Euro PS3 Will Not Play All PS2 Games

Another pleasant surprise for Europeans. Yay.

When Sony first started talking about the PlayStation 3 one of the things it pushed was how the console would be able to play PSone and PS2 games. Thanks to chips based on the older hardware that was true of PS3s in the US and Japan, but now, as a cost saving measure, Sony is pulling some of those chips out, and that's hurting PS2 backwards compatibility.

Sony said in a statement on Friday that the PS3 that arrives in Europe on 23 March would have a new specification that uses "a new combination of hardware and software emulation" to play older games.

Because of this, only a "limited range" of PS2 games will work with the new system, reads the statement. A company spokesperson, talking to Reuters, put it more bluntly: "The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the US and Japan models."

Sony hasn't commented on whether this version of the PS3 is bound for countries outside Europe, but given the company's recently stated desire to cut the cost of the PS3, it's very possible.

Already the move has caused uproar among gamers online who were hoping to sell their PS2s when the PS3 arrives. Making matters worse is that Sony has refused to commit to which PS2 games would be supported by the PS3. Will Europeans be able to play God of War II, Final Fantasy XII and other big PS2 games on the PS3? What about more niche titles such as Okami? Right now only Sony knows.

The company has created a new site where people will be able to check if their PS2 games will work on the PS3. But this site will only go live on 23 March, the day the PS3 comes out in Europe, leading some to accuse Sony of trying to sell them a system that may not support their games.

The decision to move to emulation should not be surprising, since Sony never intended to use actual PS2 hardware in the PS3.

As far back as 2003, Sony was talking about using software emulation for playing PSone and PS2 games. What is angering PS2 owners is that the European PS3 will not be as fully backward compatible as systems already out there.

Sony has promised to grow the range of compatible games with software updates, much as Microsoft did with the Xbox 360. That's little solace for those who were hoping to clear up space in their entertainment centres by getting rid of their PS2s.

Clearly the PS2 itself is not going away. As recently as this month, Sony's Phil Harrison was still touting the long-term plans for the console, which is starting to reach poorer households and countries thanks to the low cost to make them.

As if to prove the point, this week, ASDA, the British arm of Wal-Mart, sold a batch of PS2s for just £50.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo