Sony: No BC = more PS3 game salesExec concedes that missing feature doesn't lower production costs much, explains that being able to play old games discouraged buying new ones.
By
Brendan Sinclair,
GameSpot Posted Oct 19, 2007 12:11 pm PT
When Sony first announced that it would release
a cheaper 40GB PlayStation 3 without backward compatibility for the PlayStation 2, questions were asked as to the reasons why the previously standard feature was taken out.
The company said in a statement that the move reflected "both the reduced emphasis placed on this feature amongst later purchasers of PS3, as well as the availability of a more extensive lineup of PS3-specific titles."
The original Japanese and North American PS3 models included the PS2 Emotion Engine chip so they could reliably run older games by using proper PS2 hardware. When Sony released the system in Europe, the company said that the component would be
taken out to reduce costs, and the system would handle backward compatibility with software instead, much like the Xbox 360 does.
Speaking with the
Wall Street Journal, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton shed a little more light on the issue this week. Although the move to software for PS2 backward compatibility was driven by cost concerns, the outright elimination of it was not.
Tretton told the paper that taking support for PS2 games out of the new system isn't dramatically cutting manufacturing costs. However, by omitting the option of playing PS2 games, Sony hopes that new customers will instead spend their money on more PS3 games. He added that Sony's own research suggests that customers won't miss the feature because they probably already own a PS2.
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The main excuse I had to buy one is that I have a stack of PS2 games, but have never owned a PS2 to play them on, having to bum play time on my friends' systems.
At this point, I'm much better off just buying a slim PS2 when they drop to $100, or so, and forgetting about the PS3 entirely.
i'm not sure what this news entails but if there isn't a ps3 w/backwards compatability when i finally purchase one (2-3 years from now), i'll be pissed.
Eta? Damn quick.
It is wonderful.
The one time that they are actually honest is the time that they really shouldn't be.
I've been thinking though, what is the benefit of making a statement like this? What could Sony possibly gain? I think previous statements could be dissected to show some sort of benefit to Sony, but this...
Probably because speculation is worse. can Sony afford to put BC in? Is Soyn going to make a VC? Is Sony going to slash the Ps2 price? Is Sony stopping production of Ps2?
Much in the same way bungie just came out and said 640p even though initially it was damaging it ended the speculation and will blow over eventually.
Except when October NPd arrives and Sony has sold 80k or something crazy.
Incredible. Good call.
Maybe an Aibo pet raising sim will turn Sony's fortunes around...
Instead, the handicapping of the PS3 was part of an effort to "encourage buyers of the entry-level PlayStation 3 to purchase more games designed specifically for the new system." If only there were some other ways of doing that outside of ripping out the PS3's ability to play PS2 games better than an actual PS2 in so many cases.
God, I just can't think of any. Obviously having better PS3 software won't work. Nor would working more closely with third parties to help them ship their PS3 ports of Xbox 360 titles day and date, feature for feature. I'll admit... I'm stumped!
Ps3 has good games, noone wants to buy them cause noone wants to buy the system.
I dont care what sony needs to do, PS3 price has to come down. the 40gb should have had BC. then it would have been the definitive version and probably sold a lot.
Why cant Sony just do one thing right. there seems to always be a '...but' to every one of their announcements.
and now... gone.
Honestly, I think they either caught him off guard, or maybe he has seen all of the ridicule that they get for always lying and he thought that they would be better off telling the truth.
The problem being, the time to tell the truth is when you are FIXING a problem, not when you are creating it.
for that matter, could older PS3s even play PS1 discs? Will newer PS3s be able to?
If you have a ps3 with the emotion engine I think its 99% of ps1 and 2 library.
Shogun Streams Vidya
I've uncovered the wallstreet journal's secret interview tactic:
"So sony baby, totally, completely not off the record, why'd you remove BC from the PS3?"
yeah, but the PS1 emulation was all software - the PS3 doesn't include any of the hardware from the PSX. the PS2 actually had an embedded PSX cpu in it. So... do the software PS2 BC PS3s have PSX BC?
I can't beleive I just read, and fully understood these words in this order.
yeah, I thought the same thing when I typed it.
EDIT: For example, Narket up there. Sony, look at Narket. You are about to see a lot of people follow his lead.
BC didn't become a trend at all until the PS2 though.
Also, the GBA used carts and was BC...
actually, nintendo broke the trend of BC. Prior to the SNES, all game consoles had been BC with their previous systems.
the Saturn was originally going to be BC with the genesis, 32X, and Sega CD, but plans were dropped. The only consoles in history which aren't BC (but by all means should have been) are the SNES, Saturn, Dreamcast, GCN, and now apparently the PS3.
Although, I have to admit, BC has never been a big factor for me. I was honestly surprised when it was so highly touted for the PS2.
Cutting the PS3 off from the huge library of PS2 and PSX games is yet another reason why not to buy one.
~Benjamin Franklin
To be clear, the following systems WERE BC:
Colecovision (2600)
intellivision (2600)
atari 5200
atari 7800
Sega Master System
Sega Genesis
Turbo Duo
a pretty solid tradition of BC, broken by the SNES.
EDIT: And since:
32X
Gameboy Advance
Ninendo DS
Playstation 2
Xbox 360
Wii
PS3
This reasoning falls apart when you realize that this only applies to people who have already bought a PS3, and won't exactly encourage people to buy the system. Meanwhile, people who HAVE bought the system even with BC will be perfectly happy to buy a PS3 game if it's, y'know, GOOD.
The fact that a mainstream hit like skate has sold five times more on the 360 than the PS3 shows you what kind of trouble Sony's in.
Also, Sony logic here is amazing. Did they just call anyone who plays Xbox games on a 360 silly? Are they insinuating that Gamecube games and the Virtual Console (which has pushed millions of downloads now) is a waste of time?
When they say something this far detached from the market reality you can't even say "lol Sony". You just have to sigh.
Wait, I thought the Saturn was BC. My Saturn has a place to put Genesis games in it. I mean, I guess that's "sort of" BC. Maybe not.
Edit: What's a Master System?? Maybe that's what i have. I have no clue, and I am now confused.
Actually, history shows that continued support of the previous format IS the best way to go. Case in point - the turbo Duo, probably the smoothest, most successful add-on transition ever. Or the change from PSX to PS2. Or from GCN to Wii. It's just a good idea to support the previous system because you can still draw revenue from the previous system. I mean, in this thread alone - look how many people were seriously considering a PS3 because they wanted a next-gen console and they had missed out on the previous gen.
This is a baffling, and stupid move.
But even beyond that, my ps2 isn't going to last forever. How do they expect people to play their old games down the line? Or....are new games automatically better than old ones?
the saturn is not BC. the cart slot on the saturn is shaped differently from a genesis cart (although, oddly enough, it is shaped like an SMS cart). It's used for saving games, additional ram for games like King of fighter 96 or Street fighter vs Xmen (which provided for loadless gameplay as well as arcade perfect ports, unlike PSX versions), or gamecheat devices like a pro-action replay or gameshark.
The master system is sega's 8-bit video game console. The one that came out before the Genesis. the one that competed against the NES.