Dont trade in ur Ps2 for ur Ps3, ur gonna need it.....

unklerosco

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/02/23/european_ps3_has_less_functionality_than_us_japan/

Man, this is just getting ludicrous.

Not only are European PS3 buyers getting gouged in pricing terms - paying as much as 40% more for the console than our brethren overseas - but it turns out that European consoles are actually going to have less functionality, too.

How can this be? Well, in a bid to cut the cost of making the PS3, the hardware chips that enable PS2 backwards compatibility are being stripped out.

Stripped out.

The chips will be replaced with software emulation, with the result that backwards compatibility for European consoles will be, according to Sony, significantly less.

According to Reuters, "The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the U.S. and Japan models," a Sony spokesman said. "Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3."

Great. Most people probably wouldn't mind about not having backwards compatibility, but the fact that US and Japan get it and we don't is, frankly, galling. Let's face it - Sony's deal is getting worse by the day.

Tis all a load of fun really....

tbh

I'd be pissed that it's functionality that's available to us/japan but not to us. I'm so glad I got the xbox now. At the time, I was annoyed that I couldn't (easily) play old xbox games on the 360, but I don't really want to now anyway. I remember when I got my ps2, playing ps1 games on it just seemed like a waste of time, but I hate the thought that we are getting less than others.

Lex Luthor

tbh wrote:

I remember when I got my ps2, playing ps1 games on it just seemed like a waste of time, but I hate the thought that we are getting less than others.

Chances are the games for PS3 will be much better than on PS2, but I think the difference in quality will not be as much between Ps2 to Ps3 as it was from ps1 to ps2. I'd hate not to be able to play some of my ps2 games in the future.

super_furry

Good Jesus, why doesn't Sony just be done with it a post a fresh steaming turd to everyone in Europe who buys the PS3? Huge delay, massively inflated price, now this, what's next - a gang of Sony employees waiting outside to beat up anyone that buys one?

koneko

Yes, take out features for Europe, screw us over again. I'd understand if it was like this all along, but they have it in the US and Japan, and change it for Europe? Nice.

And a pricedrop? No way, they're reducing costs but we won't see a pricedrop. Typical Sony.

BlitzKrieg

whats confuses me is...


THE PS3 is meant to be a region free console so apart from the power unit what changes did they actually need to make for the pal release?

I know europe has stricter regulations on specific features (type of plastic used etc) then the USA but I assume the ps3 being such a powerhosue in top of the range features most of those regulations wouldnt apply.


I am actually confused as to why sony are changing anything.


and wouldnt they need all the ps2 support they can get as its still getting the best games at the moment (God of War 2 etc).

The chips will be replaced with software emulation, with the result that backwards compatibility for European consoles will be, according to Sony, significantly less.

isnt this the exact same thing they shot microsoft down over when they announced the 360 uses emulation?

super_furry

It's a cost cutting measure. Less chips = less production expenses. It's a similar system to the one Microsoft use alright, but the 360 is the same across the board and was always going to be that. The fact is that now we're being asked to pay significantly more for a console that's inferior to it's US and Japanese counterparts.

Zapp Brannigan

To be honest that's quite annoying. We're paying more for less of a console in my view.

Still though, the only games I'd want Backwards Compatibility on are Okami, FFXII and a few select others. Cos I dont have a PS2 so I just wanna be able to play its most recent hits and I'm sure Sony will support these.

Q_Ball

slurms wrote:

Still though, the only games I'd want Backwards Compatibility on are Okami, FFXII and a few select others. Cos I dont have a PS2 so I just wanna be able to play its most recent hits and I'm sure Sony will support these.

thats the thing, its not a MAJOR feature that they're removing. joe bloggs isnt going to care whether it plays old PS2 games once it has superspankyshineygraphix and you can make out the brand of ball used in FIFA XX.

Besides, people will pay to play PS3 games.

I read the article and thought typical sony. thats how low they've sunk in my opinion. I'm no longer surprised at the ****e they pull anymore.

It does annoy me that those paying for it are paying more for less.

koneko

Average Joe Bloggs won't know in advance, but this will affect them. They'd buy the PS3 to replace their PS2 and expect to play all their games on it as they were told before.

How many people kept their Xbox when they bought a 360? Not many, most would sell the previous console to help fund the new one. These people are going to be pretty surprised when they put in their PS2 games and find out they won't work.

If they'd done this from the start it would be one thing, but it pisses me off that yet again Europe gets f*cked over and has to pay more for the privilige.

Lex Luthor

if it doesn't play ps2 games, then if it was me buying a new console, I think I'd go for the 360, as you have to start from scratch with your games library. I know more people who have bought the xbox so swapping games shouldn't be as big an issue as their will be more people with xbox's than ps3's because of the price, me thinks

Q_Ball

koneko wrote:

Average Joe Bloggs won't know in advance, but this will affect them. They'd buy the PS3 to replace their PS2 and expect to play all their games on it as they were told before.

not sure i agree with this. they'll buy it, curse it and sell off their games to fund the new ones and soon enough forget and all will be well. i doubt knowing in advance would affect the majority of buyers.

i'd love to be wrong tho

koneko

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it'll make a big difference to them in the end, but I don't think it'll go completely unnoticed.

fdevine

US/JAP consoles are 98% compatible according to Sony.

