Europeans get a weaker software emulation of Playstation 2 and Playstation 1 titles compared to the hardware emulation that Japanese and American Playstation 3 owners enjoyed. It was not known – until now – how good, or shall I say bad, the software emulation worked and how many games could be played at all. Sony wants to cut down on manufacturing costs and Europeans are the first to witness the ill effects. The Playstation 3 costs more and plays less, would not call that a bargain but the crazy Brits will surely buy the PS3 nevertheless.
Back to the compatibility issues. As I said Sony published a Playstation 3 compatibility list rating games with 1 to 3 squares with 3 squares meaning that the game will most likely play fine and 1 square meaning it has noticable issues. I did a quick check on the first four letters in the alphabet and came up with 284 working games, 46 games with minor issues and 93 games with noticable issues.
That means about 30% of the games in question have issues and will not play correctly in a European Playstation 3. To make things worse some of the most important PS2 titles are not working currently. This includes Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII. Gran Tourismo 3 and 4 Prologue have minor problems and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas major ones.
I could go on and post more games that are not working correctly but I guess you figured it out by yourself by now. Software emulation is not a perfect solution. It might become one in the long run, Sony promised to update the emulator to increase compatibility.
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter.Related Articles:
PCSX 2 Playstation 2 EmulatorEurope gets delayed and crippled PS3 for more money
Playstation 3 in the news
Windows 7 Application Compatibility List
Playstation 3 Launch Titles
Martin,
i dont know where youre from but ease up on the crazy British.
Proof we are not all ‘crazy’ is the simple fact that days before the release you can still GUARANTEE a pre-order at many places – HMV, Virgin; and many online e-tailers. At such ridiculous prices, you wont see the vast number of people queued outside the stores like there was with the wii…
Chris
Isn’t Great Britain also called Playstationland ?
If you haven’t heard about this already, you should check out the joystiq article http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/23/microsoft-secret-agents-resort-to-subterfuge-at-ps3-euro-launche/
I think it’s pretty funny what microsoft did, like driving boats by that said “XBOX 360 HEARTS YOU”
If I were you I’d have a look at this far more comprehensive list with integrated user rating as well:
http://www.ps3comp.com