Europe to get half-assed crippled version of the PS3

The Rev wrote:
> Chris Whitworth wrote:
>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070223/tc_nm/sony_playstation_europe_dc;_...=AjDbml
>>
>>
>> "PlayStation 3 (PS3) was first launched in Japan and North America in
>> November
>> and the model that will be introduced in Europe will be designed
>> differently.
>> Software will take over some of the functionality that was originally
>> taken
>> care of by dedicated chips, which means far fewer PlayStation 2 (PS2)
>> games can
>> be played on a European PS3 compared with the Japanese and American
>> PS3 models
>> which play 98 percent of old games."
>
> Oh Sony!
>
> US model for me, then. Whenever I get one.
>

I like the way they're making this out to be a positive move which means
they will be focusing on the PS3 games. Basically it's reducing their
costs without passing on the savings.

Stewart

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:29:47 +0000, The Rev
<the_rev_yes_really RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote:

>Chris Whitworth wrote:
>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070223/tc_nm/sony_playstation_europe_dc;_...=AjDbml
>>
>> "PlayStation 3 (PS3) was first launched in Japan and North America in November
>> and the model that will be introduced in Europe will be designed differently.
>> Software will take over some of the functionality that was originally taken
>> care of by dedicated chips, which means far fewer PlayStation 2 (PS2) games can
>> be played on a European PS3 compared with the Japanese and American PS3 models
>> which play 98 percent of old games."
>
>Oh Sony!
>
>US model for me, then. Whenever I get one.

But will the continue to make the Jap and USA versions as they do now
or switch to the crippled EU versions "soon"?

--
The Zero ST

On 2007-02-23, Great Cthulhu rose from the deep and compelled Chris Whitworth to exclaim:
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070223/tc_nm/sony_playstation_europe_dc;_...=AjDbml
>
> "PlayStation 3 (PS3) was first launched in Japan and North America in November
> and the model that will be introduced in Europe will be designed differently.
> Software will take over some of the functionality that was originally taken
> care of by dedicated chips, which means far fewer PlayStation 2 (PS2) games can
> be played on a European PS3 compared with the Japanese and American PS3 models
> which play 98 percent of old games."
>
> So, they're basically cutting manufacturing costs by dropping a big chunk
> of hardware in favour of a software emulator, and then /still/ charging Europe
> more than anywhere else in the world for a console that does less? Bravo,
> Sony. Bravo.

And yet the imbeciles will buy it in their thousands.

Choobs

--
Sir Chewbury Gubbins <chewbury.gubbins.RemoveThis@nelefa.org>
http://www.nelefa.org - Gaming and Ramblings from the Shiny part of the world

Abu the monkey was never naughty.

Chris Whitworth <usenet.chris RemoveThis @parm.net> wrote:

> So, they're basically cutting manufacturing costs by dropping a big
> chunk of hardware in favour of a software emulator, and then /still/
> charging Europe more than anywhere else in the world for a console
> that does less? Bravo, Sony. Bravo.

When the PS3's backwards compatibility was first announced, they said
they'd do it in software. AFAIK it was only after they realized they
couldn't get the emulation done in time for the Japanese lauch they
decided to put in the PS2 chipset.
Looking at it from another side, using software emulation at means that
it can be improved in the future via firmware updates (like the
Xbox360).

-a

Craig Coope wrote:.
>
> But will the continue to make the Jap and USA versions as they do now
> or switch to the crippled EU versions "soon"?

I assume that they'll cripple the new JAP and US machines, too. I was
actually factoring in being able to play old PS and PS2 games without
faffing around with memory cards into my buying decision.

So it's a US or dirt cheap JAP machine for me, I think. Shooters are
JAP, RPGs and old releases are US and everything else is UK in my PS2
games collection.

--
Xbox Live Gamertag: That Rev Chap
http://www.inverty.com

ammonton.RemoveThis@cc.full.stop.helsinki.fi wrote:
> Looking at it from another side, using software emulation at means that
> it can be improved in the future via firmware updates (like the
> Xbox360).

But the 360's Xbox emulation is an absolute joke. Even the titles they
claim work normally have horrible glitches. Halo 2 is the only thing
I've managed to play on there reasonably successfully.

Also, in that press release they state -

"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," Sony Computer
Entertainment said in a statement.

--
Xbox Live Gamertag: That Rev Chap
http://www.inverty.com

On 2007-02-23, The Rev <the_rev_yes_really.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> ammonton.RemoveThis@cc.full.stop.helsinki.fi wrote:
>> Looking at it from another side, using software emulation at means that
>> it can be improved in the future via firmware updates (like the
>> Xbox360).
>
> But the 360's Xbox emulation is an absolute joke. Even the titles they
> claim work normally have horrible glitches. Halo 2 is the only thing
> I've managed to play on there reasonably successfully.

Must be something wrong with yours, then. The games I've tried that claim to
work pretty much do - the into movie in Psychonauts was a bit jumpy, but the
game is fine.

Chris
--
Gamertag: parm * BRING BACK BLUE SKY IN GAMES *

"Back when I was young, we had to travel back in time to put the tape in so
the game would load before we died."

Chris Whitworth wrote:
> On 2007-02-23, The Rev <the_rev_yes_really.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> But the 360's Xbox emulation is an absolute joke. Even the titles they
>> claim work normally have horrible glitches. Halo 2 is the only thing
>> I've managed to play on there reasonably successfully.
>
> Must be something wrong with yours, then. The games I've tried that claim to
> work pretty much do - the into movie in Psychonauts was a bit jumpy, but the
> game is fine.

I bought Sniper Elite and Thief to play on my 360. Sniper Elite crashed
when it tried to load the game after the initial mission briefing and in
Thief light sources showed through other objects.

Not heard about the Thief thing elsewhere, not that I've looked, but it
seems everyone had the Sniper Elite problem.

--
Xbox Live Gamertag: That Rev Chap
http://www.inverty.com

"Chris Whitworth" <usenet.chris.TakeThisOut@parm.net> wrote in message
news:slrnettfqr.e5n.usenet.chris@parm.vs.topper.me.uk...
>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070223/tc_nm/sony_playstation_europe_dc;_...=AjDbml
>
> "PlayStation 3 (PS3) was first launched in Japan and North America in
November
> and the model that will be introduced in Europe will be designed
differently.
> Software will take over some of the functionality that was originally
taken
> care of by dedicated chips, which means far fewer PlayStation 2 (PS2)
games can
> be played on a European PS3 compared with the Japanese and American PS3
models
> which play 98 percent of old games."
>
> So, they're basically cutting manufacturing costs by dropping a big chunk
> of hardware in favour of a software emulator, and then /still/ charging
Europe
> more than anywhere else in the world for a console that does less? Bravo,
> Sony. Bravo.

Just unbelievable.
I wasn't particularly planning on getting a PS3 at any point in the near
future, so it doesn't overly affect me, but it really is astonishing how
determined Sony seem to be to piss away their current position in the
console market.
Seriously, if you had to come up with a list of things to piss consumers
off, and deliberately sabotage the success of a console, I doubt it would
look much different to a potted history of the PS3.
They'll sell far more than they deserve to, but even so, I think they might
just have blown it. Last to market, seriously overpriced (unless you are one
of the 0.001% of the population who's interested in a BluRay player), lack
of compelling games, lack of innovation, hampered backwards compatability -
surely even the Playstation generation will baulk at it.


Chris.

GT: SomethingWitty

"Chris Whitworth" <usenet.chris.DeleteThis@parm.net> wrote in message
news:slrnetth6l.e5n.usenet.chris@parm.vs.topper.me.uk...
> On 2007-02-23, The Rev <the_rev_yes_really.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> ammonton.DeleteThis@cc.full.stop.helsinki.fi wrote:
>>> Looking at it from another side, using software emulation at means that
>>> it can be improved in the future via firmware updates (like the
>>> Xbox360).
>>
>> But the 360's Xbox emulation is an absolute joke. Even the titles they
>> claim work normally have horrible glitches. Halo 2 is the only thing
>> I've managed to play on there reasonably successfully.
>
> Must be something wrong with yours, then. The games I've tried that claim
> to
> work pretty much do - the into movie in Psychonauts was a bit jumpy, but
> the
> game is fine.

That's pretty much my experience too. Once thing I did notice is that some
BC titles work better in either PAL50 or PAL60. XII (excellent game BTW)
only works in PAL50, it starts up then locks on a black screen in PAL60.
Brute Force (got bored quickly) works better in PAL60, movies stutter in
PAL50. So if you have problems, try changing the PAL setting.

>
> Chris
> --
> Gamertag: parm * BRING BACK BLUE SKY IN
> GAMES *
>
> "Back when I was young, we had to travel back in time to put the tape in
> so
> the game would load before we died."

"The Rev" <the_rev_yes_really.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:547ug2F1vu529U1@mid.individual.net...
> Craig Coope wrote:.
>>
>> But will the continue to make the Jap and USA versions as they do now
>> or switch to the crippled EU versions "soon"?
>
> I assume that they'll cripple the new JAP and US machines, too. I was
> actually factoring in being able to play old PS and PS2 games without
> faffing around with memory cards into my buying decision.
>
> So it's a US or dirt cheap JAP machine for me, I think. Shooters are JAP,
> RPGs and old releases are US and everything else is UK in my PS2 games
> collection.
>

I read somewhere yesterday that there were serious issues with the virtual
memory cards. Some games don't find them or don't save to them.

I doubt Sony would keep two production lines going so if you want a PS3 with
the PS2 hardware then you need to get one soon.

> --
> Xbox Live Gamertag: That Rev Chap
> http://www.inverty.com

"WCZ" <Dav123456 RemoveThis @willnotwork.com> wrote in message
news:ermhri$fkg$1@newsfeed.th.ifl.net...
>
> >>
> >> But the 360's Xbox emulation is an absolute joke. Even the titles they
> >> claim work normally have horrible glitches. Halo 2 is the only thing
> >> I've managed to play on there reasonably successfully.
> >
> > Must be something wrong with yours, then. The games I've tried that
claim
> > to
> > work pretty much do - the into movie in Psychonauts was a bit jumpy, but
> > the
> > game is fine.
>
> That's pretty much my experience too. Once thing I did notice is that
some
> BC titles work better in either PAL50 or PAL60. XII (excellent game BTW)
> only works in PAL50

Is that the prequel to XIII.


Chris.

GT: SomethingWitty

"Chris Whitworth" <usenet.chris.RemoveThis@parm.net> wrote in message
news:slrnettfqr.e5n.usenet.chris@parm.vs.topper.me.uk...
> >
> So, they're basically cutting manufacturing costs by dropping a big chunk
> of hardware in favour of a software emulator, and then /still/ charging
> Europe
> more than anywhere else in the world for a console that does less? Bravo,
> Sony. Bravo.
>

Didn't they drop the built in composite ports when bringing the PS1 to the
UK too?

If they're selling new PS2s for 80 (or even 50), I cant imagine the actual
chips required to be costing that much.

Shak