80GB PS3 coming August 27 to Europe and Australia

Not while the PS2 is still selling well. Its total bullshit but it makes sense business wise.

Honestly once you buy a PS3 in a very very rare occasion you play a PS2 game on it.

I've a 60Gb PS3 and just once or two times I've ever played a PS2 game on it.

Of course it would be smartest for SONY to sell at that price the 80Gb BC version but this one is a pretty good deal though.

Night Elve, I've played mostly PS2 games and PS3 demos on my PS3. I've hardly played a real PS3 retail game.

Persona 3...mm....

I bought a 60gig PS3 right after the first price drop and had the exact opposite experience. I only had the GameCube last gen, so after renting a few PS3 games through gamefly, I stocked up on all the great PS2 games I missed for bargain prices, and discovered Metal Gear Solid 3 which is now one of my favorite games of all time (yes, it tops MGS4 on my list). I bought a few PSN games (Stardust, Pain, Tekken), but MGS4 was the first PS3 games I paid full price for (I did buy oblivion for $25 when my 360 was out for repair). I'm currently playing through Shadow of the Colossus and trying to figure out how to get my hands on Ico.

If my PS3 didn't have backwards compatibility, it wouldn't have got nearly as much use as it has, and honestly I may have sold it during the drought last year.

And off topic.. When are they going to make a next gen version of Bushido Blade?

That's why I'm just going to wait til the PS3 is down to $200 with BC included.. I don't give a damn about HDD space...

Back in 1996, I managed with 3GB of space. I can scrimp.

I am guessing that the phasing out of the 80GB with BS can only mean they are almost ready to introduce software BC--Sony is all about reducing hardware costs right now but they know that BC is important to gamers. Unsurprisingly, they have people who's job is, at least in part, to watch blogs like this one and Kotaku and see how gamers react to pieces of news. They know BC is important to the hardcore demographic and I think they'll give it to us in software--this would save them money in hardware and give them something they can say "Gamers asked, Sony listened about" and have a parade or some shit.

Either that, or their heads are so far up their own asses they think we seriously don't care about BC and won't warn our casual gamer friends about it.

50/50

~

I never got a PS2. Got scared away by those disc scratching reports and numerous DRM (or whatever they were called). A PS1 died on me when I borrowed my cousin's too. After getting a clearer view that the PS3 just might not be following the PS2 or 360 into the problematic hardware category, I thought it was time. Price was still steep for the PS3, I got several PS2 games though before it got harder to find mint/new copies. When the MGS4 bundle was announced I was determined to get that. Unfortunately, can't get one yet. This news worries me. I don't live in the U.S. but all the games I've gotten were games imported from the U.S. by local retailers. I can't get any other PS3s from other regions and have BC for U.S. games. I really hope they don't phase out BC or stop replenishing the MGS4 PS3 bundle any time soon. Otherwise, it's going to be close. If I miss my shot, I'll have no choice but to get a PS2 and then a PS3 at a later time. If that's the scenario I'll face, then there definitely be no rush to get either system any time soon.

Prediction: SDF is going to make you invisible

Die

[Comment removed by the Sony Defense Force.]

LMAO

I agree with FSK.

PS: Wooo! I'm the invisible man!

Thats what one should do - expect the 40GB to go on fire sale, so just buy that and swap it for a 250GB with enough space for all your files

Joystiq didn't mention that PS3's run using electricity either.Damn, Anti-Sony Bastards!

See, Backward Compatibility is a standard feature of all modern consoles so you don't usually get excited or even mention this kind of stuff.

On the other hand, the information that a very standard feature is getting removed from a very "advanced" console is more than enough to piss a lot of people off.

...and saying that PS3 didn't deserve the flak for being too expensive is a slap to the face of any Aussie or European.

I have over a dozen 360 games that aren't BC -- it isn't a standard feature, just some i remember because its annoying me that i can't play them:

kung fu chaos
chronicles of riddick
mech assault 1 (not 2)
DOA beach volleyball

and to be honest, most of the games that are BC on 360 are broken or have some kind of problem that make them difficult to play. jet set radio future is unplayable because it lags and messes up while you're trying to do tricks. its a cel-shaded game for god's sake how could they have messed it up!?

Just for everyone else's information - all PS3s are compatible with PS1 games. The only backwards compatibility that is in question is for PS2 games.

I still have my old PS1/2 games--still working on FFXII...hell, I might even finish it before FFXIII comes out!!

They're being sneaky. Why put an 80GB in there when they've already got one on the market with known PS2 backwards compatibility? Why not just make it 100GB or 120GB? Most gamers who follow the news know what's up, the ones who don't could possibly fall for it.

I haven't had a problem with any of the PS1/2 games that I play on my 60gig--there shouldn't be a problem with any of them because the 60gig PS3 contains the PS2 chipset....although maybe no support for rumble controllers? but that might have changed now that they offer PS3 rumble controllers....