PS1/PS2 graphics look like crap on PS3
by Blake Snow 
{ Dec 13th 2006 at 12:30PM }
When played on a PS3, PS1 and PS2 games look dramatically worse as the above video indicates. The big black box resizes the graphic output of 480i PS1/PS2 games at a lower resolution sans filtering causing screen artifacts and jagged edges. Like, jagged edges that somebody took a knife to. It appears the issue has nothing to do with the TV, cables, or your PS3 resolution setting, something only a firmware upgrade can fix.
[Thanks, Alondo; via PS3 Scene]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Unimental @ Dec 13th 2006 12:44PM
Ech!
I figured this was likely an exaggeration, but after watching the video I'm convinced. That's unfortunate.
What poo!
Andy @ Dec 13th 2006 12:37PM
Looks like a PC PSX Emulator.
antwan @ Dec 13th 2006 12:40PM
If indeed this is only a simple firmware update away then this should have been caught during testing. Original xbox games were all at least 480p (some even 1080i - MX vs. ATV Unleashed) and some look great on an hdtv, making backwards compatibility actually worthwhile. If this is how ps2 games work then I doubt i would even desire to play them on my ps3 (supposing i had one).
Usedtabe @ Dec 13th 2006 12:41PM
Lets see how the SDF spins this one and tries to compare it to MS's launch (though this problem hasn't existed for the 360)
.................waitng.............
sensay @ Dec 13th 2006 12:41PM
Tekken5 looks better on my new HD on my ps3 than it did on my ps2...PS2 was component and PS3 is HDMI(with the settings for progressive scan on).
Josh @ Dec 13th 2006 12:45PM
For the love of god, THANK YOU! I'd LOVE to see this get fixed, and all of my comments on other boards have been flamed to no end. I love my PS3, I just want the thing to work to the best of its ability...
Gianni Gotti @ Dec 13th 2006 12:48PM
Full props to whoever put this comparison together.
You would think that $ony were (1) Playstation experts and (2) TV/Imaging experts what they have released is unacceptable and they should be held to task for it. Even though the software PS2 emulator is not complete (why not#@#@*!?), they should release it in beta to tide us over....
Marty @ Dec 13th 2006 12:56PM
Sensay, this has nothing to do with cords, it has everything to do with the system upscaling graphics without applying basic filtering to the output, which is a software / emulation issue.
Mal F4cti0n @ Dec 13th 2006 12:49PM
ZOMG!!!!! JOYSTIQ IS A BUNCH OF SONY HATERS! IS M$ PAYING YOUR BILL, JOYSTIQ?
That low quality is weird. I thought Sony was allowing BC thru hardware and not software. Can anyone speak to this?
I love the fact that Halo 2 actually looks better on the 360. I would think that BC should be equal to, if not better than, playing the game on the orginial console.
jayntampa @ Dec 13th 2006 12:49PM
wow. That is pretty dramatic. Wasn't Sony bragging about their level of backwards compatibility?
Oh ... sorry ... they brag about everything, then reality sets in.
teknomusik @ Dec 13th 2006 12:51PM
Wow. I was thinking about getting a PS3 to play FFXII with graphical enhancements (I figured they'd use some of the "power" of the PS3 to enhance old games), but after seeing this I'll happily stick to my 360 and probably end up playing FFXII on the PS2. Sony, you keep giving me reasons NOT to buy a PS3... at this rate I may never buy one!
deaftly @ Dec 13th 2006 12:51PM
600 bucks for this lol
killr0y @ Dec 13th 2006 12:51PM
LOL, only the PS3 could make the horrible PS2 jaggies look even WORSE!
"Next Gen doesn't start until we say so." - Ken Kutaragi, Chairman Sony Computer Entertainment.
Slartibartfast @ Dec 13th 2006 12:52PM
Every time I bring up a negative point about the PS3 or Wii, I learn that it can be fixed in the future with a simple firmware update. Color me impressed.
Antonio @ Dec 13th 2006 12:53PM
While it's true that not a lot of my XBOX games are playable on my 360, those that do play on 360 look great. Come on Sony, I have not bought God of War yet because I'm waiting to play it on 1080p with all fancy graphic tricks...get this stuff fixed!
