PS3 ad banned for touting backwards compatibility

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 7th 2008 at 11:30AM }

A television advertisement created by UK retailer PC World promoting the PS3 has been yanked from the airwaves. GI.biz reports the Advertising Standards Authority found the ad "misleading" because it claimed the PS3 could play all PS2 games. PC World retorted that the system can play a significant amount of PS2 titles -- and lost.

Now, if only 26 complaints can get the ASA to ban a Kane & Lynch poster, we can only imagine how many rabid fanboys it took to ban this "misleading" ad. We've been unable to find a version of the commercial online, but if anybody finds it, we'll give thanks and place it after the break.

Tags: asa, banned, uk

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Fox318 @ May 7th 2008 11:33AM

Wow, now that's a shocking blow.

PojoMofo @ May 7th 2008 11:36AM

This is the definition of false advertisement, i mean most PS3s now dont have any BC, so they were right to pull the ad

Vidikron (FU) @ May 7th 2008 12:14PM

Actually, all PS3s have BC. They all support PS1 games. I think you meant to say most don't have PS2 BC.

LiqwidZero @ May 7th 2008 12:54PM

Vidikron:

No, those games are downloadable. Try putting in a PS2 or PSX game disc in a 40GB PS3--I guarantee that it will not play.

Nate @ May 7th 2008 1:05PM

Liqwid Zero - you're wrong. All PS3s, every single one, has full PS1 backwards compatibility - that is, you can put any old PS1 disk in the disk drive, and it will play (and you can play it via remote play on your PSP).

Vidikron (FU) @ May 7th 2008 1:28PM

Yup, you're wrong, LiqwidZero. Even the original 60/20 GB models handled PS1 emulation purely via software. So removing the PS2 hardware in the later PS3 models did not affect the PS1 BC in any way.

This is a common misconception thanks to sites like JOYSTIQ posting all those headlines that read, "40 GB PS3 to have NO BC". They did it over an over and sadly many people now think that.

Paviel @ May 7th 2008 2:12PM

PS1 BC isn't the issue here: The claim was that "PS3 could play all PS2 games." Which is false advertising.

Vidikron (FU) @ May 7th 2008 7:05PM

Haha... I got voted down for a correct statement? What fucktards.

why not the LS2LS7? @ May 7th 2008 7:25PM

No, all PS3s play PS1 games. Almost all of them (it's as compatible as the last PSOnes were, which wasn't quite 100%).

Ethan @ May 8th 2008 12:05PM

I am riotously confused.

Shogan @ May 7th 2008 11:37AM

The PS3 is banned in our house until it gets backward compatibility.

Josh @ May 7th 2008 6:09PM

What? No eBay?

Zoesch @ May 7th 2008 5:03PM

How does it feel to ban something that already happened?

Maverick Saturn @ May 7th 2008 11:39AM

PC world always does this ¬_¬

I am not the least bit suprised.

JonFitt @ May 7th 2008 12:43PM

Yeah, I wonder if there's a tally somewhere of ads banned for being misleading? I'm sure PC World would be top.

steve @ May 7th 2008 4:01PM

PC World always have funny ads with mistruths in them -

"If you get this brand new Dual Core, you'll be able to do 2 things at once - like listen to music and surf the web!"

Wow, and to think I was getting away with it back in 2001 on my 800Mhz Duron.

TheHuntIsOn @ May 7th 2008 11:42AM

And rightly so.

Same goes for Haze. Why the hell did them old screenshots look all big and stuff and the game isn't even HD (576p!) and has crappy textures?
Bloody false advertising.

LameDuck @ May 7th 2008 11:56AM

They, most likly knowning Sony, had the game rendered by a 3D animation studio working of what the PS3 can theroretically do.

Sony is all about theoretical yeld. From their game specs, to shooped screenshots, even sales numbers. *lol units shipped == units sold!* This is one reason I totally hate this company, even though I've drunk the koolaid too.

Noshino @ May 7th 2008 12:00PM

Hye LameDuck, you do know that Sony has been helping every developer, and Free Radical, in an interview, mentioned that they were also offered help but they didn't really need it, so they kept working by themselves....

