Sony redesigns Euro PS3

[forster]

Well, I am home, but Im drinking now and Neowin is even more funner when you have a crate of Guinness in you.

Im looking forward to all of it, the new games, the downloadable stuff, Ive been waiting for a PS3 ever since I got my release day PS2 - Ive dreamed about all the new features, new games, new directions for the hardware. Im certainly not going to lose sleep over a reduced amount of backward support.

[Danrarbc]

Unfortunately for Sony the PS2 chip they were including was far from the most expensive part inside the PS3, so it won't cut costs that much - especially factoring in the money that now has to be spent on a team of programmers. But, it's really the only thing they can cut from the hardware so I guess it's kinda what they had to do even if it's only a small amount.

I understand why, it's just I've gotta wonder if that small cost cut is worth more negative press.

[forster]

especially factoring in the money that now has to be spent on a team of programmers.

One would imagine it would be a group of devs giving support on the side, rather than a whole team newly employed on the payroll to do just this, unless you can substantiate this its all just hearsay and rhetoric whichever way you spin it.

[GEIST]

I think Sony needs a solid reality check in general. To me it seems they have lost focus as to what their consumers really want and would spend their hard earned money on.

[FreqFace]

For me, I would have liked to seen PS2 game support on PS3 because there's alot of PS2 titles I would like to play and catch up on. Since I've never owned a PS2 myself, I've missed out on these games, this would have a been a good selling point.

[Danrarbc]

One would imagine it would be a group of devs giving support on the side, rather than a whole team newly employed on the payroll to do just this

Maybe later you can explain to me how this is comforting to a consumer.

[forster]

The average consumer will just be thinking "OMGZ teh bookwadz suppots be gone".

They dont care, it will doubtfully stop them from purchasing the console, but I do agree that it will give them less confidence in Sony until their favourite game is supported by the system.

[S7R1K3R]

The average consumer will just be thinking "OMGZ teh bookwadz suppots be gone".

They dont care, it will doubtfully stop them from purchasing the console, but I do agree that it will give them less confidence in Sony until their favourite game is supported by the system.

Do you know how many Sony ps3 ads featured full backwards compatibility with previous games. They even had a ad stating they had more than 10k games that will work on a ps3. Now just throw that all away. People do remember.

[forster]

I actually have no idea. I havent followed the progress of the PS3 at all, and personally, I dont care. I couldnt care less whether it could play GTA Vice City, San Andreas, or Johnny Bazookatone for the Psone. What I care about, and what everyone I know cares about is the gameplay of PS3 games.

[eilegz]

u know its funny that sony bashed microsoft xbox360 backward compatibility in the first place and they are going to do the same thing, also reminds me of worldwide launch that in the end resulted in a complete failure (even more crappy than xbox360 launch)

[Corris Veteran]

This is really stupid, Some PS2 games are crap, but they better do kinda what Microsoft did with he downloadable updates and make sure the top games are given priority.

Though when I got my PS2, the only games I ever touched form the PS1 area were the Older Final Fantasy's, and maybe theme park and theme hospital, but I would still want the choice to play other games.

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

the only reason im getting the PS3 is coz i have 100's of PS2 games, no point now :s

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

u know its funny that sony bashed microsoft xbox360 backward compatibility in the first place and they are going to do the same thing, also reminds me of worldwide launch that in the end resulted in a complete failure (even more crappy than xbox360 launch)

Fun times :laugh: :rofl:

I feel sorry for those who drop all that money on the PS3 at launch. Sony need to get their act together :no:

[Kussie]

Yeah i was looking forward to ditching my old PS2 and replacing it with one console. I am seeing a constant pattern with sony here, consistently bashing Microsoft and what they do on the 360 and then doing the exact same thing.

This whole thing wouldn't be so bad if it actually reduced the price, even by just as little as $50. But all of the Europeans and those of us here in Australia and NZ end up paying more for less.

[Aero Ultimate]

Sony is getting more disgusting every day :x

Selling a crippled PS3 to Europe which doesn't?have?the?dedicated?chips?to?play?PS2?games?is?pretty?ugly?already.

Many?are?getting?a?PS3?to?be?able?to?use?the?rich?PS2?games?offer,?as?the?PS3?offers?are?still?lackluster, but that won't work anymore now.

That's not enough still as they go and sell this crippled console at nearly double the price in Europe. They must really think that Europeans are dumb as brick so they won't mind being massively ov:crazy:ed for a crippled console :crazy:

[cammy]

i dont care, im buying a ps3 to play ps3 games, i didnt play ps1 games on my ps2 and i wont be playing ps2 games on my ps3 :)

[Danrarbc]

Yeah i was looking forward to ditching my old PS2 and replacing it with one console. I am seeing a constant pattern with sony here, consistently bashing Microsoft and what they do on the 360 and then doing the exact same thing.

