New PS3 Slim Doesn’t Live Up to Expectations
A rant about Sony, the Playstation 3 and backwards compatibility. . .
It all started when I was six years old- I was looking forward to a new Sonic game called ‘Sonic Xtreme‘ that was going to be released that Christmas on Sega Saturn. I already owned a Sega Saturn and one game- NiGHTS in to dreams- that I’ve beaten several times, and I was looking forward to playing this. I’m a huge fan of Sonic the hedgehog you see - I would regularly go over to my friends house and play it on their Genesis. But then, suddenly, everybody stopped talking about it - instead of an ultra-cool 3D sonic game, I get “Sonic 3D blast”, which isn’t even 3D!
However, I also got one other thing for Christmas that year- two, actually- a Sony Playstation and Crash Bandicoot 2. It was this that started my love for Sony - over the years, I would acquire a Playstation 2, and dozens of games. With the exception of the Sega Dreamcast, Sony has dominated my gaming life for the past 12 years. The Playstation series has always had the best selection of game titles and very well-designed game systems (my PS2 from 2002 still works just fine). They have also been among the bleeding edge of computer graphics and game play - and that brings me to the Playstation 3.
When the Playstation 3 first came out in 2006, everybody was expecting the Xbox 360 to be “dreamcasted” out of the gaming industry- its septa-core IBM Cell processor is used by scientists in prestigious colleges as a cheaper alternative to renting time on supercomputers. It was also backwards compatible, allowing gamers to play their current Playstation and Playstation 2 games in high-definition. It could also play Blu-ray discs. But there was a catch - all of this would come at a $600 price tag, a premium that many people couldn’t pay for, meaning that the Xbox 360 and the relatively cheap Nintendo Wii would both easily outsell the Playstation 3.
Things only got worse- in 2008, Sony decided to pull the plug on backwards compatibility, just when the Xbox 360 was gaining that same ability. Although the PS3s price was dropped to $400, the lack of backwards compatibility frustrated many potential customers, including myself. As the months went on, the problems with the Playstation 3 would only get worse. After backwards compatibility was the lack of a bundled HDMI cable, which was now sold separately. Many Playstation 3s started having issues with over heating. Because of its lack luster sales, many game companies stopped supporting the Playstation 3, instead developing for the Nintendo Wii or the older Playstation 2. But Sony prevailed- despite registering a staggering loss in 2008, they carried on, refusing to get removed from the gaming market by Nintendo and Microsoft.
Then today, seemingly out of the blue, Sony announced the Playstation 3 slim. At $300, it’s ½ the price of what the original Playstation 3 was. It is also smaller, thinner, and less prone to over heating than its larger predecessor. It can also play Playstation 1 discs through emulation. However, for whatever reason, Sony decided to not enable Playstation 2 support. I see no reason for this.
Sony, if you expect Playstation 2 users to upgrade, you need to enable Playstation 2 game support on the Playstation 3. I am more than willing to pay a bit extra to play Shadow of the Colossus in high definition at 30fps, and I know I’m not the only one.
Fortunately, I got one of the first 60gb models that came out with backwards compatibilit, but I actually never really used it very much cause I didn’t have any games. The only old games I have played on the system were ps one classics which i downloaded from the ps3 store, so this feature was never really that important to me.
That article was misguided and misinformed on so many levels it was ridiculous.
First, while the PS3 had issues with a very small % of units, it did not compare with the 360. The 360 had *far* more issues and still isn’t bundled with an HDMI cable either. The 360 continues to have the RROD issues. Second, the PS3 OUTSOLD the 360 in 2008 so I’m not sure Sony ever felt like they were going to lose their presence in the industry to the 360 (which sold horribly in Asia).
Third. Backwards compatibility? The 360 only had emulation from the start for only the most popular games at the time…support for backwards comp on the 360 is slowly getting smaller and smaller. When MS introduces their newest platform, I’d expect the same exact treatment as the Xbox>360 transition…LIMITED if any backwards comp.
PS2s are still available for $130 (about the same $$$ as a DSi) NEW making a problem with backwards comp a moot point in my mind. Go out and try and buy a new original Xbox so you can play your older/classic games. Oh wait, MS dropped the original box so fast after the intro of the 360, it was like the old black box never existed.
Finally, your PS2 games will only be upscaled and are not presented in HD on the PS3…a completely idiotic statement in the article. Truth be told, my PS2 games look as good (and in some cases better) on my Bravia HD LCD playing on my PS2 (using HDMI) than my PS3.
