps3 and put the games up for storage.

Persistantthug4804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

As consumers, we are being asked to invest and TRUST in online digital content.....effectively, to give them money for nothing physically tangible.....just a promise, basically.
If these companies want this type of ongoing trust from consumers, then they have to maintain their promise. They have to make sure that they hold, keep, and maintain all of the digital wares you buy, and keep them accessible at all times.

If a company breaks this trust, then said online store is worthless...... basically.

USEYOURFIST4804d ago

This is mainly why i buy physical only where possible and on the odd occasion i do by digital its only if its not a significant amount

Canary4804d ago

No, it doesn't matter from person to person.
It matters to the medium as a whole.

See http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4804d ago
MultiConsoleGamer4805d ago

Yes, at least for the first couple of years.

CaptainYesterday4805d ago

For me it does, sometimes old consoles break or it gets harder to find a controller or memory card. It would be great to have a console that could play the old games too.

Conzul4804d ago

Also can't have many gens of consoles clogging up the entertainment centre. Looks like a mess.

nevin14805d ago

For me it does.

And like what MulticonsoleGamer, atleast for a couple of years it does.

I mean it will be cool to play UC3 online on PS4 with others on PS3 and PS4.

MrDead4805d ago (Edited 4805d ago )

Ooooh Amiga A1200 porn, that article pic should be censored.

I still play Frontier: Elite 2, Settlers, Ruff n' Tumble Heimdall 2 and Cannon Fodder on my A1200 some classics never age.

mcstorm4804d ago

I was thinking the same I loved the Amiga 1200. I still have an Amiga 32 at home love that console so amazing games.

Animal Mutha 764804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

I still have a Cd32 with SX-1 expansion which makes it an A1200 with Cd. Also have a mint A500+

Amiga Forever!

Sensible Soccer!

Tapani4804d ago

Oh yeah! I just checked out playthroughs for Shadow of The Beast 1-3 over the weekend with some Awesome (the game) and Xenon 2 megablast clips. Speedball 2 and Captive 1-2. Elite 2... Those were the times...

amiga-man4804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

The Amiga was truly amazing in it's day and I traveled down to london to pick up an Amiga 500 when it was first launched along with a copy of marble madness, Defender of the crown and Deluxe paint brilliant days great memories.

mcstorm4804d ago

Those were the days. Sensible soccer, alien breed, super stardust, super skidmarks, cannon fodder, worms, bump n burn and many many more classic games the Amiga had.

MrDead4804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

I always wanted a CD32. I remember going to the Future Entertainment Show in the early 90's and playing Simon the Sorcerer on it, I was blown away as I hadn’t heard full clear speech in a game before. Simon was voiced by Chris Barrie.

mcstorm4804d ago

Lol ya the good old days. I remember getting the Amiga 32 the day it came out and plugging it into my tv and was blow away by the sound and 3rd graphics on super star dust.

It would of been interesting to see what Amiga would of done if they had not hit money troubles but it was an amazing time in gaming.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4804d ago
CouldHaveYelledUiiW4804d ago (Edited 4804d ago )

LOL

"Funny"
I was looking at that too going, "What?"

Considering some of the Cos Play picks that have been up- and the inFamous (Suda 51) LpCs CosPlay article.

I thought it was tame (even compared to TV)-

or some God of War screen shots
Far Cry 3's Scene
Current AC Trailer and Screens.

... But whatev's...
Personally, I like Backward Compatibility-
Give you a less clutter at the TV.
And a chance to play games you missed.
Not to mention a back-up player for you last gen games.

Show all comments (63)
130°

PlayStation’s Revenue From Its PC Games Reached $300 Million in 2023

PlayStation PC revenue reached $300 million in 2023, but despite this success, it appears Sony may be pulling back from PC releases.

29d ago
lodossrage29d ago

It's not a success unless we know the profit. It's the same reason I get on Xbox when they mention revenue.

If Sony is considering keeping their single player games exclusive to the PS systems despite the 300 million PC revenue, that means they didn't profit from the venture.

Eonjay29d ago

You are correct. Making 300 million doesn't mean anything if you have 299 million in operating costs. Clearly they are making some profit if they want to keep their multiplayer games on PC but what of their single player games?

DivineHand12529d ago

How could they possibly not make a profit with $300M in revenue?