Duscrom @ Dec 13th 2006 12:53PM
So I'm NOT Crazy, i've seen the esact same thing... Not to mention there is a crazy squashing issue with PS2 games... where there is a partial black space on the left of my screen. And this is through Component cables... hell the exact same component cables used on my PS2. And Truly, PSX games look even worse... It's the Quantity over Quality issue. Theoretically more of the PS2/PS1 games run on a PS3, but on the 360 the ones that do... hell it even makes it worthwhile by raising the res to 720p.
Evan @ Dec 13th 2006 12:54PM
Both this bug and the 1080i bug (PS3 does not upscale 720P to 1080i for tvs that do not support 720P) are caused by no/poor scaling. The PS3 seems to lack proper scaler hardware, so it's very unlikely that a firmware update can fix these hardware problems.
AirIntake @ Dec 13th 2006 12:55PM
Whereas Forza on the 360 looks amazing. Much better than it does on the original xbox. I believe it's being rendered in 720p instead of its original 480p.
Those jaggies look so bad that I would never play a PS2 game on the PS3. I mean, if they're noticeable on a damn YouTube video, they must be horribly bad in real life.
ryan @ Dec 13th 2006 1:00PM
that looks a lot like what 480i games looked like on ps2 through component, that's probably all there is to it. when you don't have the analog-ness of composite fuzzing up the signal, you will get a sharper, but jaggier, signal. does ps3 output to composite? if so, try that
Duscrom @ Dec 13th 2006 1:25PM
Eh, I fugre, Sony's big deal is trying to rape everyone into buying Enhanced PS2 games... ie, Namcos' Tekken 5 in 1080p rerelease.
theburn16 @ Dec 13th 2006 12:58PM
deaftly: if you would pay $600 just to play ps2 games you are a freakin idiot...yes it's something that definitely needs to be fixed, but it's not what makes the console cost so much...nor is it something that would even matter a year or so down the road
MrP @ Dec 13th 2006 1:01PM
Good comparison video, but could the guy who made it PLEASE cut down on the dramatic music? You're showing that PS1 and PS2 games look like crap on the PS3, for frick's sake, not exposing a child pornography maker's secret toddler torture camp.
some person @ Dec 13th 2006 3:13PM
so the PS1 and 2 graphics look like a PS1/2 and 1, big deal
icruise @ Dec 13th 2006 1:03PM
I just dug out FFX to see for myself, and yeah it looks like crap. It's the jaggies that's the problem. I had played some PS2 games on the PS3 in the past without noticing any major problems, but thinking back I think they were all 480p-compatible games. It seems that it has trouble upscaling 480i games or something. I hope they do fix this, since I had hoped to use the PS3 in place of a PS2. Aside from this issue, the backwards compatibility has been pretty flawless so far.
Ben @ Dec 13th 2006 1:05PM
Looks like Wii graphics to me, shouldn't that be OK Joystiq? OUCH!
Miniboss @ Dec 13th 2006 1:02PM
@ 16.
"Both this bug and the 1080i bug (PS3 does not upscale 720P to 1080i for tvs that do not support 720P) are caused by no/poor scaling. The PS3 seems to lack proper scaler hardware, so it's very unlikely that a firmware update can fix these hardware problems."
Ding. A "simple" firmware update probably isn't going to solve this. They would have already made sure that all PS2 games could output at 1080p, since that's their big feature.
BklynKid @ Dec 13th 2006 1:05PM
The PS3 emulates through software? I thought they included some PS2 hardware elements so they wouldn't have to deal with updates and what-not.
diego molano @ Dec 13th 2006 1:05PM
Sony SUX! Wii PWNS ALL WHO OPPOSE!
