Red Faces at Sony: We've Forgotten How to Make PS2s

New PSTwo model features include 'silverosity'...and 'not-working-ness'

Posted by Staff
Red Faces at Sony: We've Forgotten How to Make PS2s
Oh dear. With the Xbox 360 set to launch in Japan this year, Sony’s answer has been the SCPH-75000. A new version of the slimline ‘PSTwo’ which has been around for about a year, this one differs in that it comes in a delectable satin finish. It’s probably no coincidence that it looks similar in colour to the published photos of the PS3.

But with production of the slinky little thing already in full swing, Sony’s Quality Assurance people have reported a small hiccup: the console has difficulty playing some titles from Sony’s sizeable back catalogue with full fidelity. People trying to play any one of 40 PSOne games will experience audio skipping, extended save times and hangs. And it gets worse, with a growing list of PS2 games also running less than perfectly. Testing is ongoing, so the number of games could increase, but so far nine games have been identified, among them Tekken 5 and Resident Evil 2!

The problem is apparently linked to a chipset change, and the revelation has cast doubt on Sony’s claims that the PS3, like the PS2 before it, will be fully backwards compatible. Microsoft’s difficulty with making the Xbox 360 fully 'BC' has been well publicised, and Sony have been doing some frantic back-pedalling now too, with spokeswoman Reiko Sakamoto admitting:

“It's hard to say the PlayStation 3 will be 100 per cent backwards compatible, but as we said earlier this year we aim to make it so as much as possible”


Quite a climb-down from the omnipotence-affirming rhetoric we heard around the time of E3.

There are no published plans as yet to bring this new model to Europe, but we’ll bring you details if any are announced, and we’ll be sure to mention whether Sony has seen fit to address the problem further than publishing a list of unplayable games.
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Comments

LUPOS 24 Oct 2005 16:44
1/3
they have reveled(sp?) in their own arogance for quite some time, im ashamed to say it but i do like watching them squirm a bit. the 360 is a succesfull refinement of the original in every way... (sept that optional HD bit!) and here sony is, unrefining their 6 year old ps2.
smoooth.
____
monkeybanjo 25 Oct 2005 07:57
2/3
Has anyone else had problems with GTA Vice City and the PStwo? I have had it crash a few times when entering indoor areas.

Or does this happen with normal ps2s as well?
OptimusP 25 Oct 2005 18:35
3/3
You gotta love karma... it will always hit you back. now karma go hit MS or EA or Nintendo's marketing department.
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