This pattern extends beyond Microsoft. Remember Sony's E3 conference, essentially calling motion control a gimmick and then not a few minutes later reveal the SIXAXIS.

[Bhav]

This news is a kick in the balls to say the least.

There is no doubt that Sony harped on about how it offered superior backwards compatibility but now it has clearly gone back on its word and screwed over European gamers (after screwing them over the 1st time by delaying it and leaving the price unchanged).

Whether or not you use it is besides the point - they have drastically changed the PS3 and handicapped the European version compared to the US and Japanese versions.

Crap like this p***es me off.

[TDQuiksilver]

This news is a kick in the balls to say the least.

There is no doubt that Sony harped on about how it offered superior backwards compatibility but now it has clearly gone back on its word and screwed over European gamers (after screwing them over the 1st time by delaying it and leaving the price unchanged).

Whether or not you use it is besides the point - they have drastically changed the PS3 and handicapped the European version compared to the US and Japanese versions.

Crap like this p***es me off.

Shhhhh.. there is mention of the software emulation being worked on now. ;) With as often as firmware updates have been available, I don't see how they will have a huge problem keeping compatible with the latest and greatest PS2 games if they keep on top of software emulation updates in the same manner. Granted the hardware emulation would have been nice to keep in initially.. even for you guys over the pond.. there are reasons for this move. Keep your hopes up and enjoy everything else it has to offer also!

[DrCheese]

I'm going to reverse calling sony names until they release the compatibility list, ideal it should be a list of what doesn't work rather than what does.....

[MadFerIt]

Shhhhh.. there is mention of the software emulation being worked on now. ;) With as often as firmware updates have been available, I don't see how they will have a huge problem keeping compatible with the latest and greatest PS2 games if they keep on top of software emulation updates in the same manner. Granted the hardware emulation would have been nice to keep in initially.. even for you guys over the pond.. there are reasons for this move. Keep your hopes up and enjoy everything else it has to offer also!

Jeez even Bhav is willing to admit this is a very bad move to their European customers. Why can't you?

Software emulation is as I've said very difficult. And unless they are going to offer enhancements along with the support for popular titles, it's a severe downgrade for those with large PS2 collections.

Don't get me wrong, the 360 has **** for software support (compared to the full library), and if they hadn't offered enhancements to resolution and jaggies, people would have been pretty angry over how useless the backwards compatibility was.

If they want to make this right, they need to move their butts in announcing either "Visual enhancements" or that the U.S./Japan versions of the console from this point onward will be manufactured without the PS2 emotion engine chip.

Like I said the issue isn't the lack of backwards compatibility, it's that the European version is getting less hardware for the same price (not lowered or anything).

[TDQuiksilver]

But that's where I'm confused MadFerIt:

You say less hardware for the same price. I must be still a little woosy from my recent stomach flu, but the only piece of "hardware" removed is the PS2 hardware emulation components? Or am I lost and missing something? If that's the only component removed and software emulation is put in place.. what is really being lost? Don't get me wrong, Sony promising full BC in Japan & NA and then us finding out that's not the case is definitely wrong, but it's being worked on since the past few months of it's launch. The software side can be worked on as well.. can it not? I'm not saying it's a bad move, because it was.. so nullify your arguement there. But what I am saying is lets see what Sony can really do with the software emulation before we throw a cry baby fit about it all. Who knows, maybe by summer or fall we'll have a large percentage of PS1/PS2 games being compatible and the hardware emulation completely scrapped? I'm off the pointing fingers game and blaming Sony.. that's old news and outplayed. They're actually trying to structure their strategy now so let's see what they can do. Of all the problems people **** and moan about the PS3, I haven't seen the purpose to gripe about on mine. Those who actually want the console for what it is will truely enjoy it for what it has to offer. That's my point. :yes:

[Bhav]

I agree that we should see what they come up with at launch, but it's still disappointing that there is now that an uncertainty that your PS2 game may not work.

[TDQuiksilver]

I agree that we should see what they come up with at launch, but it's still disappointing that there is now that an uncertainty that your PS2 game may not work.

Oh I can definitely understand that. Were you the one that said you had hundreds of PS2 games? :blink:

[WelshBluebird]

But that's where I'm confused MadFerIt:

You say less hardware for the same price. I must be still a little woosy from my recent stomach flu, but the only piece of "hardware" removed is the PS2 hardware emulation components? Or am I lost and missing something? If that's the only component removed and software emulation is put in place.. what is really being lost?

I think the main reason that people are anoyed (well it is for me anyway), is that not only is the PS3 late here, but it is also a lot more expensive, and now sony are removing something to reduce costs, yet still charging us way more than the rest of the world. Its ridiculous.