Sony explains why there's no BC in the 40GB PS3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 5th 2007 at 4:55PM }

In separate interviews today both Sony UK boss Ray Maguire and Sony Europe spokesman Nick Sharples spoke about how the 40GB PS3 lacking backwards compatibility is fine. How is it fine? Maguire tells Eurogamer that by this Christmas the PS3 will have a whopping 65 games and so they feel "there's sufficient choice in the marketplace and that we're still better off using that money that we'd put into backwards compatibility in either investing in new games or using that money to help support bringing the price down." Meanwhile, Sharples tells GameDaily, "We have made clear on many occasions that our priority is on developing innovative new features and services for PS3 and not on backwards compatibility."

We really hate to do this, but we swear Sony must honestly think consumers and the press have the memories of goldfish. Let's just take it back to the PlayStation brand for two seconds. Sony's own Phil Harrison clearly and distinctly said in a 2006 interview with GamePro, "Backwards compatibility, as you know from PlayStation One and PlayStation 2, is a core value of what we believe we should offer. And access to the library of content people have created, bought for themselves, and accumulated over the years is necessary to create a format. PlayStation is a format meaning that it transcends many devices -- PSOne, PS2, and now PS3." A little over a year and "core values" go right out the window. Who needs backwards compatibility anyway when you've got 65 games to sell?

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Read: Maguire explains PS3 BC loss
Read: 40GB PS3 Confirmed for Europe; Sony Gives Up on Backwards Compatibility

Tags: 40gb, europe, price, ps3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

Bigfoot @ Oct 5th 2007 5:00PM

This is living.

Marty @ Oct 5th 2007 5:32PM

This is core value

Arno @ Oct 5th 2007 5:35PM

Touché. :)

Marty @ Oct 5th 2007 5:40PM

I meant that in a "Sony is stupid" kind of way.

Anonim @ Oct 5th 2007 6:12PM

Ken Kutaragi:
"the PS3 will feature backwards compatibility with PS and PS2 games from day one. I'm emphasizing this because, from what I hear, there are some platforms that haven't been able to completely do this. It's costly in terms of hardware, but we'd rather invest firmly on compatibility from the beginning, rather than to have issues later on."

Kinda hard to weasel out now?

Matt B @ Oct 5th 2007 6:13PM

Now people have a choice. Just like all the 360 owners love about their system. You get a cheaper PS3 or if BC is a priority for you, you can pony up the extra.
Was the 360 lambasted like this when it was announced that its BC was horrible at best?

If you really need to play your PS2 games. Keep the PS2 you already have.

It is blown way out of proportion.

ukickmydog (NDF - Earth) @ Oct 5th 2007 6:17PM

SDF UNITE, TAKE YOUR FLOGGING!!!

Rayonic @ Oct 5th 2007 6:31PM

@Matt B:

The 360 Core can be upgraded with a hard drive to get backwards compatibility.

What can PS3 40g owners do? Nothing.

Marty @ Oct 5th 2007 6:33PM

So was this the whole Big Bang thing?

Digi Smalls @ Oct 5th 2007 6:35PM

"Was the 360 lambasted like this when it was announced that its BC was horrible at best?"

Matt B, you're joking right?

.

Matt B @ Oct 5th 2007 6:48PM

How many different carts did the Atari, Nintendo systems, and Sega systems of the past that were BC?!?

But what do I care, I'm covered if I feel the need to play a PS2 game since I bought a PS3 that does have BC.

But you kids enjoy the usual "Circlejerk of the dorks"!!!

Peace bitches, and most of you are just that.

Matt B @ Oct 5th 2007 6:59PM

BTW, how many times has Nintendo done this? Did NES games work on the SNES? Did they work on the N64? Did N64 games work on the GC?
No, and yet they want you to re-buy all your favorites again on the wii. That sounds acceptable to me.

The lot of you are just a bunch of hypocrites.

accidental @ Oct 5th 2007 7:13PM

Did Nintendo ever say that the SNES, N64 and GC would be backwards compatible with anything? NEVER.
Did Microsoft say that backwards compatibility was a primary concern, and a core value for the brand? NEVER.

Did Sony say that BC was a primary concern, and a core value for the brand? YES.

Matt B @ Oct 5th 2007 7:35PM

And the BC is still available. If you need it than pay the extra. Just like the extra you paid for a HD for xbox BC.

