Playstation 2 and Playstation 3

Do you have hundreds of PS2 titles that you can’t play on your PS3? So do the rest of us! A new Sony patent might change all of that. This new patent shows how Sony can take the PS3 chipset and give it the ability to read like it was a PS2 chipset allowing it to play games from the older console version. Even though the PS2 can play PS games the PS3 wasn’t meant to play PS2 games.

One of the biggest downsides to consoles is that every few years there comes an upgrade and you can’t play your older games on the newer system. This is almost as annoying as PC gamers who have to upgrade their systems every six to twelve months just to play the newest games on the best settings. If Sony steps up and offers the PS3 with the ability to play older games, then PS2 owners will be able to play their favorite titles on a newer and better system.

So you’re probably wondering how all of this works. PS3’s without backwards technology are missing a chip known as the Emotion Engine. PS3 chipsets should be able to emulate (make a fake copy of) this and thus give the ability to play PS2 games. Sony has recognized this possibility by filing a patent that states they have the code and technology available to do just that.

Sony has two options to emulate this chipset. They could use interpretation which is like having someone translate French to English for you to understand. The other option they have is to decode and recompile, which is like having someone put the words they translate into a book so that you can reference them later. Both of these options are available to Sony. They have even released schematics on how they could go about doing the whole process. Always trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology, it’s no surprise that Sony is pushing so hard to release this type of technology.

Be ready to dust off all those old PS2 games you’ve had lying around for months. If everything goes well for us gamers we should be able to take full advantage of this upcoming technology. Everything rides on Sony for this one. Gamers really enjoy backwards technology since it offers us the chance to get the most bang for our buck. Only time will tell if the PS3 will come with this new system.

lisa Consoles, Playstation 3, gaming, video games compatibility, PS2, PS3, sony, video games