Nixxis only has about 90 employees. Let's go high and say each person on the payroll makes $200k per year; payroll would only be $18M. I believe the development time to port a game from PlayStation to PC is only about a year, so unless Sony is giving out Bentleys and 5 bedroom houses to each employee with payroll, they should be making a sizable profit.

lodossrage29d ago

See, the problem with what you said is we don't know what their operating costs were. So everything you're saying there is just speculation. What we do know is reported revenue and the rumored reporting that Sony is taking first party single player games out of the PC release cycle.

Not saying you're wrong, but we need to work with what we're given.

TOTSUKO29d ago

Here’s another angle of the argument. What if they saw a concerning decline in console sales and/or game sales on PS during this window of PC releases? It may be a crazy success on pc we don’t know but eating your own market share scare PlayStation for sure especially when they are trying to sell every new gen.

lodossrage29d ago

Ok, THIS makes sense. I don't know how I didn't think about that. And we know they'll want those PS6 sales to be off the charts. It's harder to do that if their in-house made blockbusters are shared with PC.

darthv7229d ago

Given the recent price increase for their hardware... Sony should really rethink things. Having an additional revenue stream, even if the games come to PC a year after, is still money coming in. Those who wanted a 5 likely already got one, but that doesn't mean Sony should turn their backs on those who may still want to play their software on a PC.

Eonjay29d ago

Honestly, I think they are worried about PC piracy.... Getting their games on PC for free is... well its not hard at all. They have to know that and I am sure that goes into their calculus.

Michiel198929d ago

thats bogus. Early 2000's a lot of things got pirated sure, but most piracy that currently exists is because the companies themselves sell an inferior product than when you pirate it, denuvo, bad quality on movies/shows etc. It's not much anymore and other companies have been releasing their games on pc since the beginning of time and are doing fine and given the quality of sony's 1st party games they should have no issue making profit at all. Adding shit like having to log in to psn in order to play single players games because they wanna harvest your data, yes that's when I say people are in their right to pirate and sony can go suck a fatty.

We know exactly why they wouldn't want it, because they can't get people into their ecosystem and profit more off of them if they buy it for pc. Nothing more nothing less as with any other company it's only about money.

neutralgamer199229d ago

We buy more games than console gamers BTW. We have over 132 million users on steam so out of that if 2% pirate how can we all be labeled as pirates?

Real reason is sony probably didn't see the big benefits and that's on them because games come out a year later and costs full price

Profchaos29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

I disagree I think it's strategically in their best interest to remove PC as a pathway to access you need to encourage people to buy the console to play the games otherwise they won't

As soon as Xbox started putting games day one on PC sales of their consoles dropped off a cliff and piracy of their games went sky high

@michiel not true piracy exists because people want to play a game but don't want to pay for it. Piracy may have started really in the 80s but it's still going strong today if you look at any torrent and it's seed count you'll see just how strong the scene is

Michiel198929d ago

i specifically said "most piracy that currently exists", not all piracy that has ever existed.

I'm not believing that gamepass story, it's so counterintuitive. They didn't remove the option to be able to purchase a game and for short term they gave people a cheaper way to play it and THEN suddenly they started mass pirating them? yeah I'm not buying that.

Just took a look at GoW Ragnarok and the seed counts are either single or double digits, with 3 out of like 30 having triple digits, 2 of those being basically double digits cause they're so close and the other one a bit above 200. So strong........

Hereandthere29d ago

Pc sucks and xbox is dead because they stupidly put games on pc and game pass. You like this dumb idea because you want sony down to xbox pathetic level.

Extermin8or3_29d ago

Error the price hike effects hardware as well. By all accounts ps6 is designed to be able to be made as cheap as possible. Which should mean it's cheaper than ps5 pro at the very least. Pc parts are effected by increased hardware costs too so they have an obvious market position as the more affordable alternative and once people are in their ecosystem they are unlikely to abandon libraries and switch

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 29d ago
Jammit29d ago

And people think they’re going to give that up 🤣🤣

And it’ll be way more than 300m by now

Profchaos29d ago

If they make billions in sales on the actual console sure this isn't gross profit either

29d ago
Redemption-6429d ago

The value to the brand is significantly more important. Plus is this before or after steam takes their cut?

29d ago
Redemption-6429d ago

@Jammit

Majority of the sales is more than like from live service games, so it makes sense why they're pulling away their single player games. Which is honestly a good idea for those games and the brand. Also, if the 300M is revenue, steam taking a 30% cut means Sony is only getting around 210M. Now take aways how much they spent to bring those games to PC and you're looking at less than 200M. With majority of the money coming from live service games.

29d ago
1Victor29d ago

So easy to spot I wonder HOW YOU GUYS keep falling for his first almost sensible comment then keep getting more and more deranged 🤦🏿 😩.