Bigfoot @ Oct 5th 2007 10:38PM

Matt B, we shouldn't have to pay extra for something that should be standard.

Matt B @ Oct 5th 2007 11:01PM

Obviously the TRUTH hurts. From all the comments, it only seams like Sony should be held to a higher level of backward compatibility. Which is funny considering how much your god corps do the same for you with their offering.

Seriously, you people are unpleasable.

Trev @ Oct 6th 2007 12:40AM

You mean standard like hard drives, Bigfoot?

Spiza @ Oct 6th 2007 12:52AM

Just when I think I'm in, they push me back out.

albinogoldfish @ Oct 6th 2007 1:46AM

this is Sparta!.....sorry...

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 6th 2007 1:50AM

matt, sony themselves said they would be 100% backwards compatible. they set the standard for themselves, and now they're breaking that promise a year later

Todd @ Nov 1st 2007 12:14PM

This is a giant crab attacking those 65 games.

Apoklypse @ Oct 5th 2007 5:00PM

They are polishing the china on the Titanic.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 5th 2007 5:07PM

I guess all the deck chairs already slid off into the ocean...

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 5th 2007 8:38PM

There must be allot of 360's gone RROD, because the XBOTS are out in droves.

Guys...can't find anything else to do?

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 5th 2007 8:46PM

this is too funny crank

though you're right, i should finish bioshock so i can start halo 3

E.J. @ Oct 5th 2007 9:53PM

Frank, obviously you and Matt B have nothing else to do but bitch at everyone that comments to Sony-related posts.

Sony should have just kept their mouths shut after announcing this detriment to their brand value. To make things worse, they put out a figure of "65 games" for people to buy for the PS3. 65 PS3 games available isn't something to be proud of, especially with a back-library of thousands of PS and PS2 games that they just made UNavailable to the system.

Sure, they found a way to drive their cost down. But it's at the cost of their consumer's understanding of the PS3. Multiple SKUs is bad enough (lookin at MS too!) to confuse the customers. But when you take away a /strength/ of, not only a product, but a whole brand, you're just asking for a world of hurt.

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 6th 2007 8:54AM

wahhhhhhh, wahhhhhhh......

I wasn't going to buy a PS3, but since my 360 is being warranteed for the 5th time, I might as well take my anger out on someone other than microshaft.

Delta @ Oct 5th 2007 5:01PM

Hahahahahahahahaaha

sorry...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA oh man... Seriously. I wonder if consumers could start a class action for a vendor mismanaging something so bad. It's pretty amazing. Do they not realize how popular the PS2 really is? They NEED the backwards compatibility to sell this system. PERIOD.

NATO_Duke @ Oct 5th 2007 6:00PM

There is no basis for a class action. They buy it with knowledge the BC is missing - its been disclosed. Why the hell would they be able to sue for it not being there when they made the choice for the product.

Dan Bejma @ Oct 7th 2007 10:04PM

There IS basis for a class-action suit... from the shareholders. The management of the Sony Corp. is mishandling the company by not being able seeing their hand in front of their face, or their competitors running over them. No backwards? This "Home" crap instead of a FAST and EASY way to get into our games? Rootkits? (yup, had to bring it up again)..

Sony has lost it's vision and is in a panic mode that's causing them to act like a grownup that's trying to be cool to their teen kids' friends. They're tripping over themselves TRYING to do the right thing, and they keep messing it up.

Sony: Drop the Blu-Ray drive, add backward compat HARDWARE, drop the price, apologize to the entire world, have the CEO lay on a sword (which he isn't deserving of really), and get ON with making frickin' money... will ya?

Damn.

robert @ Oct 5th 2007 5:02PM

let's just pretend we've repeated the 250+ comments made about this a few hours ago and move on.

HineyWipe @ Oct 5th 2007 5:03PM

Fine translates to "you already own a PS2, don't you?" marketing.

Really. Who cares? I've the PS3 (250GB) for BR movies, demos, PSN games and what, the whole of 3 games. Maybe by Christmas, I'll have 5 games (Uncharted and CoD4). 6 if a find a deal on Warhawk.

James @ Oct 5th 2007 5:51PM

As someone who didn't own a PS2, I do.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Oct 6th 2007 5:37AM

Plus, there's still new PS2 games coming out.

