Last year, a rumor arose suggesting the possibility of PS3 game consoles eventually switching from the PS2 chipset to software-based emulation in order to support backwards compatibility. The report proved itself true this week when Sony confirmed that European and Australian PS3s would only have software emulators to run PS2 titles–and, apparently, a limited number of titles would be supported. In contrast, Japanese and North America PS3s were released with the PS2 chips, meaning that they feature complete backwards compatibility.
Phil Harrison, President of Worldwide Studios at Sony, decided to share his thoughts on the matter, telling Three Speech that he thought the concerns and worries of gamers were basically an overreaction. "Our thinking involves being able to bring the latest hardware specification of the PS3 to Europe, although that does mean an initial slight reduction in the number of PS2 components. But it’s important to put that into context: there will still be thousands of PlayStation and PS2 titles playable on the PS3 at launch. It’s very easy to over-react." Sony has put up an official website which will list PS2 games that are compatible with the PS3. The full list will be available on launch day. However, Sony has admitted that the most popular titles will be the focus for BC titles.
The switchover from hardware to software emulation for the PS3 in Australia and Europe could be the first sign that Sony is attempting to remove the chipset from all PS3s. If this does happen, it will certainly save money for Sony–but the aftermath of downgrading the PS3 may continue to stress the already-shaky ground that exists between the gaming community and Sony. Many will wonder, "If I’m paying a premium price for the PS3, why am I only getting a software emulator for PS2 games?"
And that is a very good question, indeed.