If people read the Reuters report linked to via the link in the OPs comment, it IMO is not as bad as people think.

98% of PS/PS2 games is alot. If backwards compatibility is lacking and its a software issue then its easily fixed in future firmware updrades.

IIRC there were considerable problems with backwards compatibility at launch in the US.

Vegeta

What are they doing :rolleyes:

Ciaran500

fdevine wrote:

98% of PS/PS2 games is alot. If backwards compatibility is lacking and its a software issue then its easily fixed in future firmware updrades.

IIRC there were considerable problems with backwards compatibility at launch in the US.

Fixed like the Xbox360 emulation is fixed? For a company that was going on about how great its backwards emulation will be that's not acceptable.

The problems at the US launch was a general problem that affected a large chunk of games. Only one thing needed to be fixed, with emulation like this it takes a whole lot more work to get every game going right.

fdevine

I accept it could be a pain, but in reality most people will probably only want to play newer or at least more popular PS2 games. I, for one wont be rushing to play old games on my PS3.

There is a website (not active until PS3 launch, which is not much use) to check compatibility. People will want to check now, not after they get their PS3.

This report may be worth a look for some....

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/23-02-2007-4854.html

savemejebus

Once again Sony shafts europe, and we all act surprised... tbh we should all have expected this, I'm only surprised they're not charging us more for the priviledge of getting a hobbled system

Also reading the article that fdevine posted, i wonder what other cost cutting features the "new chassis" will have.

unklerosco

savemejebus wrote:

i wonder what other cost cutting features the "new chassis" will have.

Seemingly its gonna look allot like this

savemejebus

ah an aesthetic improvement

BlitzKrieg

just thought of something?

If the ps3 is emulating ps2 software from now on and its not hardware would that make pirating ps2 software alot easier?

The PSP is already being used to that end for the ps1 despite sony wanting it to go through the psp store, a large portion of ps1 games have been pirated and now with little difficulty are being played on psps across the world.

If the PS3 is going the same route with ps2 emulation 2 things come to mind, first ps2 games may start appearing on the sony store online to download directly to your ps3, and secondly more worryingly (for sony) thousands of ps2 games will be easily pirated for ps3 users.

hmm...

steviec

It's not so much a europe thing as a new revision in the hardware that we happen to be getting first - the US and Japan will be getting it too, and it was always in the plan.

They were using PS2 hardware until they got the emulator working, I remember them stating this a few times in the past. They said it would have benefits when it comes to price cuts and upscaling of PS2 games.

On the other hand there'll likely be compatibility issues with many games but only time will tell. They did a pretty damn good job emulating the PS1 on PSP.

thefinalstage

And yet...no price cut?

savemejebus

thelastangryman wrote:

And yet...no price cut?

indeed, instead the highest prices so far. You have to give it to sony, their balls must need their own corporate headquarters they're so big.

thefinalstage

This has now lost all interest from me. I have a huge game collection and now I can't play them with this? Screw it! -1 customer for Sony.

Creamy Goodness

tbh if you honestly thought sony were going to cut the price of the machine before they've even released the console you're nearly as stupid as the millions of europeans willing to fork out 600+ euros for the console.

BlitzKrieg

tbh if you honestly thought sony were going to cut the price of the machine before they've even released the console

they did it for japan?

Creamy Goodness

BlitzKrieg wrote:

they did it for japan?

homeland and all that.

ambro25

Bit of a non-issue, what with Tesco (or is it Asda?) in the UK now selling brand new PS2s at £50 or under.

That said, it's not as if we "Cassandras" have not been trying to show Sony for the c*nts that they are for the last year or so, is it?

Can't believe I've just used the C word, that is so very unlike me (trust me on this), but when you just stop for a minute and take stock of everything Sony have done/said/etc. over the past 2 years... it just beggars belief that they're still in business. If it wan't for the PS1/PS2 (and they were fresh to this game), they'd look worse than the guys behind Nuon/Phantom :eek:

What aggravates me most? Not that Europeans are getting sh*fted in style (c'mon guys, Sega/Nintendo/etc. have all been at it repeatedly at some stage over the past 20 years). But that Europeans forever come back for more.

grizzly

I'm going to buy a PS3 for my brothers 18th birthday and even though there is no list of older games that will work, would it be safe to assume that FFXII and GoW2 will work straight off ?

Also can anyone recommend a couple of games to get with the machine? He's into shooting games and RPGs.

Icarian

good for sony, it'll save them even more money and increase their profits!
And surely now that our ps3 will be cheaper to manufacture in europe we'll be getting our ps3 cheaper than the U.S and Japan!

its win-win i tells ye!

BlitzKrieg

And surely now that our ps3 will be cheaper to manufacture in europe we'll be getting our ps3 cheaper than the U.S and Japan!

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


you broke my sarcasm meter.

Thrill

You'd think that the EU would be looking out for it's citizens by questioning sony about this inequality. They should be demanding that we be treated the same as the U.S.

FutureGuy

I hope that the people complaining about sony vote with their wallets and go purchase the Wii and 360 instead for pretty much the same price (if they haven't already). Unfortunately I think Ireland is home to alot of zombified consumers who will rush out and buy it because "it's a PS3". It'll still sell like hotcakes :rolleyes: .