I rapped on the Wii's compatibility on the grounds that you still had to buy extra hardware: controller and memory card. THIS, on the other hand, is just downright pathetic, even if we were already expecting it as soon as the 40GB rumors started circulating.

Mal F4cti0n @ Oct 5th 2007 5:03PM

Wow, how many games does the PS2 have? Like over four thousand or something?

65 is close to 4,000 I guess.

Managers are not the smartest people in the world.

michas_pi @ Oct 6th 2007 6:10AM

I heard there's over nine thousaaaaaaaaand!

Bluebrake @ Oct 5th 2007 5:03PM

"using that money that we'd put into backwards compatibility in either investing in new games or using that money to help support bringing the price down"

Here's the part that worries me. What he seems to be saying is that they're cutting all b/c updates and support on the PS3 in the future. This is apparently the case in Europe, anyway: http://kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/scee-ps3-60gb-nixed-for-uk-too-307651.php

If that's what they're doing, it sucks even more than it seems at first glance. This is a lot of bullshit.

LaughingTarget @ Oct 5th 2007 5:04PM

And how many people exactly play PS1 games still? Don't give me anecdotal evidence of you and your friends either. This isn't a bad proposition. I've ragged on Sony for lots of things and including BC was one of them. PS3 gamers will unlikely ever touch PS2 games by the end of 2008, so this is a good move.

LeChuck @ Oct 5th 2007 5:12PM

You know what's weird though. They're keeping the software emulation for PS1 games in it, it just won't play PS2 games. Now tell me how that makes sense.

LaughingTarget @ Oct 5th 2007 5:13PM

My best guess is for the Playstation store stuff.

Saxyplayer486 @ Oct 6th 2007 4:50AM

Maybe you're right. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go finish FFVIII

Fernando Rocker (NDF - Water Ring) @ Oct 5th 2007 5:05PM

Maybe the people are upset because you Sony, told that the PS3 will be %100 backward compatible from day one, bashing the 360.

That simple.

spoo @ Oct 5th 2007 5:20PM

I agree with Fernando on this one. When will Sony learn to bite their tongues.

(This will most likely be the only time I will agree with Fernando.)

exit stencil @ Oct 5th 2007 5:39PM

Am I... really... clicking [+]... under a FR post?

Wow. Sony must REALLY be blowing it.

ukickmydog (NDF - Earth) @ Oct 5th 2007 6:56PM

finally, you return

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 5th 2007 8:34PM

Fernando...

You weren't going to buy a PS3 from the start, so why do you care what Sony does?

This is what kills me. The minute Sony drops BC...the XBOTS come out of the woodwork as if teh Haloz was broken. The bots do a death dance every time a "bad" news story comes out about Sony. They were all playing PS1 and PS2 back in the day....but all of a sudden, Playstation isn't good enough. Or it's too expensive. Or it doesn't have enough game in it's first 10 months. Or there isn't teh rumbles.

Ironhide @ Oct 5th 2007 8:59PM

Frank, I seem to recall you crowing about issues stemming from b/c or RRoD. Sony seriously fucks up and rapes the consumer royally this time and all you can do is comment about 'Xbots' coming out of the woodworks? Isn't this a bit hypocritical?

baby sea tuna @ Oct 5th 2007 9:01PM

Um, Frank, all of those things are legitimate problems with the PS3. Just shut up and take the lumps you deserve for all the shit you talked about the 360's BC issues.

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 6th 2007 5:14PM

Ironhide,

Asswipe....taking out backwards compatibility can in NO WAY be compared to a system BREAKING DOWN(RROD) after several months of normal use. It's unbelievable that Microshaft can actually get away with what they do to consumers. And trust me, knowone is more upset about RROD than me. I would gladly pay up to get a 360, once I'm assured 100% that it's not going to BREAK DOWN(RROD). But until then Microshit doesn't get one red cent from me.

When Sony says that BC is out, this can in no way be compared to the ASS RAPING you got from Microshaft with the RROD issue. People's systems are still breaking down. The wait is now 4-6 weeks. That's how terrible that hardware is.

And if you look all over this post, it's nothing but people who don't every care about getting a PS3 that are chiming up about shit. I'm talking smack because I have my $400 ready to drop on a 360 the minute Microshit gets their act together and builds something that won't break down after some hardcore gaming session.