You just hate a company for a senseless reason, good for you, no wonder your nickname is LameDuck....

jsn @ May 7th 2008 12:00PM

the big question there is why does such an almighty powerful system as the ps3 have to even settle for that resolution? What happened to Sony's 1080P is the only REAL HD.

Co @ May 7th 2008 12:03PM

"What happened to Sony's 1080P is the only REAL HD."

Oh they were referring to the BluRay movie playback. They just left that part out.

Maverick Saturn @ May 7th 2008 12:04PM

Sony didn't make this advert ¬_¬ PC World did.

LameDuck @ May 7th 2008 12:09PM

Actually it's because of a quote I heard from Linus Torvald, but that is beside the point.

I wasn't comment on the game, I was just saying that the most likly reason that the game does not match the screenshots is because the way Sony handles things. I mean, doesn't it just piss you off a little that they have to get an outside company to make a video of their game so they can pass it off as in internal demo? Also, I would take it as a bad sign if a company that makes a console comes up to a dev and goes "Need help?" and after the dev refuses, they release a game that is less fun to play than Hello Kitty Island Adventure. *Which, btw, is my GOTY for 2007. Suck that, Halo 3.*

I'm not saying they did this, I'm not saying Free Radical sucks, nor am I saying that you smell like grandma farts. All I'm saying is what happend, in my opinion.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 12:44PM

Lameduck...

all companies count consoles shipped = consoles sold. Because Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft all get paid by the retailers when they accept inventory. The console manufacturers don't go about business the Wimpy Way. "I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a Nintendo DS today." All three companies go by that number because that's the only number they can accurately count. Even the great NPD numbers are missing a ton of retailers. I believe even Wal-Mart is excluded from those charts.

Bullshots have been around since the NES and even Nintendo has been guilty of them. These tactics are hardly a Sony exclusive (see: Halo 2).

I mean, seriously.. dude. If you're gonna hate a company, hate a company. Just don't use excuses all companies are guilty of.

LameDuck @ May 7th 2008 5:06PM

It's not that I hate them for doing it, it's more that they rub it in our faces everytime on of their bobble heads opens it's mouth. And then, to top it all off, they compair their numbers-aganst-other-consoles to something some nutjob came up with. I don't know about MS or Nintendo's dealing with numbers, but I do know Sony's. I was all for the company until Rootkits and lies starting spewing from them. Like how the PS3 is open. Well eff me over. I could of swore it was closed since, while I can install Linux on it, I CAN'T MAKE FULL USE OF THE SYSTEM!

Basicly, I'm critical of Sony because they broke my heart. Bill hit me up on the rebound and introduce me to his friend Reggie. That is the only reason I own a 360 and Wii before the PS3. I still don't like the system and the direction the company is taking and I think that if they don't strightin' up, we might not see a PS4. Or, atleast a PS4 that anyone would care about.

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I got side tracked with work and other threads. You may now belittle me. lol

bobartig @ May 7th 2008 6:39PM

@Sir Fidlious Wong: You can't even compare the amount of hyberbolic lies and back-tracking that Sony has had to do to the other two players in this generation of consoles.

- Full PS2 BC on day 1. They said it again, and again. They pulled back, and said "most" games, then they pulled the necessary hardware and basically said "Fuckit, we lied."

- Superior online experience to XBLA. Every feature XBLA has and more for free. They said it again, and again. Late in the PS3 development cycle, they slapped on some 3rd party matchmaking software and called it a day.

- 1080p60 - True HD (Hi Vision in Japan). Only the PS3 would have the raw power necessary to crank out true HD graphics. In fact, the PS3 was going to have DUAL HDMI. One 1080p display was not even sufficient to capture the RAW AWESOME that the PS3 would deliver. The X360, with most of its titles at 720p was selling you short! Turns out, the PS3's GPU performance is completely unspectacular compared to the X360.

- DualShock. It's IMPOSSIBLE! No, wait, we just didn't pay the licensing fees.

why not the LS2LS7? @ May 7th 2008 7:29PM

PGR3 was 576p. After Peter Moore said that MS was making HD support mandatory for all 360 games.

