PS2 emulator may mean you can play your existing games on the PS3
A feature that is missing on the current iteration of the PS3 on the market is the lack in full PS2 backwards compatibility. The old launch models, which are not sold anymore, are the only PS3s that can play PS2 games. However, according to some leaked meeting notes between SEGA and SCEA, it seems Sony is planning on bringing backwards compatibility back along with a special import section in the PSN store.
Gamezine stumbled upon a gold mine when the site came upon confidential meeting notes on the SEGA’s FTP. The meeting notes contain a great deal of surprising information but the most exciting news revolves around the return of the PS2 backwards compatibility.
Everyone knew that the PS2 backwards compatibility would make its way back to the PS3. However, it seems like Sony has revealed this to SEGA during a meeting between the two companies. In the meeting notes it clearly states “PS2 emulator for the PS3 (confidential).â€
It looks like Sony will be releasing the PS2 emulator via firmware update sometime in the near future. Back in June I wrote a story about a super backwards emulator Sony developed that actually emulates the emotion chip down to the set of library codes.
However, it is uncertain if the backwards compatibility will only work with PS2 games sold over PSN or any physical disc. It is not unusual for companies to sell legacy games over the service, Sony has been selling PSOne games over PSN and Microsoft has been selling original Xbox games over XBL. Although, all physical PSOne and a some physical Xbox games will work on the consoles as well.
The fact that Sony refers to the ability to play PS2 games as “emulator†may hint that this update would allow gamers to play existing PS2 titles gamers may already own as well. The notes do reveal that Sony is looking at releasing some PS2 titles on the PSN such as Gran Theft Auto Vice City, Sonic and Yakuza.
There was also a mention of a special import section for the PSN. Apparently, Sony wants to sell games only released in Japan with subtitle localization. Personally, I think this is a cool idea as there are so many great PSOne and PS2 titles that never hit the US. Policenauts is one game I would like to see officially subtitled and released on the PSN store. It will be interesting to see if Sony announces anything from the notes during the Tokyo game show.
Related Posts:
72 Responses to “PS2 emulator may mean you can play your existing games on the PS3”
Leave a Reply:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!
September 23rd, 2009
Well according to the document which i got downloaded. Is PS2 Classics for the PSN store only as far as we know. And emulation for Sega’s Dreamcast games think.
SCEA Meeting Aug 5th Notes
Aug 6 2009 – DRAFT FOR COMMENTS
Objectives of Meeting
Dyer agreed to regular quarterly meetings with SOA
Sony PS3
SCEA reiterated plans to sell 13 million PS3s this year
Big announcement back half of year they can’t talk about (potentially price cut of PS3 to reach hardware goals)
SCEA commented on indexing between PS3 and 360 SKUs, should be around 2:1 to garner most favorable treatment.
Motion Controller
Spring 2010 launch (March in JP)
No bundle/pricing details yet, should come Sept 1
Plan on selling 4-5MM units WW
SCEA agreed to provide a list of Sega IP that would work well with the motion controller, Virtua Tennis was an example
Motion Controller support allows easy way to differentiate PS3 SKU
Other differentiation opportunities include PSP/PS3 interoperability – think of features that would make users want to buy both PS3 and PSP SKUs.
Alpha Protocol
Michael Foster, product evaluator, said AP felt barely RPG. Initial level too challenging for players. “Mass Effect felt more RPG.â€
Review notes sent to John Merlino a few weeks prior. After meeting Gerald mentioned AP is a high priority for his team.
Planet 51
Sell in of PS3 SKU – SCEA noted that other movie titles on PS3 had underperformed as well (inc. Transformers) this cycle.
Dyer suggests contacting Susan at Walmart and asking what she wants in the pack to sell this SKU (movie tix etc)
Other possibilities are Hybrid movie disc (BD 25 or 50 with Game and Movie on same disc).
Bayonetta
Collectors edition with Bayonetta Action Figure
Novo recommended launching PSN demo around Xmas based off a Jan 5th Ship date with 2-3 week run out to launch.
3-4 weeks is usually ideal demo timing with fresh content every week leading up to launch (trailers, insider video about PG heritage, video blogs).
