mine does have backwards compatibility

I win.

haha, all the PS3 fanboys on this site and you idiots don't even have backwards compatible PS3s. Some fanboys you are...didn't even buy launch PS3s.

Just buy a PS2... I mean its not like the PS3 can run them any better half the time games look worse when running through the PS3. Only downside is not having a wireless pad. But seriously for the price of buying a PS3 BC well a decent one not the 80gig version.

Its far cheaper to buy a good old PS2 slim for ps2 games PS2 slim > PS3

People need to get over it. With side and front inputs on most tv's, if its really that important to you hook the ps2 back up when you want to play a game, or you should have never sold the ps2 before buying a non-backwards compatible ps3.

I often wonder if some of these articles are made up. You have a ton of ps2 games but don't still have your ps2, really? SO let me get this straight. This person kept the ps2 games, bought a ps3 knowing its not BC, and then proceeded to sell their ps2. Something does not add up.

Edit: Someone tell me how the hell i would get a disagree? If your gonna disagree at least respond with what you disagree with.

Hah playing P4 on MY PS3, someone should have been informed before buying a model without BC. Or that someone shouldn't have waited so long, there's your precious price drop. I spent 600 on mine, I have a PS2 in it, you didn't and you don't. Sadly those are the breaks in this situation, but it's not like you can't find a BC model OR A PS2.

Your ps3 doesn't have bc because it boosts manufacturing costs.

haha i have 20&60GB ps3!!!

I still don't understand why they dropped the software emulator - if it's already developed it shouldn't have any recurring cost overhead. Considering firmware updates apply universally to all models, is it possible they used a particular design that the emulator utilized, then when the board was revised it no longer worked and they dropped it? I don't believe it was intended to force people to buy another PS2. I mean, they could've dropped PS1 compatibility too and made us buy a PSP to play those games.

To be fair, it's nice to have less consoles around hooked up to the TV to play games. At least they don't expect us to keep around an old PS1.

But what the photo showcases is that a Slim PS3 is definitely in the cards, and that Backwards Compatibility was probably the biggest hindrance of the PS3's manufacturing costs (even above Blu-ray). Smart move on Sony's part to cut it out.

...they probably could (and SHOULD) TRY to make a different type of chip that could do the same thing. I don't think they should just not TRY to make it happen (I don't think Sony would just give up trying to give that important element to consumers with the PS3), because it's one of the reasons why some people are a little hesitant to upgrade their Playstation's (besides the price, obviously).

My guess is that they will try to make something happen now this news is public. I also really can't see any other reason why Sony would show us this other than to say how they are cutting down on their manufacturing costs.

So I just went back and reread some old news. Apparently they replaced the EE with the software emulator and kept the graphics chip - this allowed them to cut costs with a redesign and keep functionality. I suppose later they just realized the redesign was no longer functional for PS2 emulation.

@12.2

OK, on X86 architecture the hardware requirements are steep considering what the software emulation has to achieve, but the PS3 is a bit more advanced than a mid-range PC - it's better-equipped for this type of task. Even PS1 emulators on PC aren't perfect, but my PSP chugs along. It won't happen anyway, but I bet it IS possible. I guess in the end, after understanding better the revisions the PS3 went through, I can see more sense in it, but it still sucks.

and was happy to part with my $600 dollars.

my system does it all.for those that didn't hunker down and spent the money,sucks to be you.

you should have STFU and saved the money as sony said you should have done.everything sony put in the box was to make it future proof and add more ***VALUE***.time and time again we are seeing sony's vision becoming reality.

and again we see it at CES.ps3 is capable of doing 3D movies and games as well if the market goes in that direction.just like it's ready for 120hrz tvs like they hoped.PSeye is already capable of 120fps too.

should have spent the money.whining about it now is for babies.used trade ins,worked more......whatever.

BUY A PS2 AND STOP COMPLAINING.I HAVE NO SYMPATHY.

apocalypse................... .

I am contempt with my 60gb PAL PS3 which doesn't have full BC(around 90 %) but at least my 23 PS2 games all play fine. Shadow of the Colossus surprised me though I didn't expect to see that great of a difference when it was up-scaled but boy does it show.

