Topic: OK now even I think Sony is in trouble with the PS3.

[Pugnate]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6208

European PS3 to have inferior backwards compatibility compared to North American and Japanese models

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced that the PlayStation 3 to be launched in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia on March 23, 2007 will utilize a “new hardware specification.” Presumably, the new specification will differ from all the currently released PlayStation 3 consoles launched in Japan and North America.

In a press release issued by SCEE, the company describes the main features of the system that are common knowledge, and adds that the Euro-spec machine “also embodies a new combination of hardware and software emulation which will enable PS3 to be compatible with a broad range of original PlayStation titles and a limited range of PlayStation 2 titles.”

The European PS3 will lack the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer (EE+GS) chip necessary to provide hardware-based backwards compatibility for previous-generation titles. Instead, Sony plans to accomplish compatibility with older games through software emulation—a trickier and more fickle feat than simply including and utilizing PS2 processors.

“The Emotion Engine has been removed and that function has been replaced with software,” said Nick Sharples, a spokesman for Sony in London. That has a “slightly detrimental effect” on compatibility, he said to the IDG News Service.

“The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the U.S. and Japan models,” another Sony spokesman said to Reuters.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has been using a software emulation scheme since inception to make its system backwards compatible with original Xbox games. While Microsoft has promised that it will continue working on improving backwards compatibility through system updates, the Xbox 360 is only able to play from a limited list of older games.

Gamers keen on exploring PlayStation’s extensive back catalog will be disappointed to find that their upcoming European PS3s will only be able to play a limited selection of previous generation games. Sony isn’t viewing backwards compatibility on the PS3 as a priority, and says that new generation games should be the system’s main focus.

“PS3 is first and foremost a system that excels in playing games specifically designed to exploit the power and potential of the PS3 system,” said David Reeves, President of SCEE. “Games designed for PS3 offer incredible graphics quality, stunning gameplay and massively improved audio and video fidelity that is simply not achievable with PS and PS2 games.”

Sony Europe defends its decision by saying that the costs savings of backwards compatibility will be put back into other company investments.

“Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology,” stated Reeves.

Analysts have estimated that Sony loses $241 on every 60GB PS3—the only version available for the March 23 launch. Word of a cost-cutting strategy came from Japan earlier this month, which points to Sony’s strong desire to improve its bottom line.

The hardware changes to the European PS3 represent the first step taken to reduce costs. “If we are able to reduce the production cost, it has a follow-on effect” on the selling price, Sharples said. But the new, less costly PS3 aimed at Europe carries one of the priciest stickers for the system, revealing a contradiction in the Sony representative’s statement. In Europe, the lone 60GB PS3 is priced €599 (US$786) or £425 (US$830), and for Australia $999 (US$791)—more expensive than the North American and Japanese PS3 consoles equipped with the EE+GS chip.

Sony Computer Entertainment America executives have gone on record to say the PS3 will be “difficult to cost reduce,” and that any reductions that do occur will not immediately translate to lower prices. Furthermore, iSuppli estimates that the EE+GS chip carries a material cost of $27, leaving some to question the cost/benefit of the chip’s removal.

While SCEE preaches the cost-savings advantage of the new hardware specification, it now must divert resources to individually tweak and perform QA for each PlayStation 2 game to be emulated by the PS3 hardware. Sony would not comment on which games will be compatible with PS3’s new software emulation, but did say that gamers will be able to check whether their titles are compatible with PS3 at a special European backwards compatibility site starting March 23.

Sony Europe also said that previous-generation games not initially playable on the European PS3 might eventually be emulated as the company releases firmware updates. "It would be reasonable to assume that the better-selling games are the ones we will be putting effort into," Sharples said.

The creation of a differing hardware specification for Europe and other territories splits the PlayStation 3 manufacturing into another separate line. There are currently two variations of the PS3, differing in hard drive size, memory card reader and wireless connectivity. The European spec would add a third, unless Sony has plans to do away with the EE+GS chips in all PS3s worldwide.

SCEA remains mum on whether or not the hardware revision will apply in its own market. When contacted by DailyTech for comment on the future plans for North American PS3s, a representative stated, “We have no announcement regarding any hardware specification changes for PS3 in North America at this time.”

Regardless of what future hardware revisions may come, Sony of America and Japan are expected to continue support for over 1.48 million EE+GS-included PlayStation 3 consoles currently in the hands of North American and Japanese gamers.