Vancouver 2010
HOME, Olympic destination would garner a lot of positive attention from SCEA
Should be doing same with Bayonetta, Marvel etc. Easy to launch in all territories.
HOME merchandizing opportunities (clothes etc).
Sonic Racing
Open to DLC to differentiate PS3 SKU – not ratchet and clank but other characters
o maybe characters from Rare or Fable universes
Yakuza
Could put Japanese games directly on PSN for download in a special Japanese Import section (pricing $9.99 to $39.99 for full game).
Might need to localize menus at least with subtitles.
SCEA interested in helping on MKTG side if they can have period of exclusivity.
AVP
Another great HOME candidate
AVP avatars
Hybrid BD disc with movie
Iron Man 2
Great candidate for HOME space – explore Tony Stark’s lab etc.
Should have one for Marvel in general.
PSU2
Could do bundle at GameStop with PSP 30-35K units on UMD, Go, or both.
Valkyria 1937
Could bundle with PSP as well.
Vanquish and Aliens: CM
Opportunity for PS3/PSP interoperability (see Eidos Batman, Army of Two, Assassin’s Creed for good examples).
If we offer that SCEA would be really interested in having us at their booth next E3.
Thor
SCEA would like a look at the code soon.
Sonic Anniversary
Could put out collectors edition with all old sonic games on one BD disc.
“Best of Sonic†for around $99.
SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania’s flip it over/backwards)
PS2 emulator for PS3 (confidential)
SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc)
For co Marketing money show PS3 controller on TV ads – similar to EA Madden Spots, NCAA, etc…
London Olympics
Perfect opportunity for Motion Controller integration.
DC Digital Titles
If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they’re interested in having exclusively.
If we give them a long period of exclusivity they’ll give us more marketing support.
PSP Titles
For SKU differentiation it’s best to offer features that are slightly different from PS3 version.
Titles that are coming up on PSP are Assassin’s Creed II, GTA China Wars, Resident Evil, Little Big Planet – all massive franchises.
SCEA has a specific PSP deck which they can send up with their hardware director for a chat.
September 23rd, 2009
really Ivan?????
September 23rd, 2009
“Everyone knew that the PS2 backwards compatibility would make its way back to the PS3.”
Really? I guess I wasn’t in on the news. It will be great when they make all PS2 discs readable and playable on PS3 via a firmware update. Although if they start selling PS2 titles via PSN without the capability to play PS2 discs, there may be more than a few upset gamers who were fans of the PS2, myself included.
September 23rd, 2009
@Ivan,
*comment deleted
Come on now… don’t post the whole thing in the comments. I put a link in the story that leads to it anyway.
September 23rd, 2009
So often the poor red headed stepchild software BC model is left out of the discussion (it was also 65nm
).
September 23rd, 2009
I think what was mentioned was done so, so they can resell their stuff.
If they do that though there should be changes to the games to justify a reason to double dip (like GOW collection). maybe trophies and a bump in the native resolution (no cheesy upscaling)
September 23rd, 2009
Jofa is right,
software BC will come eventually as previous model were able to play PS2 via software BC. it is not like Sony is just going to forget about it
Dreamcast game on the PSN will be great, hope they’ll bring Genesis games too
September 23rd, 2009
I wonder IF BC is only brought back for PSN games, and not compatible with PS2 discs – how much does the used game market factor into the decision?
For example, GameStop doesn’t sell used Xbox games anymore, but they still have a huge selection of used PS2 games. If Sony decided to release BC for discs, they wouldn’t see a dime of the sales. If BC is brought back for PSN titles only, then they would be able to cash in a lot more.
Again.. there are a lot of “ifs” there.
September 23rd, 2009
I hate the used market. I much rather wait until the game is cheaper in retail.
You can easily tell what games will take the quicker price plunge. I’m waiting on NGS2 for that very reason.
I also mentioned it one time before, but keep an eye out of really good deals from Best Buy etc in the next couple of months on new games.
These placed like to have a one day sale so that they can effectively give less for returns to people that lack a receipt or gift receipt. Yes I’ve been screwed on this before after not getting a gift receipt from someone, and I already owned the game.