29d ago
mkis00729d ago

Death Stranding is owned by Kojima (he purchased the rights back from sony.) Hence the eventual xbox port of the original. Not exactly a good example. Lets see if/when Yotei comes to pc, as that should have been announced already if going by their last first party developed titles ps5 release to pc announce timeline. It's looking more and more like the rumors are correct and Helix has has Sony rethinking pc releases. And why wouldn't they when it would guarantee a competing "console" has access to all their games without their say so.

I'd argue that 300 mill revenue without even considering what part is profit, is not nearly enough money to risk giving xbox access to PlayStation games.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 29d ago
Reaper22_29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

Thats not a lot but still successful,when you consider some games costs over 100 million. But I still think Helix has something to do with them pulling back too.

Jammit29d ago

They’re definitely panicked by helix

Helix also marks the end of their party PS exclusives - Sony can’t afford to keep 3rd party games off PC

Chevalier29d ago

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Panicked by Helix? You probably also believed Xbox Games would never come to Playstation or Nintendo.

29d ago
Tanktopmaster9229d ago (Edited 29d ago )

“They’re definitely panicked by helix” - 🤡🤡 I know you are a dumb little troll hurt by the demise of Xbox and the continued success of Playstation, but that is still a hell of a clown statement to make after Xbox series got whipped by Nex Playground in December… in 2026 Xbox doesn’t even show up as a skid mark next to PlayStation😬

Also, tech wise PlayStation is ahead of Xbox with PSSR. I can’t see Xbox coming up with anything that matches it. Ps6 is already WAY ahead of Helix

Show all comments (53)
40°

Videogame Museum has acquired the "mythical" Nintendo PlayStation which led to the PS1

The United States' National Videogame Museum has acquired one of the earliest prototypes of the Nintendo PlayStation system that never came out.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
fr0sty56d ago

Nintendo's biggest mistake was turning Sony down... the two of them together would have been a completely unstoppable force in the industry. Now they compete.

Neonridr56d ago

it would have been a very different landscape I think if those two had partnered. Who knows what the gaming world would look like. One of those "if I had a crystal ball" scenario to see what could have been.

Agent7556d ago

Somehow, I think Sony would've branched off and released its own console. Nintendo's history with game licencing. more so with the NES would at some point of rocked the boat with Sony. Jumping Flash on the PlayStation was originally a Nintendo PlayStation game, plus a few others. I'm all for a single format that's never going to happen, but somehow, I'm glad Nintendo and Sony went their separate ways.

Agent7556d ago

Sony went to SEGA and said they don't like games on cartridges (back then it was Sony Imagesoft), the Mega CD (SEGA CD) was born. SEGA still wasn't convinced about games on CD, the Mega Drive 32X was born as SEGA didn't agree with Sony on a 32bit CD console. Out pops the PlayStation which swallowed up the Saturn. After the Dreamcast, SEGA popped games on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The Nintendo PlayStation, Nintendo didn't see eye to eye with Sony on game licencing and they parted company. Oddly, Nintendo ditched a CD console for the cartridge based Nintendo 64, games topping £70 hit console sales. Out pops the GameCube and it was still curtains for Nintendo. Nintendo's only successful disc console was the Wii.

70°

A History of PS1 Graphics in Five Games

PlayStation wowed gamers from day one, but developers managed to push the console much further - TechStomper tracks the progress made over the PS1's years at the top through five games that show how programmers and artists unlocked the legendary grey box's potential.

Read Full Story >>
techstomper.com
GotGame81882d ago

Look, I loved my PS1. Graphically though N64 delivered a better overall experience. The difference that gave PS1 an advantage was CD storage PS1 had some beautiful cut scenes, but in terms of graphical power N64 hands down was better. PS1 had WAY more GAMES though. I think Developers preferred the tstorage over squeezing everything onto a cartridge with VERY limited space!

GameCube same thing Nintendo went with storage that was limited, but had games using multiple disks. RE4 is one port that clearly showed GC advantage. Rouge Squadron 2 and Luigi's mansion were beautiful launch games. Again PlayStation didn't Limit developers storage space. Nintendo's mini discs were expensive, and developers went with PS2! PS2 I am pretty sure has the largest game library of all consoles. Maybe not if you in include the vast amount.of.shovel wear on current consoles.

After that ugh, Nintendo seems to have given up on graphical power. Switch 2 games look really good, but I am usually going to buy ports on PS5/Series X.

