Gear Live Gaming News: Articles Tagged Backwards Compatibility
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PAL PS3 Backwards Compatibility Crippled
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3,
Sony is changing the hardware specifications for the Playstation 3 in Europe and other PAL territories, according to a report by Reuters. The report, confirmed by Sony, indicates that backward compatibility for PS2 and PS1 games will now be provided by a combination of hardware and software, rather than the hardware solution in the Japanese and American Playstation 3 consoles. This move may be a cost-cutting measure for Sony; software emulation would allow the company to remove the costly Playstation 2 hardware in the console used in other territories. Sony claims that PS1 compatibility will be high, but that PS2 compatibility will be limited as Sony focuses on “developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3.” One would expect high compatibility for PS1 games; Sony’s emulator for the PSP already seems to work with a large number of games tested by PSP hackers. Without full compatibility for PS2 games, though, Sony may find itself competing against its previous generation console more than expected. Given that the European territories already face the highest adjusted price for the console, this announcement can’t be good news for Sony fans abroad.
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| Reuters
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Sony Update Fixes Backward Compatibility Glitch
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3,
When Sony released the 1.50 Firmware update in Japan, most of the reaction on the Internet was muted; after all, the upgrade seemed to add support for touchless payment methods and Korean input text via keyboard. However, mentioned almost as a side note, was an update for backward compatibility for PS1 and PS2 games. However, now that the firmware update has dropped for US customers, the compatibility patch now seems to be one of the larger parts of the update. One of the biggest complaints about the Playstation 3 backward compatibility functionality has been graphical glitches in PS1 and PS2 games, particularly when using the advanced connection options of the PS3. The 1.50 update largely fixes these issues, making backward compatibility that much easier to enjoy. There are still some game-specific issues lingering, but PS3 gamers can now play a large majority of their PS2 games glitch-free. The patch gives hope that Sony is listening to the concerns of gamers and that future fixes may yet take care of the remaining issues with the console.
Read More | 1up
Gallery: Sony Update Fixes Backward Compatibility Glitch
Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility Update Now Live
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Xbox, Xbox 360,
Earlier this week, an updated list for the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility feature was briefly listed on the UK site. The new list was quickly pulled down, and no indication was given to any time frame for the new update. Now, Microsoft has officially released the backward compatibility list, and there are a number of additions. Some of the newly backward compatible games include Soul Calibur 2, Destroy All Humans!, Conker, and the game that people on the Internet campaigned for inclusion, Psychonauts.
The list of new and updated games continues after the jump.
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Read More | Xbox.com
Gallery: Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility Update Now Live
Japanese PS3 Backward Compatibility Issues Online
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3,
Sony has posted a backwards compatibility database for the Japanese Playstation 3 online, and IGN has checked for issues with some of the major titles. According to IGN, most of the titles checked report “Currently, there have been no reports of major problems during play.” Given that there are thousands of titles in the database, it is unlikely that Sony has been able to test every single game thoroughly at this point, so compatibility issues may still surface later.
Also, IGN reports that many titles in the database with issues have been fixed as of the System 1.10 update, indicating that the emulation system is software based, not based on PS2 hardware inclusions as rumored earlier. Most of the issues IGN highlighted are problems with background music or movie sound playing back incorrectly. While annoying, this wouldn’t be a major issue. However, titles like Gran Turismo 4 and Silent Hill appear to be subject to occasional freezes, and some titles lose game save data.
Some of the issues appear to be hardware based. Some of Konami’s titles have problems with the microphone, and there are issues with games that allow gamers to access previous Playstation 1 save data. Other issues seem to be related to the differing hardware support in the PS3 as well. HD-based games are also not compatible, though a future software update promises to fix these. Hopefully, Sony will place the US compatibility list online soon. While a number of titles appear to have issues, at least right now it seems like the Playstation 3 will offer greater backward compatibility support than the Xbox 360.
Read More | IGN