I have BC...There are still 60 gig models out there...if you really love PS2 games...Battlefront2 and some NickToons ps2 game are the only ps2 games that have ever seen this 60 giger...I did`nt buy a PS3 to play out dated games...I did it for the Free-online and they let me blow stuff up and the scenery changes...lol

I'd sacrifice BC for wi-fi and a bigger harddrive any day.

Who wants to trade me?

(20 Gig)

which is alot more powerful than a PS2. Why can't Sony do the same with emulation in PS3?

But M$ have a long histry with software and have some of the best programmers in the world. Sony don't. They can't even design their own consoles to be easy for developers to work on.

They should have left the chip in. Had to sku's, one with BC, one without. Stick to what they are best at, Hardware.

I doubt all of those extra parts are for PS2 emulation, I hear Sony managed to merge some parts to cut costs and not all of them were related to PS2 emulation, I think they even made the internal flash memory smaller.

Sorry, but if you still care about ps2 titles, then you really shouldn't have a PS3.

Or just go and buy a PS2, same price as the 360 now isn't it,ROFL.

All i hear is people complain.

How about this.

If you wanted to play ps2 titles, you should have bought the original 60gb. da daaaaaaah

The only reason I got it so damn early..

The PS2 has a great library of games, you'd be stupid to think some jumping unto gaming will not take a look at the library when they start their gaming careers...lol

Why would you wanna miss out them great PS2 titles, when the PS3 have been lacking IMO.

(IMO) is Sony realized they incur more cost manufacturing a BC model and get NOTHING in return. Why bother w/ BC at all from a business standpoint when the solution is staring at them in the face? In the short term, if someone wants BC, they have to keep or purchase a PS2. They make money. In the long run Sony is slowly transitioning their ps1 & ps2 catalogs over to the PSN. They're trying to curtail the used game business (or at least getting a piece of that pie) by offering a downloadable alternative. All the while it provides a steady stream of revenue to themselves and 3rd parties; similar in Hollywood to royalties of syndicated re-runs. They'll make money. (IMO)

The answer to the article then would be because they removed it. Wow, that makes sense. That was obvious enough to figure out. However, I don't think that is truly "why" they don't have backward compatability anymore. Here is the real reason and a more logical one.

No one was buying a PS3 at the time. Everyone was still buying a PS2. There was no reason to have a product that competed with their own AND resulted in a higher price too. It was more logical to let the PS2 sell and when people were ready, buy a PS3. Now here's the thing.

The removal of backwards compatability is and will be beneficial until PS2 sales die down and the PS3 becomes more attractive in price. By this time Sony will have found better ways to reduce manufacturing costs.

Therefore, as people transition into this generation, it would be a logical move for Sony to bring back PS3 backward compatability AND maintain a cheaper price AND sell the idea that buying the PS3 is a safe move for PS2 owners. I'd say 2009 would be an ideal time to bring it back. I think people are ready now that the current gen systems are dropping to mainstream prices.

As for board space, I don't believe any PS3 got smaller as a result of it. Furthermore, these companies have the ability to make chips so small the human eye can't see it. The PS3 is already rumored for a price drop come March due to a reduced chip size.

because of it's elegant reflective chrome finished looks, convienient memory card slots and 4 USB ports. Now I can leave both my headset and control charger plugged in and still have room for my USB pendrive to be slotted in. As for memory cards, yeah, I sometimes check out my snapshots from either my Nokia or SonyEricsson.

But without the EE(UK) in it, I couldn't trade my PS2. This is probably part of the business plan, for the sake of the economy, for the sake of shops not recieving countless of old PS2's, therefore, leading Sony with more PS2 sales. Why did Sony initially have it then???? Simple, they were intending to do a PS2 and dominate. But the cost BECAME UNAFFORDABLE after Sony realising that MS really HAVE done a lot of damage and of cours the Wii. It would therefore become practically impossible to breakeven with a competitive market.

C'mon Sony, at least return the cardslots, USBs and the elegant chrome finshed looks back.