September 23rd, 2009
Off topic: I think GT PSP got slammed by most reviewers due to it’s name. The PS2 is a lot more powerful then the PSP, therefore the portable version can’t live up to it’s PS2 counter parts. Sure it’s GT, but it’s supposed to be a paired down portable version of the game. I think a lot the reviewers lost sight of that.
September 23rd, 2009
Isn’t Best Buy getting into the used game market also?
I’ve bought my last few new games through Amazon. Their prices on new games are always cheaper then GameStop.
September 23rd, 2009
I agree with Barnabe,
I’m a huge racing fan and right now there is nothing on the PSP that is GT-caliber. so even with its low score GT is the best racing game on the PSP.
same goes to Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max on the PSP, it is the Best Fighting game on the PSP but its average review is a solid 80 (just like GT PSP which is averaging a 79) because it was compare to many console fighting games, NOT FAIR
September 23rd, 2009
to prove my point
FF Dissidia metacritic score is 80, same as SF Alpha 3 Max.
I can honestly say that Alpha 3 is 10 times better than Dissidia
September 23rd, 2009
Soul Calibur also looks like an amazing fighting game for the PS3, but got only ok reviews.
The new Assassins creed looks amazing though.
September 23rd, 2009
A little out of topic but:
Does anyone know anything about Harry Sachz, he is from Australia, isn´t he? I am asking because of the whole giant dust storm thing over there. Is he ok?
September 23rd, 2009
he is homeless now
September 23rd, 2009
Yeah, I read about that this morning. I think he usually stops by later in the day, due to the time difference.
September 23rd, 2009
Spideydog is from australia too
September 23rd, 2009
and Rhino too
September 23rd, 2009
Thanks Barnabe.
Oh, didn´t know that. I related Harry to Australia because of the conversation about videogame banning a few days ago.
I hope Spideydog and Rhino are not having any problem either. Although I read about some blackouts at some places.
September 23rd, 2009
Heard anything about M$ trying to buy out EA??
September 23rd, 2009
Off topic was interesting watching the dust storm come over. I’m in Brisbane and we didn’t have it anywhere near as bad as Sydney, but still left a nice layer of dust over my car and on my clothes hanging outside.
On topic, IMO BC was always going to come back, it was just a matter of how it was to come back.
Frankly I’m very meh about it. I still have my original PS2 (not the slim) so if I want to play some of my old games I just fire that up.
As of right now, it sits in the spare room where my sons toys are and he plays Wall-e and Bee movie games on it.
My PS3 is copping a beating with BM:AA (LOVING IT!!!) so why would I care if BC gets put back into my PS3.
September 23rd, 2009
Akaro are you talking about L4D2…cause I’m pissed about that.
Just so you guys know, the classification system here is governed by the states attorney generals. To have the classification system overhauled There must be a unanimous decision (in other words all of the AG’s must agree).
Unfortunately the AG for South Australia will not relent. He is the only one preventing Australia moving into the 21st century and allowing an 18+ game rating.
Frankly this pisses me of to no end. I’m 39 years old; I have played all sorts of games from Mario, through Donkey Kong, Doom, and Fallout. Hell I even played Manhunt and at no time have I had the inclination to go out and emulate what I saw in those games.
As a parent it is my responsibility to monitor what my son plays. He plays Bee Movie & Wall-e on the PS3, I let him drive in GTA: Prologue, and he plays flash games from web sites that I am happy with. I don’t even play BM:AA when he is awake cause I don;t think it’s appropriate for a 5 year old. I have internet filtering on the PC he uses to try and ensure nothing nasty pops up, and I monitor how much time he plays these things.
So for some idiot to dictate to me what I can and can’t play pisses me off to no end.
Thanks for the rant, sorry for getting off topic.
September 23rd, 2009
@ Akaro,
Yep I’m from Aus, Sydney. The dust storm was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like that before. I am a little pissed off because I only had my car washed a few days ago and now it’s covered in red dust, but it happens.
Rhino, I am with you there, as are the other 22 million other aussies. That douchebag from South Australia needs to swallow some pride and jump ship.
September 23rd, 2009
@ mike,
Thanks for the demo code. I played through the game last night, I had a ball. Not very often do I find myself laughing at a video game.