PrimeVinister82d ago

N64 had some stunning games, but a lot of the library ran poorly. PS1 games tended to hit a playable 30 more often, albeit with less complex geometry and less/no filtering of textures, and the inherent flaws in how PS1 rasterises graphics.

I played loads of both back in the day and I definitely preferred the solid geometry and smooth textures of N64.

Terry_B82d ago

Most N64 games looked pretty bland compared with PS1 games.

SimpleSlave81d ago

While the N64 was technically more powerful than the PS1, it in fact did not have better graphics than the PS1. Not even close. Not even a little bit.

The N64 was all about Vaseline-looking textures and a blurry-ass mess, while the PS1 had gorgeous colors, sharp, pixelated textures, and god-tier dithering, and just a better image quality overall. Just look at Quake 2 for a perfect example of the differences.

On a side note, the PS1 dithering was like having a virtual canvas for the graphics. So, so good. With the added benefit that it had allowed the PS1 graphics to age like fine wine.

With that said, if you still doubt how awesome the PS1's graphics were or how big the worlds could get, then check out:
Ghost in the Shell
Mizzurna Falls
Vagrant Story
Colony Wars
Omega Boost
Alien Resurrection
Terracon

The PS1 just had better graphics with better textures, lighting, image quality, and even better overall framerate than the N64.

rlow181d ago (Edited 81d ago )

Zelda and Mario would disagree. Nothing the PS1 had touched those games and others. You’re comparing a 32 bit system vs a 64 bit system. While cds did have advantages, speed wasn’t one of them. Not to mention the 64 was much more powerful.
Now if you’re talking ps2 vs the n64 then that would be a much better comparison.

SimpleSlave81d ago

@rlow1

They can disagree all they want, but that changes nothing. While the Mario developers were smart enough to keep the graphics and textures simple, thus maintaining the cartoon-like quality look, the Zelda developers did not. Basically, Zelda does not look as good as you think it does, and the PS1 has better-looking games than Mario and Zelda both.

"Nothing that the PS1 had touched those games and others."

Except there are. You're talking with nostalgia-fogged glasses and dismissing without any knowledge of the PS1 catalogue. Hell, you don't even do research before commenting.

Like I said, the PS1 has plenty of games that look way better than those two games. But since you're not going to go see any of the games I listed, I'll do the same thing you're doing and just name-drop super popular games like Final Fantasy 8 and 9, with a side of Vagrant Story, and that takes care of that. Three games that, to this day, look absolutely amazing and much better than Mario and Zelda.

"You’re comparing a 32-bit system vs. a 64-bit system."

Listen, I won't insult you for coming here and arguing that 64 is a bigger number than 32, because, I mean… yikes. Next thing you'll say is that the Jaguar made the PS1 look like the Atari. It's not a good look, is all I'm saying. So I'll just suggest you do a bit of research on both systems' architectures, their advantages and disadvantages, and their bottlenecks, and learn a bit. Then, you know, actually see the games running on native hardware, and if you can't, there are plenty of videos out there.

There's no need for the PS2 when the PS1 had better graphics than the N64, and you mentioning two popular games is not an argument; it's you not even trying.

Scissorman81d ago

i dunno about that one. which n64 games rival the graphical experiences of mgs, soul reaver, vagrant story, ffix, chrono cross, dino crisis 2, silent hill, crash bandicoot 3, and countless others?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 81d ago
gaffyh82d ago

PlayStation 1 Devs were so innovative back in the day utilising so many techniques to achieve the best results. I think this article needed to focus on the games that used pre-drawn backgrounds like Resident Evil, In Cold Blood and FF8 to produce visuals that surpassed anything at the time.

PrimeVinister82d ago

I think you are right and I might add in an honourable mentions to at least discuss pre-rendered backgrounds in the visual history of PS1. It was hugely important and should have been in there.

I was going to include Resident Evil for 1996 but I wanted to talk about a second-generation 3D engine versus Ridge Racer, and I also wanted to talk about Lara's animation.

I was also going to put FF8 for 1999 on the list, even wrote a sentence. But then I figured that Driver would say more about how far programmers (and artists) had come in getting the most from the console.

PrimeVinister82d ago

Could even do an 'alternative PS1 graphics' history. Focus on atypical presentations, like pre-rendered, 2D, BSP engines etc.

on_line_forever81d ago (Edited 81d ago )

I think we need remake for these games :

Driver 1 & 2
Final fantasy 8
Legend of dragon
Dino crisis 1 & 2
Fatal frame 1
Parasite Eve 1 & 2

PrimeVinister81d ago

I would buy at least half of those if remade, easily.

I would love a remake of Driver 3 also.