Love my 40gb ps3 on my HD display.
Love my ps2 slim on my standard sony trinitron.
Don't see a problem.

even though i have 60g PS3 (which allows PS1/2 BC), i have been playing PS3 games alot.

and my ps2 slim just broke two days ago. Ive owned 3 ps2s in all, from launch and 2 years later, all except the slim, Dis read error. my slim.... the light just went yellow/ orange and dvds stopped working. Next day, games stopped :( must I buy a new one now ????

Well...I'm glad I have a launch PS3.

Software emulation anyone?

Since I never owned a PS2, I don't know what I'm missing with my 40GB PS3.

So what components are in the EU 60GB model?

I've heard its just half the main system for the PS2 in them, but not sure for certain. Because from what heard and experienced the EU 60GB has limited emulation, but TBH, the only things I've had difficulty with is the Ratchet series but strangely I swear in the last few firmwares Sony have been secretly updating the emulation of PS2 games...

Anyone else with a EU 60 Gig'ger noticed this?

Don't care. I didn't buy a PS3 to play PS2 games. My PS2 still works fine anyway. So does my PS1, even though my 40GB PS3 can play PS1 games. Thanks Sony.

if you have a HUGE ps2 library, then you have a ps2...it shouldnt be too hard to switch the two consoles..and if you dont have a ps2, just grab a used ps2 for $50-80

since many 60gb users enjoy the bc ;)

But we can't play those classic hits because there's no b/c and no emotion engine behind to play them.

keep on getting slimmer! This is great for future iterations of PS3 hardware. My next PS3 purchase might very well be a slimline version. I also think its in the product roadmap of Sony to implement a software solution to play PS2 titles once the PS2 is no longer in production

Im glad i have the oldschool PS3 60gig model, the only thing that scares me is if i have to repair it and they send me back a new model with no PS2 chip in it.

I'll probably be getting a PS3 sometime this year, and yes, I would have rather had the backwards compatibility. Understandably, consumers clamoured for a cheaper price, but I would not have wanted that drop to happen at the cost of a feature I enjoy. I still own my PS2, but I'd rather not have to depend on an ageing console which will eventually obsolesce/break and have to wait until tech evolves enough to have proper emulations I can repurchase like we do today with 2D games.

Smart business move or not, I'm disappointed. But I still want to play Heavy Rain so PS3.

60GB rules all. And believe it or not I still play PS/PS2 games from time to time so I put it to good use.

If he cared so much about BC, why didn't he just do what I did and buy a 60GB PS3 from eBay? And I only paid $425!

Sorry, I don't feel sorry for him, or anyone else b!tching about this. If you want BC bad enough, it's there to be had.

I don't want to get in to an argument about sales figures - but when you look at total PlayStation Brand products being sold - Sony are doing fine and the longer the PS2 keeps selling, the better for Sony.

Sony make a profit on the PS2. Sony make a loss on the PS3.

Why would Sony want people buying a PS3 to play PS2 games when they could buy a PS2 (making them a profit).

Plus there's a fair chance that in a couple of years or so those people who bought a PS2 will upgrade to a PS3 when the price is right (and by which time Sony will be making a profit on every PS3).

Perhaps leaving out BC is intentional now.

The ONLY time it makes sense to release a PS3 emulator is when they announce they are stopping production of PS2 for a particular territory - or when PS2 sales really start to drop off and devs stop supporting it.

I think my faith in humanity has just been restored! I can't believe I just read a comment that was 100% common sense! Awesome!

Yes, Sony is a big company that isn't even 5% as stupid as some would have you think. They know exactly what's what. Now, you might ask yourself "but...MS had BC from the get go in the 360." This is true. But MS has maybe 50 titles "worth" having BC. They have no longevity with xbox originals - you can see evidence of this by looking into when the last update was...and what games were on that update.
PS2 however has a monstrous amount of good titles which will serve Sony better after PS2 finally stops selling significantly.
Why Sony had it in originally was likely 1 part bad foresight, 2 parts MS pressure...due to them having it. Sony got wise pretty quickly I'd say.

