PS3 Backward Compatibility Is Important
Recently, Sony announced a new PS3 model sporting a 40GB hard drive at a reduced price of $399, which should be good news for gamers looking to purchase a PS3. Along with other cost cutting measures, they’ve had to remove all PS2 Backward compatibility to the unit. Will this hurt Sony? I think it will.
Quoting analysts at GameDaily.com:
It’s not an ideal solution, but something had to be done. “It’s about cost reduction, but also getting people to focus on PS3 games. End of the day, they need to do something, and this was probably a compromise between costs and price cuts,” UBS analyst Ben Schachter said.
I can understand the sentiment, but it’s going to be a cold winter this Christmas for Sony. Here’s why:
- Compared to the XBox 360, there are few must buy titles for the PS3. If you are going to buy a single HDTV gaming console, the selection of good games for the XBox 360 is pretty compelling.
- Unlike the original XBox, there are a ton of games on the PS2 that are still well worth playing and having that backward compatibility was a good reason for users who don’t have a PS2 to purchase a PS3 instead. God of War 2, Final Fantasy 12, Okami, and Persona 3 are all great games that I have on my list to play sometime this winter.
- Over time, digital distribution is going to be a key profit maker for game console manufacturers and the ability to download and play PS2 games on your PS3 would be a great addition to Sony’s online initiative. With no backward compatibility, that market doesn’t exist.
- Why on earth are they not calling this product something different? How confused is the marketplace going to be with some models having backwards compatibility and some don’t all with the same product name.
I do agree that price is the most important consideration for getting someone to purchase a PS3, but at $399, it’s a hard sell over an XBox 360 with it’s larger library of games.