September 23rd, 2009
“As a parent it is my responsibility to monitor what my son plays. He plays Bee Movie & Wall-e on the PS3, I let him drive in GTA: Prologue”
GTA huh??? lol
September 23rd, 2009
LOL Roca sorry mate, what I meant was GT: Prologue, and the Wall-e and Bee movies games he plays on the PS2.
September 23rd, 2009
WKC2 has just been announced
its going to be called
“White Knight Chronicles: The Awaken of the Light & Darkness”
September 23rd, 2009
lol we dont even got WCK1 yet! which pisses me off
September 23rd, 2009
the 8 new Elements for the PSN service
“Listening, Playing, Share, Discovery, Watching, Creating, Communicating, and Learning.”
September 23rd, 2009
more from TGS…………
“Users would have to play six hours a day and it would take 25 years to play all 1.2 million levels created for Little Big Planet.”
September 23rd, 2009
Harry and Rhino,
The funny thing about the L4D2 issue is, even buddhists claim they have value nowadays:
wired.com/gamelife/2009/09/buddhist-spiritual-leader-plays-videogames-as-emotional-therapy/
“The aggression that comes out in the videogame satiates whatever desire I might have to express that feeling,†he said. “For me, that’s very skillful because when I do that I don’t have to go and hit anyone over the head.â€
September 23rd, 2009
New PSP game from CAPCOM
***Last Ranker***
Capcom Assembles Super Team For PSP Role-Playing Game.
The game’s scenario is being penned by Kazushige Nojima co-wrote Final Fantasy VII and scribed Final Fantasy X. Famed game composer Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter II, Parasite Eve and the upcoming Final Fantasy Versus XIII). Devil May Cry 4 character designer Tatsuya Yoshikawa will be handling the title’s character designs.
The title is being produced by Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney producer Kazuya Niinou.
September 24th, 2009
I still hear parasite eve soundtrack once in a while in my hear with just the right trigger. I played the SHIT out of that game, took 5 play throughs to get my armor and weapon strong enough to clear the chrysler building and get the real ending.
Damn, those were the days.
September 24th, 2009
I for one want BC on Disc because I can get the DVDs cheaper then they would charge on PSN. I had a PS2 for a very short time. I fried it installing a mod chip.
I did like Sly cooper and Hotshot golf. Other then that I’m not sure what other game I would play. But if I can get games for $2-$5 I would buy them. There is no way PSN will be $2-$5.
September 24th, 2009
there is no way you will find God of War, Okami, Ico, etc for $2-$5
September 24th, 2009
I regularly get offered over 100 for my copy of ICO from one of my friends. I told him i need it for my retirement fund.
September 24th, 2009
Ico its going for over $90 on Amazon. I kind of want to play and have it my collection. I dont usually buy used but $100 for a new copy is way too mucho! I will wait for the Team Ico collection in HD with Trophies
September 24th, 2009
Rhino and Harry: Glad to read you are doing fine. The storm looked impressive and that was just watching the TV, being there must have be even more.
About the banning: I think that some politics try to establish themselves as “moral authorities” by tackling apparent “threats to society” in order to get publicity and advance their own agendas. The sad thing is that kind of A**holes are better known than more sensible politics. Example: even in México, gamers knew about Jack Thompson!
Carlb: Great article! What would the dude from South Australia or any other Jack Thompsons wannabe say about that?
September 24th, 2009
bad news from TGS. Sony announces nothing. ouch…
wired.com/gamelife/2009/09/kaz-hirai/
September 24th, 2009
What kind of ghetto location was TGS held in.
Where are the chairs?!?! Or do the Japanese like to crouch?
September 24th, 2009
they announced 250GB FFXIII bundle, GT5 release date, The Wand release date and the game that will support it like R.E. 5, Flower, Pain etc. They announced GoW3 Demo will be included in GoW collection. They announced WKC2 and WKC1 US online features and more
ouch… you failed!
