Over 1,000 PS2 games to be compatible with Euro PS3
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Mar 1st 2007 at 12:30PM }
In an "exclusive interview" with "semiofficial" Playstation blog, Threespeech, Sony's Phil Harrison provides some clarity regarding the PAL PS3's range of backwards compatibility, not to mention the opportunity to place even more quotation marks into this paragraph. "The situation is changing every day, but on March 23, we expect the list to include over 1,000 PS2 titles." Sony's head of worldwide studios is referring to the list of PS2 games that are expected to be supported by the software emulation found in European PS3s.This announcement certainly defuses some of the controversy that resulted from Sony announcing the removal of PS2 hardware from European PS3 systems. After promising software support for a "limited" number of titles, many European gamers were feeling rightly cheated for having to pay a higher price for a PS3 with fewer features. Though the specific titles that comprise the list have yet to be announced (Harrison notes that Sony's policy is to focus on popular titles), it seems Sony is already far better equipped than Microsoft when it comes to fighting the inevitable onslaught of gamers complaining about their favorite title not being supported.
Mr. Harrison also promises that an online list of backwards compatible games will be available on March 23, and that it will grow with every PS3 firmware update.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jess @ Mar 1st 2007 1:29PM
Well if they are focusing on the popular games and promise to have more than a 1000 games working on the ps3 then there isn't much to worry about.
James @ Mar 1st 2007 12:44PM
Xbox Backwards Compatibility = Pwned.
Intruder @ Mar 1st 2007 12:47PM
Well I really hope like our favorite "Phil" said that they WILL CONTINUE to update the list of title by releasing new update to the emulator. Which is happening with homebrew emulator in general, where the developpper investigate and put some time on fixing issue with some games.
Since from the first series of message that SCEE said about the PS2 BC, it was more looking that they wont devoted too much time on it.
More than 1,000 is better than nothing, but still have more than 14,000 to go 8-(. So I guess alot of people will be disapointed to see their game not supported.
I know for me even with the current hardware solution I have one game that doesnt work which is Summoner the first RPG I could get my hand for the PS2 lunch. But so far all my other title are listed as working. I still dont own a PS3 yet, but I hope by that time (maybe after april) that the list would be good (dunno when in NA they will remove the hardware BC).
Steven @ Mar 1st 2007 12:48PM
I'll believe it when I actually experience it. Sony always fills us full of crap so why in the world should we even listen to anything they actually say.
Sascha23 @ Mar 1st 2007 12:53PM
This is great news for our European friends. Even though I own the stateside release, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with the emulator.
Rumor has it that key PS2 software may see HD treatment using the emulator and PS3 hardware down the line.
S
Aex @ Mar 1st 2007 12:54PM
Is backwards compatibility still affected by Region coding? If so, how many games total are region coded for the PAL areas? Just looking for a percent. So far, it seems the last posting we had on this subject was making mountains out of molehills.
Michael @ Mar 1st 2007 2:21PM
Why do people buy new systems to play the old games? I cannot figure it out to save my life. Graphics? only slightly better,
My guess is that if someone is buying a ps3 either has a ps2 or can afford one, what is the big deal? I feel like there are more important things to worry about with gaming consoles. I am a firmly in the 360 camp and love to point out flaws in the ps3 but this isn't one, I could care less about xbox games or ps2 games. Play the new ones or do not waste the money
comtar @ Mar 1st 2007 1:19PM
If PS2 emulation is done through software instead of hardware, the bad news about this is it would mean less compatibility, the good news about it though... you would think... would mean running games in higher resolutions. I've played some Dreamcast and PS1 games through PC emulators, and even the old games like Silent Hill 1 and Metal Gear Solid look amazing when you run it in high res.
I don't think it would be that difficult for software emulation to run these games in a higher resolution, I wish these gaming companies who aim for backwards compatibility would reward the emulation community by purchasing or hiring their services. I bet you could have 1080p PS1 and PS2 games on PS3 in no time if they hired some of these emulator programmers.