---I own both systems, love them both...PS3 quite a bit more, but still...concerning BC, this seems pretty obvious to me. I left out all the obvious reasons like cost saving for example.

.... And PS2s are $120 now. Stop b1tching... and if you hadn't sold your PS2 to get a PS3, this wouldn't even be a problem!

Yeah, it sucks that they took it out, but you can't keep complaining if they STILL sell something to play them on... when they stop selling PS2s, LET THE B!TCHING BEGIN!!!!

For me it was all about options. I still had a slim PS2 (and GC and XBOX) when I bought my PS3 (and 360 and Wii), but I knew one day I could turn in all the older gen systems (which I've done) and not worry about my classics collection I built up for all three systems. Sure it cost a lot of money at the time, but it saved me a lot of heartache.

As a person from an xbox original camp, all i had were PS1 games, so I was cool. The only game I have even had an desire to play is GOD of War 1 and 2

Glad I have a 60gb launch ps3.....although it was 659.99 plus taxes .......................

I purchased a 60GB PS3 a few weeks after launch. It was awesome and could play PSX and PS2 games nicely. I then sold it for profit and purchased an 80GB with no BC but featured both a 45nm CPU and GPU which of course runs cooler and doesn't take up as much power as the original. Nice trade-off for me since I don't want nor plan on playing older titles. I know folks love to play the classics but I just can't go back to them. PS3's graphics have spoiled me to the extreme!!!

I don't know crap about PS3's BC, but mine does indeed have it. When did they remove it?

How much does the 60 gb go for I'll sell mine to make a profit any takers

Does persona 4 work on the ps3 ?

I jumped on the MGS4 bundle - B/C, DualShock and 80G memory and one of the best games I've ever played - pretty simple decision!

why do people have to whine about the ps3 so much?

how could you afford a ps3 but not a ps2 (80 euro bundle= PS2 + 2x controller + 2x games)

stop your b!tching

My PS3 plays PS2 games just fine. Maybe you shouldn't have waited so long to get your PS3. Sony gave plenty of time for people to transition to the PS3 and it's reasonable to think that anyone getting a PS3 now probably isn't a die hard playstation fan that needs these older games. Plus, nobody said that once you bought that PS3 that you had to toss your PS2. Play your games on your PS2. At least Sony is still supporting the PS2. The xbox has been abondoned.

You guys have had 2 whole years to get a ps3 with backwards compatability and its still on ebay and craigslist so you can just buy it from there
and that guy who paid $600 for a non bc ps3
ur a dum@$$
u got so ripped off its not even funny
well to you its not but i paid $400 last year off craigslist for the 80GB Motorstorm Bundle and it was brand new sealed
its too late now and you guys have had so much time so stop complaining

Mine is 80 GB backwards compatibility.

But I did have a ps1/2. Fact of the matter is, for people who had at least a ps2 and havent gotten a ps3 yet(theres about 100 million of us) BC is something that we would like to have. Believe it or not many people sold their ps2s. I sold my ps2 and xbox because I planed on buying both ps3/360 and I expected them to have BC.

I dont think sony should have taken it out simply because it is a pretty big feature that adds ALOT of value to PS3. I think sony shoulda cut down production of ps2 and advratised taht ps3 can play ps1/2 games. that way alot of people who are still buying 130$ ps2s would put that towards a ps2 that plays ps3 games and bluray movies. Ever since ps2 came out Ive loved the BC features of consoles.

I know that peopel will say BC isnt important, but I guarantee that no one that has a BC ps2 would trade it for one without, and that more people would be buying ps3s if sony dropped price without axing features like BC.

feel like i made the right dicision on buying a ps3.... i am so phucking glad.... lol

i have a slim ps2 still from launch and its still going. oh man and i played dat shi* Like crazy

well i have the 60 gb launch backwards compatable ps2 and ps1 games. boshido blade anyone? (ps1)

all of the REAL gamers got the 60GB model.
*back to TvC*

Early PS3 adopters win
Early 360 adopters lose

I'm still pissed that my launch 360 doesn't have HDMI. Stupid microsoft. Now I have 2. Can't really complain though, my launch 360 is hacked... mwahahaha.

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.