September 24th, 2009
roca – tell it wired news…they’re the ones who wrote the article…
it’s funny you you refuse to admit Kaz lied about Gt5′s launch date… lmao…
September 24th, 2009
roca – so they basically stated dates and no new information. hence; no announcements.
announcements cover new information at e3 and tgs… you must be new to gaming…. lol
September 24th, 2009
he never lied you idiot, there was never an official GT5 release date…you must be new to gaming lol
September 24th, 2009
“Polyphony Digital also confirmed some of the previous leaked info for the game, such as being able to export game videos from the game, directly onto YouTube and the PSP.”
how is that for “new information” kev
September 24th, 2009
I don’t know what ICO is but you can walk into any pawn shop and buy old PS2 games for $5 or less.
I will buy the update GOW when it comes out because I always wanted to play those titles.
September 25th, 2009
I missed ICO also. The more I see of The Last Guardian, the more I think I need to play it.
I still haven’t beat SotC either.
Speaking of which…. any one play the Lost Planet 2 demo for PS3 yet? There are 2 or 3 sections added onto the PS3 demo. It isn’t much, but it helps give a better idea of how the levels will actually play out.
If you guys download it and want to meet up for some co-op let me know.
September 25th, 2009
Bad news from Gamer.Blorge: Kev chats shit… shock
September 25th, 2009
@kev
“it’s funny you you refuse to admit Kaz lied about Gt5’s launch date… lmao…”
I’m sorry, kev, but when was GT5 launch date and when did Kaz lie about it?
I was under the impression that everyone assumed that GT5 was coming out in Japan after the bundles and dates were announced and one of them was GT5 and listed in December.
Technically… that really shouldn’t fall in the realm of being lied to. It was unconfirmed and brought on by a listing for the bundle that turned out to be false.
It’s almost like telling us we’ve been lied to about a game since Amazon has a placeholder date for it.
GT5 coming out this year was really wishful thinking as hardly no media has come out for it. If it is ready I have to imagine that they don’t want to release two high profile games so close to each other in Japan.
September 25th, 2009
I can just picture kev, peeling himself off his bathroom floor, kicking an empty whiskey bottle out of the way on his path to the computer. I am probably wrong, but I’ve known people with meth psychosis that have a firmer grasp on reality.
Thus, why we need to stop responding to him. No one can be that stupid. He’s just a lonely troll looking for kicks. Sad, sad, lonely troll.
September 25th, 2009
@Jofa,
For a while in the other topic I started to think kev was Andrew DS’in us all.
I felt like saying….”Kudos to you kev”….haha.. the “joke is on me”.. “you figured out a way to make me say the same thing five times”….haha
September 25th, 2009
h**p://www.co-optimus.com/article/2672/Halo_3_ODST_Tops_Killzone_2s_Lifetime_Sales___In_24_Hours.html
SUCK IT!!!!!!!!
September 25th, 2009
same link again…..get a life dude.
we all knew it was going to outsell the living hell out of every game out right now.
September 25th, 2009
Who cares?
I’m glad all those titanic fans don’t run around saying ‘MI MOOOVIEZ SOLD TEH BETTER THAN YORRRRZ!’
*hugs TDK*
September 26th, 2009
phranc – kaz stated at e3 that gt5 would be here for the holiday, 09…. it really sucks you guys can’t keep up with this lies…
oh…btw; here’s a story from a guy who’s played both gt5 and forza 3… not good for gt5…
destructoid.com/tgs-09-forza-motorsport-3-vs-gran-turismo-5-149770.phtml
go ahead, defend kaz..he’s lied in the past too. remember his promise that gt4 would be online at luanch? didn’t happen…. hey, he’s in sony’s pocket, so really its no suprise he’d lie, too….sony does it all the time…
i can’t wait to read your rebuttal to the gt fan who played both at tgs and chose forza the better game….ouch….lmao…
September 26th, 2009
roca – “Polyphony Digital also confirmed some of the previous leaked info for the game, such as being able to export game videos from the game, directly onto YouTube and the PSP.â€
hardly what i’d call an announcement. more like simple features of a game…. wow….
oh well, you GT fans need something to hype since Forza 3 has been crowned to be the better of the two by those who’ve played both… (ie; not you.)
that’s gotta hurt….lmao…
September 26th, 2009
In ‘my’ opinion the while the article does give the crown to Forza it seems to indicate a couple of times that GT has the more ‘realistic’ experience in certain areas with the exception of the lack of dmg modeling and weird object physics (the tire stack incident).