Hardware emulation is nice to run games as they were meant to be and with a greater percentage of compatibility, but I also like the idea of software emulation IF they can allow the games to run better then they did before. I mean who wouldn't want to see MGS3 running at 60fps?
Jim @ Mar 1st 2007 12:56PM
I'm speechless ... actually.
That's just "§$"§$"§$"§$!!$!§$!"§$!!!!
Phil @ Mar 1st 2007 12:57PM
1,000 title would be nice at launch, but when have "we" started trusting anything Sony reps tell us?
Crono @ Mar 1st 2007 1:03PM
It should be noted that this is considerably more support than 360 BC because sony is going with a general hardware emulator. It gets more games playable right out the door, but may not be a true experience (IE, framerate issues, some graphical effects not working right, etc).
360's BC approach is more similar to what nintendo is doing with VC - writing a specific emulator for each game.
Personally, I'd rather take the general hardware emulator, because then you've only got 1 peice of software to update, instead of thousands of separate emulators to write. Eventually, the general emulator will be able to play 99% of games flawlessly.
James @ Mar 1st 2007 1:12PM
Crono, I believe Nintendo doesn't write a specific emulator for each game. I think somebody confirmed that the same the emulator they used for those N64 Zelda Gamecube discs was the same one they used for Mario 64 on the VC (and presumably the rest).
Murdoink @ Mar 1st 2007 1:15PM
WHAT? ONE THOUSAND!?
Digi Smalls @ Mar 1st 2007 1:17PM
remember, they are just removing the Emotion Engine, not the PS2's Graphic Synthesizer.
while this will mean many more titles will be compatible, the hard part being rendered on hardware, it will also very likely mean *NO HD UPSCALING*
.
ssuk @ Mar 1st 2007 1:18PM
Yippee, a thousand games... 1000 MAINSTREAM games... What about those games which don't suck? I know they're too few and far apart on the PS2 but they exsist.
Dolla Dolla @ Mar 1st 2007 1:21PM
The HD scaling will come later, BUT ... it won't support nearly as many titles as people would like. I think the HD scaling will be for a smaller minority of games, probably the most popular, including FF games, MGS games, God of War, SoTC(hopefully), etc.
1,000 at launch is good, but how big is the PS2 catalog, and what percentage of the total is it?
Lekko @ Mar 1st 2007 2:34PM
It's also a tad bit more important for Sony to get BC right since their library depended more on diversity. With the 360, if you get Madden and Halo to work, than you satisfied 90% of your userbase.
Vidikron @ Mar 1st 2007 1:24PM
@12
Ummm... many mainstream titles are the good ones. Sure, you have some exceptions, but games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak, God of War, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, etc, etc, etc,... are big sellers. It rather foolish to claim all mainstream titles suck.
LaughingTarget @ Mar 1st 2007 1:24PM
What would be really nice is if these emulators could not only just up the resolution of the models (easily scalable, PC has been doing it for over a decade) but also somehow up the texture resolution. The biggest problem with PS2 games is the blurry texture work. If companies came out with a texture replacement pack, or even let the community redo them, that would truly put the Xbox 360 BC to shame.
Henry @ Mar 1st 2007 1:26PM
Why is the list so secret?
March 23 is a mere 3 weeks away. Why not be honest and let us see it now. The only reasons I can think of is that it's bad news or that it's news Sony referred to the other day. Something about March 7 and you will not be disappointed.
Is it a 1000 games of the total or 1000 of the games released in Europe? I didn't see a reference to that. It makes a big difference.
As for those of you that hope the list will include the best PS2 games. That might be harder to do. Those games pushed the PS2 to it's limit no doubt using a lot of tricks in the process. The simpler games are easier and it is no doubt easier for Sony to emulate them.
Judge their effort when you see the list on March 23. Not before that.
