Last Chance to get PS2 B/C...

[SoylentGreen]

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/08/20/...-discontinued/

It looks like the 80GB Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle really was "limited edition." The $499 bundle has been deleted from the Wal-Mart databases, to make way for the 80GB Core and upcoming 160GB Uncharted pack. Considering the current MGS4 pack is the only system to support PS2 backwards compatibility, this may be your last chance to get your hands on a PS3 that can play PS2 games. Neither the current $399 80GB Core nor the upcoming $499 160GB bundle will support PS2 games at all.

If you want it, this looks like your last chance...

[MrE]

Originally Posted by SoylentGreen

If you want it, this looks like your last chance...

I have a feeling software emulation will be coming soon.

[michealo]

Originally Posted by MrE

I have a feeling software emulation will be coming soon.

firmware BC is impossible, according to some.

[SoylentGreen]

Originally Posted by michealo

firmware BC is impossible, according to some.

It's entirely possible. The are already PS2 emulators that run on a PC. They emulate both the EE and GS.

Now clearly Sony have already mastered emulation of the EE in the current consoles, so they only have to do the GS. If someone can reverse engineer a partially working one (good enough to run some PS2 games) without any inside knowledge, then Sony can do it a full job of one.

I suspect priorities are at work, now that Trophies and InGameXMB are out the way, PS2 full software emulation will be working it's way up the list. Clearly is Sony want to convert PS2 owners to PS3, then they need it.

[DustoMan]

:Pulls up the list of backcompat original Xbox games: Yes! Firmware BC is impossible!

[capnmonkey]

I think dropping BC entirely is a mistake. Right now they need to be giving people MORE reasons to buy a PS3 instead of less reasons, especially when the PS2 is still selling very competitively with the frickin PS3 (Which is pretty miserable. I love the PS2, but this is getting silly.)

[SoylentGreen]

Originally Posted by capnmonkey

I think dropping BC entirely is a mistake. Right now they need to be giving people MORE reasons to buy a PS3 instead of less reasons, especially when the PS2 is still selling very competitively with the frickin PS3 (Which is pretty miserable. I love the PS2, but this is getting silly.)

Surely by removing the PS2 hardware, and making it cheaper to produce, this cheaper to sell, is great a reason to buy a PS3???

[maley]

Originally Posted by SoylentGreen

Surely by removing the PS2 hardware, and making it cheaper to produce, this cheaper to sell, is great a reason to buy a PS3???

But it was an incentive for PS1/PS2 owners to stay in the Playstation brand.

[capnmonkey]

Originally Posted by SoylentGreen

Surely by removing the PS2 hardware, and making it cheaper to produce, this cheaper to sell, is great a reason to buy a PS3???

Ultimately the consumer doesn't care how much a piece of electronics costs to manufacture until it affects the store price. At $400, this isn't affecting the store price. The difference in price between a 80gb and 160gb might be $40 at most. Hard drive space is basically a giveaway at this point and shouldn't be used as a way to sell systems, at best it can give a slight value edge.

I think it's good to get the PS2 hardware out of there, but it needs software emulation, every day that it goes without software BC is hurting Sony.

[Godstar]

Originally Posted by SoylentGreen

Surely by removing the PS2 hardware, and making it cheaper to produce, this cheaper to sell, is great a reason to buy a PS3???

I don't think it makes it that much cheaper, and it's well worth the price if you're a gamer.

[IceNine]

As much as I would like to complain about the lack of backwards compatibility, I can honestly say that a PS2 disc has never been put in either of my PS3s.

[Darkfalz]

BC is way overrated.

Once you graduate to a new generation, it's rare you want to go back.

At the beginning of a consoles life, I see it as being more valuable... but seriously, I've only played a few Xbox 1 games on my 360... certainly not enough to warrant paying anything extra for the hardware, or letting new, innovative features suffer because they had good engineers working on BC...

Of course, it's not a bad thing - in fact, I was actually looking forward to playing some old PS2 games upscaled, but alas - looks like I won't be getting to do that.

[capnmonkey]

Originally Posted by IceNine

As much as I would like to complain about the lack of backwards compatibility, I can honestly say that a PS2 disc has never been put in either of my PS3s.

I've also very very rarely used the PS3 BC features.
But ever since PS2 it has been a standard and expected feature for Playstation consoles.

No BC makes PS3 seem a little gimp, and it will lose sales because of it.

[Dennis M.]

I have a backlog of really good PS2 games that I never finished but I can't get myself to play them.
When I got the PS3 B/C was a big deal for me but I didn't end up using it much. I played a couple of PS2 games last summer when there was next to nothing interesting available on the PS3 but nothing since.
Hardware B/C had an almost 2 year run on the PS3, I think it's reasonable. People who care that much about PS2 games should just keep their PS2s and stop whining.

[capnmonkey]

Originally Posted by Dennis M.

I have a backlog of really good PS2 games that I never finished but I can't get myself to play them.
When I got the PS3 B/C was a big deal for me but I didn't end up using it much. I played a couple of PS2 games last summer when there was next to nothing interesting available on the PS3 but nothing since.
Hardware B/C had an almost 2 year run on the PS3, I think it's reasonable. People who care that much about PS2 games should just keep their PS2s and stop whining.

I think this is what I've been trying to understand. I think BC is a HUGE issue when you are deciding whether or not to buy a PS3, but becomes much less important after you buy it and get some new games.