Well, the Wii and DS ARE good examples of breaking away from the old model, but they're bad examples in a discussion of backwards compatibility, as they both run their prior system's games to near perfection. The Wii even has Gamecube controller ports built in.
That's a good point. I guess a more fitting example would be the NES and the SNES. Can you play GameCube games on the Wii with the Wii's standard hardware?
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Sony should have one plan in this case and stick to it. It's like Sony is doing everything possible this generation to mess up and make people not want their system, with lack of software and underwhelming previously hyped releases
It is a bad situation, because it looks as though (and I guess it's true) that Sony is purposefully withholding this ability, even though it wouldn't cost them anything. It looks as though they're holding out to force people to buy the PS3 software, and the buyer surely can't see any ADVANTAGE to not having the option.
What Sony should've done is not offer the compatibility at all. Sure, it'd make for a rough launch, but I don't see how it could've been any rougher than it was anyway. Eventually all that matters is the quality of the lineup, either in terms of raw quantity or a few "killer app" type exclusives.
I again point at the SNES. Would anybody have bought that system if it weren't for awesome games like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and so on? Did anybody care that they couldn't play the NES Metroid or Super Mario on their SNES? Heck no, because the "super" versions kicked their butt. Nintendo has always been very smart about offering "killer" games right away. At the very least, you know you'll have 3-5 gams for their systems that are extremely playable and highly polished. It took them long enough to get it, but the 360 finally does have its Halo 3. What does Sony have?
What seems to have sold the PS2 is the raw number of titles. You got a powerful machine and a huge library for a decent price. People upgraded from the PS1 to the PS2 for the graphics. I don't see anything for the PS3 that'd make me want to rush out and buy one. I'm still not overly impressed with "next gen" graphics--they're nowhere NEARLY as impressive as moving from NES to SNES was, or from the C-64 to the Amiga.
Well, the Wii and DS ARE good examples of breaking away from the old model, but they're bad examples in a discussion of backwards compatibility, as they both run their prior system's games to near perfection. The Wii even has Gamecube controller ports built in.
That's a good point. I guess a more fitting example would be the NES and the SNES. Can you play GameCube games on the Wii with the Wii's standard hardware?
Sony should have one plan in this case and stick to it. It's like Sony is doing everything possible this generation to mess up and make people not want their system, with lack of software and underwhelming previously hyped releases
It is a bad situation, because it looks as though (and I guess it's true) that Sony is purposefully withholding this ability, even though it wouldn't cost them anything. It looks as though they're holding out to force people to buy the PS3 software, and the buyer surely can't see any ADVANTAGE to not having the option.
What Sony should've done is not offer the compatibility at all. Sure, it'd make for a rough launch, but I don't see how it could've been any rougher than it was anyway. Eventually all that matters is the quality of the lineup, either in terms of raw quantity or a few "killer app" type exclusives.
I again point at the SNES. Would anybody have bought that system if it weren't for awesome games like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and so on? Did anybody care that they couldn't play the NES Metroid or Super Mario on their SNES? Heck no, because the "super" versions kicked their butt. Nintendo has always been very smart about offering "killer" games right away. At the very least, you know you'll have 3-5 gams for their systems that are extremely playable and highly polished. It took them long enough to get it, but the 360 finally does have its Halo 3. What does Sony have?
What seems to have sold the PS2 is the raw number of titles. You got a powerful machine and a huge library for a decent price. People upgraded from the PS1 to the PS2 for the graphics. I don't see anything for the PS3 that'd make me want to rush out and buy one. I'm still not overly impressed with "next gen" graphics--they're nowhere NEARLY as impressive as moving from NES to SNES was, or from the C-64 to the Amiga.
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com