Screwed @ Mar 1st 2007 1:30PM
HAHAHHAA to those haters..Can't trust Sony Eh?? Turn good news to bad news eh..?? If you actually own a PS3, you know the jaggiesness on US PS3 BC was fixed is just two weeks, sad you don't. Too poor to own one? pffff yup you know what they said empty bottle make the loudest noise, and poor people like to talk real big.
Virtua Fanboy @ Mar 1st 2007 1:30PM
Cool! Good for PS3 owners.
Message to MS: Get off your asses, I've put $600+ in your pockets. Yaaahh, yaaahhh!!! lol
Nino @ Mar 1st 2007 1:36PM
What? First good PSP game sales and then good PS3 news in the morning? Darn, my day has been totally ruined now.
Not really. Actually, I'm pretty amazed at some of the commenters here that try to spin this negatively -- 1000 titles is REALLY good since I'd say 60-70% or more of any system's library is utter crap anyway (think games based on movies or something).
The only thing that would make this bad was if they were really obscure titles, or if games like Shadow of the Collossus were forgotten about.
Todd Rabanus @ Mar 1st 2007 10:00PM
hey i can play old ps2 games on the ps3 here's my $600. after all i wanna pay $600 to play games on a $100 system. sound worth it to me. I have yet to play an xbox game on my 360 and probably never will. that's not why i bought it. i buy new systems to play new games. if i wanna play old crap i'll just go out and buy a 3do! i guess with the amount of games worth playing on the ps3 backwards compatibility might be an issue seeing as that might be the only use you get out of it for awhile
tmmoore_nc @ Mar 1st 2007 6:35PM
Somehow, I don't think many recent titles will be on that list. Especially like FF12, GOW2, Okami, etc.
1,000 titles at launch? Well, how much of the HDD will be taken up that way? Maybe it'll be like a pick-and-choose emulator where you download the emulation tools for specific games.
snapper @ Mar 2nd 2007 7:43AM
Bad move, Sony. You did good by including the hardware in the ps3 for really good ps2 support. Now you will run into the same issues as MS had: many titles will not work, and there will be an outlash about it.
The only one who got it right is Nintendo. Sure, it was easier for them, but then again, us Wii owners can confidently go in and buy any GC game without having to worry about whether it is on a list or not. Not to mention that I can run all my existing GC games with no problems.
BC* with the asterisk sucks. I hate having hope that all my games will work and then I find out that a certain game has a glitch after I got rid of my old system to clean up the entertainment center.
Just like Xbox, for those of you with lots of PS2 games that you value, your best bet is to keep the ps2. For others, it means that you may never be really sure if a title in a bargin bin will work 100% or at all unless you always take a compatibility list with you.
AirIntake @ Mar 1st 2007 1:43PM
I'll believe it when I see it. Emulators are usually a difficult business, no matter what the resources of who's making it. As far as I know, PCSX2 for the PC doesn't play anywhere near 1000 game properly.
Digi Smalls @ Mar 1st 2007 1:43PM
you guys just don't want to listen eh.
they are removing the PS2's CPU. they are keeping the PS2's GPU, and running these games through it.
they are only emulating the game code, AI, physics, etc. the graphics will be *rendered* exactly as they were on PS2.
Sony could potentially upscale that result later, but that still won't be the same as 360's actual rendering game geometry at high def resolutions.
.
kikanjuu_neko @ Mar 1st 2007 1:47PM
So, just to ask all the malcontents: how many Playstation 2 games have you owned? I actually made a list. I've owned 72 titles in the probably four of five years I've had my PS2, five of which are in my actual possession now. Not everyone's a hoarder.
AirIntake @ Mar 1st 2007 1:46PM
I'd imagine that it's much easier to emulate the CPU than the GPU. I guess if they don't have to emulate everything they might get 1000 titles working.
kikanjuu_neko @ Mar 1st 2007 1:52PM
Oh, also, I'd like to know where #2 pulled the 15,000 figure from. According to Wikipedia, it's closer to 8,000, and even then we're still counting every single title, including games that were exclusive to one or two regions.
this_guy @ Mar 1st 2007 2:20PM
Not for nothing, but Sony suits always remind me of the old Iraqi Minister of information.
