The issues with PS3’s backwards compatibility have been well-known since the console was released in November. Users have complained of incompatibility with some PS2/PS1 games, only to be met by a Sony response that they were looking into the issue and were addressing the problem. Kaz Hirai said, "…all the games on the PlayStation 2…will be playable on your PS3. Our goal is to make sure that we have 100% compatibility."
While the games may be playable, a recent entry on the media site YouTube has some of the game community fired up over the meaning of backwards compatibility. Does the term mean the game is simply playable, or does it mean the game plays and looks as it should?
A member named "BB" uploaded a video showing a side-by-side comparison showcasing the graphics of a PS2 game and how they appeared on the PS3. The scathing mini-documentary shows the PS3 version graphics as pixilated, jaggy, and of lower resolution than the games looked on PS2.
Some viewers responded to the video claiming that it was a non-issue. "If I want great graphics on my PS3, then I’ll buy PS3 games. I noticed how crappy FFXII looked myself, but I was playing it for the storyline. Sure, the poorer graphics bothered me some, but was it enough to [whine] about? Nope."
Others expressed disappointment with Sony and how they were handling the backwards compatibility issue. One poster from Norway stated, "This was upsetting. Sony officials went on and on about when the machine would come, and how they actually implemented PS2 hardware into the PS3 to play PS2 and PS1 games properly. Games like this would have been better with the option to run the PS2 BIOS on the PS3 central processor. I look forward to the PS3 a lot, but working in a games store… I really see that a lot of people are put off by the broken promises from Sony and would rather spend their money on a 360 and/or a Wii… I can’t really say I blame them."
Although the argument about buying PS3 games to get PS3-quality graphics sounds valid and logical, the reality of the matter is that many PlayStation owners have an extensive library of PS2 games that they continue to play. The fact that solid PS2 games continue to be developed means that total PS2 compatibility is a must for the PS3. Whether or not this issue will be finally resolved to the satisfaction of the gaming public is still up in the air, but one thing is for sure–the backwards compatability question is an important one for many of the PlayStation faithful.
Watch the video below…
