PlayStation 3's New Hope

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

By Edge

Sony thinks inside the box for its newest iteration of PS3. Can less really mean more? Edge conducts an in-depth interview with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe managing director Ray Maguire.

Sony Computer Entertainment has a problem. It has sold 124 billion PlayStation 2 games into territories spanning the globe, but its newest PlayStation hardware will not play a single one of them.

How big is this problem? That depends who you ask. For many commentators on the internet, who’ve spent over a year now flicking criticism in Sony’s direction, and indeed the many thousands of consumers who log on to websites to wallow in the negative spin, it’s more proof that the company has lost the plot, and that its PS3 strategy is broken beyond repair.

What about the millions of people who use their PlayStation 2 consoles as karaoke machines, electronic quizmasters or simply something that will keep the kids quiet while they argue about whose turn it is to go to buy this week’s lottery tickets? This sector of the market is surely hardly even aware that the newly introduced, sub-?300 PlayStation 3 won’t play their old games. It’s this sector, though, that Sony is looking to bring on board now that it is closer to offering PlayStation 3 as something like a mass-market proposition. What are these people expected to do with their stacks of PS2 games?

“If we’d have thought about this six months ago, at launch, when there were very few games in the marketplace, I think that would’ve been an issue, and in fact it was sufficient enough of an issue for us to invest the money in the software-based backwards compatibility,” says Sony Computer Entertainment Europe managing director Ray Maguire.

“We have to decide how we allocate things within the Cell chip. And there is a big cost involved with doing software emulation.”

“I think now we have to make a very firm decision on which way we go: do we keep investing money in supporting backward compatibility so that people can play PlayStation 2 games without actually firing up their PS2? Or do we put the money into developing new games? I think the investment has to go in looking forward at new games, new experiences, new services, rather than looking backwards, at satisfying a technology that we superseded.”

This is, of course, to gloss over comments previously made by senior SCE execs which made a much bigger deal out of the PlayStation family’s relationship with each other. Indeed, Edge columnist N’Gai Croal recently reminded readers of his blog that, in November last year, SCE chief Kaz Hirai said: “I think that when we ask the consumers to make an investment in software, it’s our responsibility to make sure that the future consoles that we bring to market, including PS3, are able to actually play all these titles that the consumers have really spent a lot of money [on]… And I think you’re doing the consumers and the gamers a huge disservice when you come out with a new console only to say it only plays PlayStation 3 games, and that’s really counterintuitive to our strategy, but also, really, to the Sony DNA.” It seems, then, that facing up to the realities of chasing two competitors, not leading them, also means serving up a helping of customer disservice.

But, given that the technology driving the backwards compatibility in the previous Euro PS3 was, as Maguire says, software-based, how can Sony justify withdrawing this support? “The Cell chip keeps on moving,” he begins. “Obviously, because that’s a large cost in terms of the manufacturing of the PlayStation 3, as we keep on putting R&D and more advances in the Cell chip – to make it smaller, to make it lighter, to reduce the power consumption – some of the decisions that we have to make include: how do we allocate things within the Cell chip? And there is a big cost involved with doing the software emulation. So it’s a cost issue, and – as we always do – we want to bring the price of the hardware down.”

No one is offering hard details on the costs that would be involved were Sony to continue to offer backwards compatibility via a Cell-based solution. It is, however, confirmed that the company is still not making any profit from the PS3 hardware itself, so any and all savings are significant issues. At the same time, of course, it’s also difficult to say how much money the company will make by continuing to sell profitable PS2 hardware throughout this Christmas and beyond.

Continues..>

Quite a long read, 3 pages worth.

[Windam]

I think the investment has to go in looking forward at new games, new experiences, new services, rather than looking backwards, at satisfying a technology that we superseded

I find that statement justifiable. You paid money for the purpose of a new gaming experience..

[morficus]

agreed

If you really want to play your old PS2 games, the use your PS2

the PS3 has a pretty good game line up.: GH3, CoD4, WarHalk, Heavenly Sword, Rainbow 6, Rachet and Clank, Folklore

and a good holyday lineup: Timeshift, Drak Uncharted, Unreal

so that's enough to keep you busy with new ps3 games and not give you time to go back to the PS2

Also, just for the record...

Since day 1... I've been saying that Sony needed to put the PS2 on the back-burnner and focus more on the PS3. I'm REALLY happy they heard my prayers :yes:

[Narlzac85]

I have a fairly extensive PS1 and PS2 collection and I still think backwards compatibility is important. Disc based consoles have moving parts and they do go bad (thats basically all that ever goes bad). I've gone through two PS1s and 3 PS2s and I know that they won't always work. They can't expect me to have all their consoles connected all the time (I've already got about 4 at any given time), so I want the new console to play the old games.

However, making a version of the PS3 without BC is a good move. Thats enough to satisfy most people and it costs less. As long as the option to get a BC console is still around, then its good news for everyone. I'm also hoping for PS3 linux based emulation some day (and I would hope that sony would support anyone working on that since it costs them nothing).

[Danrarbc]

I had the oddest thing happen at work today. A mother was getting a PS3 for the family and upon finding out that shiny $400 price tag unit couldn't play PS2 games what'd she do? She didn't buy any PS3 at all, even after explaining the 80GB model does in fact have the feature.

Come to think of it I haven't even sold one of the 40GB units yet.

Okay, enough of the ultimately useless daily happenings of a retailer.

I hope nobody that's saying "if you really want to play your old games do it on the PS2" didn't say a thing about how awesome backwards compatibity would be on PS2/PS3 back in the day.

[sundayx Veteran]

Empire strikes back?

[Windam]

At Fry's I sold about 5 40GB PS3's last weekend (friday afternoon, sat and sun) and I saw a whole stock of 20 PS3's on a stacked platform go down to 5-6.

I thought to myself it was a really smart move..

[sn00pie]

The 40GB model is moving, I know quite a few people who have jumped on or about to jump onto the PS3 bandwagon. The way I've always looked at it is simple; you buy a PS3 to play next-gen games, not last-gen games. If I could go back in time, instead of shelling out $650 for my 60GB, I would've waited and bought a 40GB for $400 instead.

At the same time, for every PS3 sold, it's also a BD player sold, I disagree with anyone who says most PS3 owners don't know they have BD. Everyone I know who has a PS3 supports BD and buys them. (Y)

GO BD! :yes:

[Spartan_X]

At the same time, for every PSP sold, it's also a PSP movie player sold?

fixed to reflect some recent history... :rofl: :p

[sn00pie]

hahah, UMD was a destined failure, BD is definitely not

[Windam]

hahah, UMD was a destined failure, BD is definitely not

yar, and lets not forget those who tell of mpeg 2 encoding, 1st gen BD discs had those but not anymore.

[ienhz]

the only thing holding back BD is the price of the standalone players, which really is a huge market for initial adopters because i know a lot of hardcore a/v guys who would never use a console to watch movies. Sony should just do a price drop on the standalone players already and just end this war since imo it seems like they're already selling quite a bit more and have more support from studios and other companies.

[admf]

As someone with a fairly decent collection of PS1 and PS2 games I hold dear (Vagrant Story, FFXII, Shadow of The Colossus, Guilty Gear XX, CvS2 to name a few select ones), this is something that makes me somewhat glad I've got a 60gb model with backwards compatibility. I love the new PS3 games, sure, but I still come back to older games too every now and then. FFXII is great to play when you're properly chilling out, so to speak.

Maybe this is a good move for Sony. But I despise having to have more consoles connected than necesary, wires are an unholy mess.