AirIntake @ Mar 1st 2007 2:04PM
Just something I thought of:
"By the end of September 2006, there were 8,181 PS2 titles released worldwide (4,554 in Asia, 1,319 in North America, and 2,308 in Europe)"
So if Sony is telling the truth:
PS3 Europe BC=1000/2308=43%
Xbox 360 US BC=298/850=35%
They're more comparable than I originally thought.
Note: I can't verify that 850 is the exact number of Xbox games released in North America, but I'm sure I read it was around that.
sheppy @ Mar 1st 2007 2:15PM
"So, just to ask all the malcontents: how many Playstation 2 games have you owned? I actually made a list. I've owned 72 titles in the probably four of five years I've had my PS2, five of which are in my actual possession now. Not everyone's a hoarder."
Well, I'm not complaining but... in my past, I have owned around 220 PS2 games. I currently own 143.
And also, incidently, some things people don't take into account. Things like Shadow of the Colossus and Shadow of the Colossus Greatest Hits being considered two seperate games on those raw number lists. And why should it be? Sometimes companies go back over code and make changes between the standard edition and the GH release. Like in Jak & Daxter. But other times, it's just a different SKU and that's the source of the raw counting. While this is okay most of the time, also consider that Dynasty Warriors has had how many releases, rereleases, LEs of each edition in Japan?
Michael @ Mar 1st 2007 2:28PM
@ 19. screwed
that was classy
Why do people have to be poor to not own a PS3?
GJM @ Mar 1st 2007 2:33PM
sheppy owned
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/28/ps3-firmware-v1-54-adds-uvc-camera-support/#comments
Digi Smalls @ Mar 1st 2007 2:35PM
frankly, you're right Michael. you shouldn't have the need to play your old games on a new console, because the new console is providing you with next-gen experiences much greater than previous gen.
sadly thats just not the case for PS3 yet, as games like Okami, FFXII and GOW2 have no equal for PS3. my PS3 has seen way more PS2 games than the PS3 (after the update), thank god for its BC.
oddly enough, my experience on the 360 was the opposite. MS's singleminded focus on the 360 (and abandonment of xbox1) kept me strictly in next generation mode after its launch.
.
Tanster @ Mar 1st 2007 2:37PM
so they removed teh PS2 hardware from the PS3 to save costs and manufacturing time but you still pay the same price?
PS3 fans = pwned by Sony in the ass real hard.
Chocolate Starfish @ Mar 1st 2007 5:26PM
It should be pointed out that the European PS3 will be backwards compatible with 1000 PS2 games, not the other way around as the post title implies.
J @ Mar 1st 2007 2:42PM
Oh Noes..... Joystiq Is Teh Biased!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Azorean @ Mar 1st 2007 3:10PM
PPL seem to be more interested in playing last gen games on their new Consoles then the New titles at least it seems that way on the PS3! WTF is wrong with you ppl? I wouldn't pay $650 to play or worry about BC games but if that's all that you have to play then I guess you have to worry!lol
x876543 @ Mar 1st 2007 2:44PM
But how many PS1 games will be playable on the new PS3?
Screwed @ Mar 1st 2007 2:47PM
@31 Michael,
It's not just owning a PS3. It's can't afford it and decide to bash about it. Well Most moderate income people can easily afford multiple consoles and threat them with equal loves, but sadly those poor bastard can't. They only can buy one and hate the other one just to comfort their insecure soul.
schlomo @ Mar 1st 2007 3:59PM
Phil neglected to mention that 9,999 of the titles will be the from the Madden and Final Fantasy franchises. The final one will be the infamous critically-hailed "Horsez" :D
Dale Massey @ Mar 1st 2007 2:49PM
Dolla Dolla, you should buy the Xploder HD Player for PS2.