Stop worrying about PS3s n sh*t, Just go get a Wii.
plethorin @ Dec 13th 2006 1:06PM
This is a major problem. Sony offered more options for back compat on the PS2 than on the PS3. The problem is they rushed the shipment of this new system way too quickly. the number of problems plaguing the system and the denial of their existence by Sony really makes you realize why they are a company that had to recall millions of products over the past decade. Everyone talks about the potential of the PS3 in a year or two, however they really don't have anything working for them right now. They have ONE game worth playing that you cant get the same experience on the 360 for now. They have problems displaying on certain HDTVs including resolution problems and color feed back that can cause two color lines to scroll through the screen (not talked about much but since my HDTV is affected I know from talking to their "tech support" that it is a known issue beyond the recent Color update that only affects non HD connections.) Back to the problems, the new 360 wireless headset is having issues hooking up with older or damaged controllers in mix, but the PS3 cant eve maintain the connection to its controllers during certain games. (Madden seems to be the worst for this.) But hey at least they came out with an update to give you more options for Blu-Ray playback last week... thats why you bought the system right?
Lou D @ Dec 13th 2006 1:08PM
The Wii upscales Gamecube games auto-magically to 480p.
> @ Dec 13th 2006 1:09PM
Wow, you guys arent xbots or Nintendorks at all. Love the way you spin it.
Wii with GC graphics and 480p is ok .. but PS1/2 at 480p.. its nail in the coffin for PS3.
XBOX with no BC for Core users and so so emulation is OK.. but, 99% BC is another nail in the coffin for PS3.
You guys deparately need NEW lines.. the ones you keep pouting are old. And stop being chimps... most of the 'comments' play off each other.
Regula Oblique @ Dec 13th 2006 1:11PM
I have also have come across this problem, this weekend while playing some ps2 games on my ps3, though I have come to find out that if the game supports progressive scan mode then the game looks pretty good, so Antonio you should be fine with that purchase of god of war. I loaded in shadow of the collosus and it looked horrible until I displayed it in progressive mode. But at any rate I will take this over having most games not being compatible as in the 360s case, just getting psychonauts emulation now after a year is ridiculous.
> @ Dec 13th 2006 1:12PM
HERE I COME, TO SAVE THE DAY!
crono141 @ Dec 13th 2006 1:13PM
>
Way to totally ignore the issue. GC games on Wii look as good as GC games on GC. Xbox games (that work) look as good or better on the 360. PS2 games look worse on the PS3 than on the PS2. That is the issue. It doesn't matter what resolution things are running in.
Jack @ Dec 13th 2006 1:14PM
At least it can play backward compatible games.
Frank N Stein @ Dec 13th 2006 1:16PM
Wow, Another great reason to not buy a "PieceofShitStation 3"
LOL.....I love it, Sony crashing and burning right in front of our eyes.....I know several people that are looking to sell there PS3's and can't even get face value for them.....BLUB BLUB BLUB....down the drain....
Regula Oblique @ Dec 13th 2006 1:21PM
@plethorin
List all of the xbox 360's problems since launch and I bet that list will be longer.
These problems WILL be address, as already stated for the deaf ones, sony has said that at the moment all ps3's are shipped with the ps1 and ps2 hardware but in the near future it will be all done by emulation, and everyone who is having this problem will just have to download the firmware update when its released.
atomheart @ Dec 13th 2006 1:45PM
I have witnessed this first hand. The youtube video doesn't do this justice - it looks so much worse sitting in front of your TV. Headache-inducing.
For a while I really felt bad for Sony, but now I realize it's their own damn fault. They are a joke.
Sir Si @ Dec 13th 2006 1:26PM
@Frank N Stein
Yea I hope sony fails to and goes out of business, so microsoft can rape you with whatever they choose to do with you, grow up competition is good.
Bilboner @ Dec 13th 2006 1:26PM
LOL!
POS3
Lollers!
WhackMushroom @ Dec 13th 2006 3:24PM
Funny .. i dont have this "problem":
Samsung 32" + component cables
WizarDru @ Dec 13th 2006 1:41PM
"Wii with GC graphics and 480p is ok .. but PS1/2 at 480p.. its nail in the coffin for PS3."
I'm guessing you didn't actually WATCH the video? The issue isn't the resolution, it's the degraded graphics. I think it's reasonable that people expected that a PS2 game would look as good on a PS3 as they did on a PS2, not WORSE. The visuals in the video are the SAME GAME on the SAME TV. Look at the split-screen FFX segment....that's nothing to do with the TV and everything to do with either the PS3's emulation process OR it's output over HDMI to certain TVs.