That is insanity. $788 US! And it is stripped of backwards compatibility. I feel sorry for Europeans in this regard, they get everything a lot more expensive. But yeesh, nearly $800 for a PS3. Who wants that?

So you know if you bought a PS3 at least you had the PS2 games to hold you. What motivation do people have to purchase a PS3 when it has no games?

[Jedi]

And I laughed and laughed.

[beo]

So you know if you bought a PS3 at least you had the PS2 games to hold you. What motivation do people have to purchase a PS3 when it has no games?

none. until the next FF game comes along anyway, i know that'll sucker a lot of people in (myself included). other than that though, nada.

[gpw11]

The really sad thing is that the hardware emulation on the NA model is even pretty shitty.  I don't know if they fixed it by now with a firmware update, but when it first came out people were posting screenshots and the games looked horrible.  I'll see if I can find one.

Edit:

But apparently it's been fixed.

[beo]

yeah, they're saying support for backwards compatibility is going to be minimal. it's a great, big, fucking shit in the face for european consumers who actually have to pay more (an absolute shitload more) for an inferior product. if a game comes out that i want, and the system is at an attainable price, i might buy it, but i'd much rather buy a load of sony gear, break it, and return it under warranty, as an incredibly minor fuck you to the way they conduct business. i guess that's where apathy wins out, because i won't actually do shit and neither will the millions of other potential consumers who hate their business practices... nevermind.

[idolminds]

Next Sony will release a version without controller ports.

[gpw11]

i guess that's where apathy wins out, because i won't actually do shit and neither will the millions of other potential consumers who hate their business practices... nevermind.

Except possibly not buy any of their products.  That's the thing, Sony has had bad buisness practices for years, but no one really cared until very recently.  Why?  Sony's PR is about 5 years behind the rest of us.  There is a portion of PS3 backlash right now that can be attributed to just negative public opinion of Sony, and they have done dick all to fix that.  The system itself still seems a bit like a clusterfuck, and there's not much they can do about that now, but they need to do some damage control and get people to stop viewing them as an evil empire.

[MysterD]

For those X360 owners who do own the HD, how is the emulation on that for the original XB games???

[beo]

the emulation is great, d. in fact, original xbox games are upscaled to look even better. it's the way it should be done, and i wouldn't give congratulations for that, it really should be the standard - and for sony to present such a fucking half assed effort, and then to claim it as a full blown feature of the console is asinine at the very least.

[Jedi]

the emulation is great, d. in fact, original xbox games are upscaled to look even better. it's the way it should be done, and i wouldn't give congratulations for that, it really should be the standard - and for sony to present such a fucking half assed effort, and then to claim it as a full blown feature of the console is asinine at the very least.

Halo 2 looks pretty dam good given its age!

[gpw11]

Microsoft took a lot of flack at launch because they didn't emulate 100% (or even close to it) of Xbox games.  The thing is that it is a lot more understandable.  MS fucked up when they got into the console buisness and made the mistake of using technology they didn't own (and made some mistakes in the contracts).  As a result the only option to include hardware emulation in the 360 would be to pay out the ass in licencing fees to do so (not to mention the increased cost of actually including the hardware).  Nevertheless they have a constantly updated list of games that have software emulation options available for them.  It's pretty much the best you could expect given the circumstances. 

Sony, on the other hand, doesn't really have that excuse.  The own the hardware, they have it in NA and Japanese boxes...this 'cost cutting' measure is kind of bullshit.  Sure, it keeps the price down and IF the software emulation works with a substantial portion of games it's understandable, but we don't know that and they themselves make it sound very crippled.  Don't advertise it as a main feature and maybe offer it as an option with the premium edition of the console.  We'll have to wait and see how they handle it, but I imagine it won't be well.

Say what you will about MS, but you have to admire their populist position when it comes to consoles.

[sirean_syan]

Yeah. I'm going to have to agree there. No matter what flak we (I) may have given Microsoft for their problems with backwards compatibility when the 360 was released, they really have pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the situation. Granted, Sony is shooting themselves in the foot, but MS is really looking like the good guy these days... at least on the console front.

[Cobra951]

And I laughed and laughed.

That's where I'm at right now.

I think Sony is bleeding, and they're trying to slow it down as best as they can.  My feeling is that if this unlikely trial balloon flies in Europe, it may be come the norm in the other markets in the future.  Piss off the Europeans first, then if it doesn't all implode, spread it out.

[Pugnate]

I think it all comes down to the Blu-ray. It just increases costs like crazy for something not many want. It is causing Sony major issues right now and making them do ridiculous stuff.