SotC looks great through that and it outputs it at 720p, with a fairly recent HDTV you can adjust the image settings enough to make it fit the screen well, and its nice and uber-sharp.
its like playing a next gen game!!
:P
ackmondual @ Mar 1st 2007 2:52PM
@ #13
""I don't think it would be that difficult for software emulation to run these games in a higher resolution, I wish these gaming companies who aim for backwards compatibility would reward the emulation community by purchasing or hiring their services. I bet you could have 1080p PS1 and PS2 games on PS3 in no time if they hired some of these emulator programmers.""
I heard that at some point during the PS3's development, Sony did hire several PS2 emulator writers to help out w/the PS3's ps2 emu. Whether or not they stayed for long or were able to complete anything meaningful is another thing.
@ #21
I heard it was as high as 90% of the PS2 library is utter crap. Either way, there's no garauntee here. As with movies, some of the most popular/watched movies are also the worst ever.
Michael @ Mar 1st 2007 2:57PM
I guess that is very true DIGI, Microsoft made me want to play my 360 right away. More like didn't give me an option but that is another argument.
Screwed, I see what you are saying, I have always had a problem with, and oddly enough, am often in the vocal minority.
Let's all just hope that some great games come out for that thing so that the BC issue dies.
What I really want is for a great game to come out for the PS3 so all these crazy arguments can simply be about games and not about Sony f'ups or broken promises.
Dolla Dolla @ Mar 1st 2007 2:58PM
There are over 2,000 titles in Europe alone?
hmmm ... less than 50%. No comment.
shase @ Mar 1st 2007 3:20PM
while its always good to have a "blast from the past" from older games but for me at least there are enough new games for me to play that i pretty much wont have time to replay any older favorites. Right now I am almost done with rogue galaxy and starting ar tonelico. GOW2 is coming up, dawn of mana, motorstorm etc. Maybe i just dont have the time to play all new games then have more time to play older games anymore... i have maybe 4-5 hours a day of free time.
Figboy @ Mar 1st 2007 3:27PM
i'm pretty sure Barbie's Horse Adventures won't have preferred treatment over, say, Shadow of the Colossus, or Resident Evil 4, or Splinter Cell.
after all, Sony realizes that most of the people who are purchasing a PS3 are over the age of 18, male, and probably don't give a rats ass about Barbie.
it's also really interesting to see how every site reports this story. Next Generation, for example, gives you the full story. i didn't know that the UK only had nearly 2500 games released there.
1000 out of 2500 isn't that awful. it's nearly half, and i'm sure your favorites will be supported. honestly, how many niche games do you play on your PS2? i have Disaster Report, but i never play it. i'm currently enjoying Rogue Galaxy, and FFXII on my PS3, and occassionally a game of Symphony of the Night. as long as the few titles i adore (like RE4 and MGS3), are compatible with my PS3, i'm good.
this story has been blown waaaaaaaay out of proportion.
in a few months time, backward's compatibility will be a memory.
or have you forgotten all the kickass PS3 games coming out this year?
Motorstorm
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Warhawk
Lair
Heavenly Sword
LA Noire
Mercenaries 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Final Fantasy XIII (at least in Japan)
White Knight Story (at least in Japan)
Dark Sector
GTA 4 (probably rendering GTA3 - San Andreas moot)
Devil May Cry 4
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Ratchet and Clank PS3
Killzone PS3
tell me, why the flying fvck would i care about BC when all this is coming out, and the majority scheduled for this year?? and this isn't even the full list of releases on the PS3 and 360 this year!
multi-platform or not, outside of a few last gen RPGs (and God of War 2, which i'm certain will be supported by the PS3) i'm just not fretting about backwards compatability right now.
it's just, silly. seriously, guys.
the internet community is amazing sometimes. it's like all the neurotics of the world have gotten together to bitch and moan about trivial things. is rationality even in some of you people's repertoires?