News Tretton: cutting PS2 BC won't cut PS3 cost

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/10/19/tretton_cutting_ps2_bc_won_t_cut_ps3_cost/1

Jack Tretton, the boss-man of SCEA, says that cutting the backwards compatibility from the new PS3 SKU wasn't done to cut the manafacturing costs, but for an entirely different reason.

 

Cutting BC makes even less sense to me now than it did a week or so ago. They've removed a feature that may have attracted/justified some people buying the PS3 and Sony has gained nothing from it. It's madness, and people wonder why sales of the PS3 are so slow.

 

Agreed.

Although I admit that I'm very tempted to buy a 60GB PS3 this weekend...

 

Makes sense, but I don't care. All I want it for is the bluray movies.

 

Madness indeed. Those strapped for cash are the ones most likely to buy the cut version, and the most likely to make use of the BC. So they can't now sell their old PS2 (to offset the cost) if they buy one of these, so if they still have their old PS2, then why do they need to buy Sony again? May as well buy a cheaper console?

Buy the way, it should be affect, not effect, in the article. Sorry to be picky, but people mixing those up really gets to me!

 

By the way, it should be by, not buy in your post. Sorry to be picky, but people mixing those up really gets to me!

 

this guy talks out of this ass, of course it was done to save cost, like moving to a 40GB drive. nipple!!!

 

Maybe it was correct and blackerthanblack was suggesting we all purchase 'The Way' a 2006 film staring Jason Behr?

 

Too many buys!

 

Totally Agree Had mine since day one and got no problem with it at all

 

TBH, emulation BC is a bit crap anyway, if it's not hardware, don't bother at all, so us Europeans haven't really lost out on anything. Cutting the BC wouldn't cut the cost much (although I doubt it would not make any change at all since there is now no PS2 hardware in there at all I believe, whereas with the software BC in the EU models there is still a bit of the PS2 hardware in there), Jack's reason for cutting BC is pretty bad though, I can see why they did it, but it's not very consumer friendly. As Joe said, if you want to sell more games, get more exclusives that are actually good.

 

hmmm i think this is one of the tings Sony should not have let out the bag. It basically say's "well we are not going to let you play old format games because you horible lot arnt buying enough new ones!"

 

and yes I have spotted grammar and spelling mistakes, before the grammar police arrest me.

 

I bought a 60Gb ps3 when I heard they were cutting hardware BC for it, managed to pick it up on ebay for pretty cheap actually. I can say that I don't regret it, ps2/ps1 games look far better on my TV when using a ps3 instead of the ps2/ps1.

 

There is an article over on PS3fanboy (and probably Kotaku) with Jack Tretton point out the cost of a 40GB PS3 + PS2 is cheaper than the cost of the Original 60GB PS3 with full BC. If you count the temp pricecut to get rid of the left over 60GB stock then his point is moot. Even now with the 80GB dropping to $500 a PS2 added in pushes it back up to over $500.

Either way, I believe Sony is moving to push more PS2 sales combined with the PS3. Assuming PS2's drop to $99 soon you can theoretically get a 40GB PS3 + PS2 for the same price of the "gimped" (as everyone calls it) 80GB PS3 and better BC with mostly the same features (no card reader and lacking 2 USB). If the Price doesn't drop you pay roughly $50 more than the cost of the 80Gb PS3, factor in the required peripheral to move PS2 saves to the PS3 and you are really paying about $35 more. All this is using the U.S. dollar though. Not sure how well this translates for the EU and Canada.

 

At Gamestation UK - 40GB PS3 is £299.99 and a PS2 is £94.99

XE.net works that out as ..... 394.98 GBP = 808.475 USD for us UK people.

 

People who think that are wrong with their interpretation of what the "software" emulation really is...even the "software" BC on the PS3 still uses built-in PS2 hardware. The PS2 had it's own CPU and GPU. Original PS3's had hardware versions of both. When BC went "software" they only removed one piece of the hardware for software simulation...I believe the PS2 graphics chip was still built in to every PS3.

With the new model, both pieces of PS2 hardware have been removed. Whether this guy admits it or not, hardware costs money. It would also cost Sony a ton of money (and it might not be possible) to develop an effective software-emulator for the hardware that has now been removed.

 

I don't believe that PS2 games hamper the sales of new PS3 games and tbh I don't believe that BC didn't affect the pricedrop because it still takes additional hardware to emulate it....Tretton should've just kept his mouth shut....it's because of comments like this that the PS3 is where it is today.....

 

That was my first thought when I read:

 

Do you even own a PS3, my vast PS2 library works fine on my UK 60GB!