Dude, nobody “upgrades” from a PS2 to a PS3 to play PS2 games. People upgrade becuase they want to play PS3 games, and while I agree it was a bummer to hear that there will be no PS2 support, you’d think you could just continue using your still-supported PS2(?)
@dp
It’s definately true that the Xbox 360 has WAY more problems than the PS3, and in my opinion the PS3 is WAY better. However, my point is that the Playstation series has always been backwards compatible (even the PSP plays Playstaion 1 games), and that is something I’ve grown to expect from Sony.
Now, I wouldn’t be complaining so much if Sony dropped Backwards Compatibility all together- it’s a PS3 and it IS designed for PS3 games. However, Sony decided to put backwards compatibility for PS1 games on there, but not PS2- I find this ridiculous, especially when the PS3 has plenty of horsepower to run the emotion engine in an emulator (like the original 60GB 90-nm PS3 did)- no seperate hardware needed. In fact, Sony DOES have a patent for an Emotion Engine emulator for the IBM Cell processor- they’re just not making one for the new PS3s.
Another reason why I’m complaining is the fact that Sony keeps dropping things from the PS3- first the PS2 backwards compatibility, then two of the USB ports, then the card slots, etc. etc. When Sony markets this as a media server/game system (they say “it does it all” in the commercial), I expect them to ADD features in the future, NOT take them away.
One more thing- how’d you manage to get HDMI from your PS2? Or was that a typo?
Sorry, typo on the PS2 HDMI. I have it hooked up via the PS3 component cable (same interface) which is almost required on an HD TV. The standard RCA cable that comes with the 2 looks *really* bad.
No, I hear you about the lack of PS2 game support…it does seem to be a huge oversight, but it surely isn’t a matter of PS3 horsepower. More likely, with many decisions, it probably just comes down to money.
Sony still produces the PS2 hardware, and game developers are still making PS2 games. I’m sure Sony would love to see the PS2 die off gracefully in the future and this move almost ensures that it will. They *want* developers to focus totally on the 3 and for sure they’d like to increase sales of PS3 games.
I’m also guessing that PS1 game emulation has really been amped up just due to the PSPs marketed ability to play quite a few of the PS1 games as well as on the 2 and 3. Obviously it is advantageous ($$$) for Sony to be able to market the playability of games on the PSP (especially with the download only PSP GO on the horizon) and PS1 games are an easy way to instantly bolster the available games for the PSP/GO.
While fun, you have to admit PS1 games anymore are just a novelty for hard-core players while almost non-existent in a casual gamer’s world. Having said that, PS2 games will also start to move into obsolesence for the wider gaming community if they haven’t already. If Sony develops a handheld that can download and play PS2 gmaes, you may see emulation come back to all of their platforms.
Finally, the PS3 slim has wi-fi and 2 USB ports built in. I personally feel that this configuration is more than enough to still use the PS3 as a great media server.
I have the original emotion-engined, card-slotted chassis and I have to admit that I usually only use one USB slot for an external HD and occassionally use the SD slot for game updates. There are just better/more flexible/powerful strategies using your router (either wifi or switched) to stream media rather than hooking up externals.
As an anecdotal example, my 360 has 2 USB ports and a wifi adaptor (an external add-on) and it is an *excellent* media streamer as it instantly recognizes and networks with wifi enabled PCs. Truth be told, I have never even used the USB ports on my 360. If the next iteration of the 360 leaves them off, I would never miss them, which is probably the case for most PS3 users IRT slots/ports.
People who buy Sony crap are stupid anyway. Get a life and buy an X-Box or Wii.. unless you support Sony’s closed formats, root kits, and production in Mexico by underage labor.
^^ another xbox fanboy
Made in Mexico? That sounds like Microsoft more then Sony, how else would the 360 say “we put in a new chip to keep new models from getting red ring”. Ive had 4 Xbox models 1 pro and 3 Elites and all of them ended with red ring with in 2 years so the new chips does nothing.
But Sony took out BC to lower prices, why keep something in and to get any profit sell for $600 when you can scrap it and have a lower price. Anyway I have a 60 GB model with a 1 TB HDD put in so Im good and I may out in a 1 or 2 TB HDD in my slim when I buy it.
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New PS3 Slim Doesn’t Live Up to Expectations | Almost Japanese
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