Last month, a controversial video was posted on YouTube demonstrating the high degree of degradation regarding the graphics of PlayStation 2 games when run on a PlayStation 3 machine. Sony has not yet addressed this problem with a firmware upgrade, but in spite of this, a resourceful PS3 owner has found a workaround. The method involves forcing the PS3 to downgrade its normal HD output to that of 480i, or a standard television signal. A poster on ps3fanboy.com documented the procedure to make PS2 games look as they were intended. According to PS3Fanboy’s Nick Doerr:
"All right, so currently my PS3 is connected to my TV via the HDMI and those cruddy composite cables [RCA cables]–the yellow, white, and red. Why both? Because my TV has channels dedicated to both. When I run a PS2 game on the HDMI channel, yeah, it looks bad. So what do I do? Go to my Display Settings and swap the PS3 back onto the 480i channel — the channel most PS2 games were probably meant to be seen in. I think that’s the problem–PS2 games didn’t plan on getting their resolutions increased so drastically. Anyway… so I swap it back to 480i and re-load the PS2 game and guess what? The text is gorgeous and the graphics look fine. I think. They don’t look perfect, but it’s a lot better."
This quick fix by the PS3 community indicates that the solution to the problem of degraded PS2 graphics on the PS3 may not be that difficult to fix. But Sony’s slow response in addressing this problem may cause the company to lose even more of its confidence from both the gaming and business communities, as they question Sony’s commitment to PS3 customer support.