So apparently Sony and MS agree, you don't have to be 720p to be HD.

why not the LS2LS7? @ May 7th 2008 7:35PM

bobartig:
MS: "1080p is impossible this generation"

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/22/xbox-exec-on-ps3-1080p-will-be-basically-impossible/

They were correct too.

But the moment MS discovered they could output 1080p, they started to spout off about how all their games run in 1080p, and in fact it's on the back of game boxes, even though the games aren't actually in 1080p.

MS has backtracked and lied as much as anyone. This is the nature of marketing, so it's tough to blame them.

umm....hello??? @ May 7th 2008 11:45AM

heh...thank goodness I picked up the 60gig when it first launched so I can play all my ps2 games. sucks for those with the 40/80gig versions...

PeterBeck @ May 7th 2008 11:47AM

I dunno, I have an 80gig and it plays all the PS2 games in my collection.

PojoMofo @ May 7th 2008 11:53AM

I have a 40GB PS3, but its fine because I have my PS2 upstairs, and the PS2 is 100% compatible with all
PS2 games.

Zertoss @ May 7th 2008 11:54AM

Yeah, the 80gig model is backwards compatible with most PS2 games.

Handy dandy compatibility checker: http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/CompatibleStatus

guidedbyvoip @ May 7th 2008 12:54PM

Hubris! Love you 60GB now...just hope nothing happens to Precious.

http://www.destructoid.com/is-sony-s-customer-service-being-affected-by-phasing-out-the-60gb-ps3--79727.phtml

Ninjakamster (PSN: Chin-Poh) @ May 7th 2008 1:43PM

I had to look long and hard to find a 60gb in my area, finally had to settle with a Gamestop refurb model, which doesn't have the Playstation 3 logo on the top of the case, totally blank. WTF?

xFenixKnightx @ May 7th 2008 11:49AM

They need to do a firmware upgrade for this BC already. I heard rumors. I don't wanna pull the small black behemoth outta the closet to play...to play...nevermind.

Fernando Rocker @ May 7th 2008 12:01PM

Problem is: the 60GB and 20GB version has the EE+GS chip from the PS2, so BC is fully done via hardware.

The 80GB removed the Emotion Engine chip, and only leave the GS chip. So, the BC is done by half hardware and half software emulation.

The problem is that the 40GB version removed both the EE and GS chip, so, it's very hard to make 100% software emulation.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 12:57PM

I'm sure they WANT to do completely software emu. But how big a hit that will take is beyond anyones understandings. After all, 360 emu isn't flawless by any stretch of the imagination and even games they say work have huge performance issues. Not to mention PS2 was a highly specialized piece of equipment, maybe really hard to emulate. Specifically the GS.

BrotherSimon @ May 7th 2008 11:51AM

lul ownt

el serpiente @ May 7th 2008 1:24PM

You mean xbox pwnt in Europe? You are correct...

http://gizmodo.com/387973/playstation-3-surpasses-xbox-360-in-europe

BrotherSimon @ May 7th 2008 1:28PM

fail.

Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ May 7th 2008 4:03PM

I second that fail.

Motion passed, el serpiente...

You Fail

el serpiente @ May 7th 2008 4:29PM

Truth never fails, x-nerds.

Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ May 7th 2008 4:46PM

I didn't even read the link, you fail for posting some waaay off topic article, to try and prove some waaay off topic point, and try to enlarge your waaay invisible penis.

el serpiente @ May 7th 2008 7:45PM

Raikage, please don't talk about my penis, it's kind of creepy.

Oh, and you double-dog-fail, sucka. BOO-YAH!

Von Dozier @ May 7th 2008 12:07PM

Thankfully, I bought my cousin's launch 60gb PS3 off him for $200 (the one with flawless BC).

Frankly, the PS3 is kinda useless without BC.

Vidikron (FU) @ May 7th 2008 12:17PM

I use mine on a nearly daily basis and almost never do I use the BC.

Jason @ May 7th 2008 12:30PM

seriously, the only time i used PS2 BC was after I got GT5:P. I popped in GT4 to compare. The way I see it, we've all had enough time to play PS2 games, something like 6-7 years. I've played all the PS2 games I ever wanted to, so now I want some new stuff.