Like I said in the other thread, I’m not getting either of these games. IF IF IF I had to I would get Forza over GT5 based on the demo(VS GT5P). Mainly because as the article states, the game is more forgiving and I suck balls at racing games that are not arcadey (or have nice settings such as auto braking etc)…
“you GT fans need something to hype since Forza 3 has been crowned to be the better of the two by those who’ve played both… (ie; not you.)”
^^^ Yes one persons opinions make the game better/worse!!!
We all know that’s ONLY true when the opinion belongs to YOU Kev…
September 26th, 2009
I was thinking the same thing Roca. Apparently he has nothing better to do but copy and paste the same thing on three different threads.
September 27th, 2009
GT5P is NOT representative of the final build that will be released. It was a taster, and it has been stated since its release that the final version will have improved graphics, improved physics, and a vastly superior and indepth online experience over GT5p. I mean, how could anyone honestly compare what the Xbots call a 40 dollar demo from TWO FUCKING YEARS before its release, to a brand new Demo for Forza3, which launches very soon?
If you are gonna still refer to GT5p as a 2 year old demo, then you can’t possibly compare it with forza 3, unless you just want to be a douchebag troll about it.
Oh wait…
September 28th, 2009
“IF I had to I would get Forza over GT5 based on the demo(VS GT5P). Mainly because as the article states, the game is more forgiving and I suck balls at racing games that are not arcadey ”
Forza 3 arcadey indeed.
….if you guys didnt knwo, Destructoid only write articles that go against the real truth ( Ex. Prototype better than Infamous) to attrac more ppl
September 28th, 2009
Yeah, Destructoid is Fanboy crack.
September 29th, 2009
jofa – keep dreaming fanboy.. the 2d trees that are in GT5 aren’t suddenly going to be 3d when it launches.
“GT5P is NOT representative of the final build that will be released.” – actually it’s exactly like it’s going to look at launch…. even kaz said he could release it right now if he wanted to…
destructoid was pretty desriptive in GT5′s graphics, but that doesn’t matter to you fanboys… hilarious..
destructoid.com/tgs-09-forza-motorsport-3-vs-gran-turismo-5-149770.phtml
SW – “weird object physics “…that is why GT is lacking compared to Forza. in a simluator, physics are paramount. More important than name recognition, more important than car count, more important than graphics, etc, etc….
how about stfu…? you don’t seem to mind when the sony fanboys hype stuff that hasn’t launched yet….
keep the hype alive fanboys…i can’t wait to read your pathetic excuses when this joke releases in march…unless kaz lied to you again and doens’t make it in March….lmao…
i don’t think the demo played at the tgs was gt5p…. it would be dumb to release a demo of a game that was launched almost a year ago…..
ROCA – ” you guys didnt knwo, Destructoid only write articles that go against the real truth”..
truth? you sony fanboys wouldn’t know “truth” if it bit you…. lol…
thanks for your weak excuse. i needed a laugh today….
September 29th, 2009
i’m wondering why you guys claim GT5 looks “better” than Forza 3 because it has 400k polys per car….
yet deny Forza 3 looks better when it uses more polys per car than GT5…
gtplanet.net/ferrari-458-italia-in-gran-turismo-5-forza-3/
*sigh* fanboys…lmao…
September 29th, 2009
how is 9,000 more than 400k..
September 29th, 2009
roca – go away…you’re confusing the numbers…lmao…
yes… forza 3 only uses 9,000 polys when Forza 2 used 200k…gawd…lol….
September 29th, 2009
does that means Forza 3 is better than GT5 because its a 2-disc game? the more the better huh? makes sense. (tap on the back…go on kev)
September 29th, 2009
roca – when you start confusing polys for parameters, it’s time to opt out.
interesting comment about the disk…
while you guys keep hyping the car count…lmao..
October 1st, 2009
when you start cofusing disc for disk, its time to opt put!
October 1st, 2009
roca – that was weak, dude…lmao…
October 1st, 2009
sure!
February 22nd, 2011
Roca 400k is 400,000 polys for GT5 cars, @ it is 1 50gb blueray disk. Forza 3 is 1 8.5gb (DL)DVD. Just give up and get out of your mums basement.