PS3: Not Backwardly Compatible in Europe!

Sony has just quietly released the news that the PS 3 being sold in Europe will not be backwardly compatible with the PS 2:

There hasn't been any great news concerning the upcoming launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe for as long as I can remember, and this one is no different. As if the late launch and high price point weren't bad enough, Sony's latest press release brings even more bad news! Today, while announcing the PS3's hardware specification for Europe, they subtly hinted that the PlayStation 3 will only be compatible with a "limited range" of PlayStation 2 titles:

"The European PS3 will feature the Cell Broadband Engine, 60 GB hard disc drive, Blu-ray Disc player, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, SIXAXIS wireless controller. It also embodies a new combination of hardware and software emulation which will enable PS3 to be compatible with a broad range of original PlayStation (PS) titles and a limited range of PlayStation 2 (PS2) titles."

   Just how limited are we talking about? Well, a Sony spokesperson was already quoted by Reuters as saying that "the backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as in the US and Japanese models", so prepare for the worst. SCE Europe president, David Reeves basically says so himself, as well, in the communique:

"Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology."

   As a "brilliant" measure to cut production costs, it appears that Sony is removing the Emotion Engine (PS2) chip from the European units. So, instead of using hardware emulation for running PS2 games, the European PS3 will use software emulation - hence the lower compatibility rate (PCSX2 comes to mind...).

Be careful out there when you spend your money folks. All those old games you've got might not run.

IPCC Report

As we all know the IPCC report has now been published:

In the first of a series of four reports to be published this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has fingered humans as the culprits in global warming, with a probability of more than 90 per cent.

Climate Change 2007: the Physical Science Basis warns that by the end of this century we can expect sea levels to rise by between 28cm and 43cm, that increased temperatures (between 1.4°C and 4°C globally) would lead to more frequent and powerful tropical storms.

Co-author Kevin Trenberth, director of climate analysis for the National Centre for Atmospheric Research said the warming of the planet "is not something you can just stop", and that in 100 years time the planet will have a very different climate.

Actually, as the more intelligent commentators have pointed out, this isn't the report at all. It's the policymaker's summary. The real report is still three months away.

 

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