And to correct someone's earlier incorrect info: the Wii DOES NOT upconvert ANYTHING. 480i Gamecube games are still 480i. It just happens that literally 90% of the first party games (starting with Luigi's Mansion, in fact) support 480p, if you had a cube with a digital out and the component cables.
In fact, it was something of a disappointment to me that Rayman is only 480i. That's a Wii game that isn't 480p, let alone some Gamecube game.
Strike Man @ Dec 13th 2006 1:33PM
@ Regula Oblique: "These problems WILL be address, as already stated for the deaf ones, sony has said that at the moment all ps3's are shipped with the ps1 and ps2 hardware but in the near future it will be all done by emulation, and everyone who is having this problem will just have to download the firmware update when its released."
Since I'm apparently one of the deaf ones, can I get a link? I haven't seen any official from Sony, be it a PR guy or call center employee, who has even acknowledged that this issue is actually known and that a fix is actually in the works.
I do love seeing all of the comments from some sort of Sony fanboy alliance though (not here as much as other sites on the net), claiming "it's not that bad!" or "ps3z r ment 4 ps3 gaems not ps2 lololz" and such. Something tells me if the Wii or 360 (for the far-from-complete back compat list it has) had a graphical issue like this, we'd never hear the end of it...
warlock7 @ Dec 13th 2006 1:36PM
Interesting video, I'd like to see proof that it is what they claim as on my PS3 it's the opposite. This seems like viral anti-Sony marketing done by anti-Sony fanboys.
Saneless @ Dec 13th 2006 1:39PM
Not surprising.. Some PS1 games look like crap on the PS2 compared to the original PS1 machine. Mostly it seems to be Konami games I've played like MGS and Silent Hill. And I'm not talking about the smoothing and speedups, just the general filters look a bit off compared to the original machine.
Duscrom @ Dec 13th 2006 1:40PM
Wii does not run Gamecube games at 480p. When you put a gamecube game in a Wii, the Wii turns into a gamecube. If the game can do 480p it will, if it can't it won't. But this time, you don't have to hold Z and B durring start up to enable it to go to pro-scan.
The PS3 is the same, it dosen't upscale at all.. and the problem seems to be playing 480i games, and making 480i games, look WORSE at 480i (Most Squeenix ganes, espically all Final Fantasies, do not have a 480p mode... so no, this comparison isn't 480i on PS3 vs 480p on PS2.
yfhm @ Dec 13th 2006 1:52PM
I wonder how many of you actually followed the links to original story- NOT All GAMES HAVE THIS ISSUE!!!
Shame on you joystiq for your deceptive title! It should have been "ps3 has scaling issues with 480i coded ps1 & ps2 games, notably FFXII & MGS2"!
How about something closer to the TRUTH next time?
John Weber @ Dec 13th 2006 1:52PM
For what it's worth, I get these same vertical graphic glitches on my 45" Sharp 1080p LCD with a new PSTwo.
It's annoying, but I certainly don't play a PS2 for it's graphics.
It's also only on games that aren't 480p, or true 480i resolution. (Just the ones that use PS2's crappy 'almost' 480i res. Like MGS2 and ZoE2 uses.)
Bubble Gum @ Dec 13th 2006 4:29PM
99% of PS2 games run in 480i, so yeah, the problem would affect ALMOST every game if the issue is indeed isolated to 480i. Most PS1 games run at 240p.
John @ Dec 13th 2006 1:56PM
sony should just have put ps2/1 hardware in the ps3! then the backwards compatability would have been prefect and they would actually have had something over the 360! yeah the price would have been yet higher but the people buying the ps3 clearly dont care about price lol! if mgs4 winds up on the 360 i will never get a ps3 ever coz it really is a pile of crap (£425gbp, 2x bluray, bluray???, that cell crap, inferior graphics processor to the 360 etc etc i could go on)
ms ftw this time round, i hope sony learn their lesson and the ps4 is actually not shit
lol!