Will games like GT4 run as well on a PS3 without the Emotion Engine, if at all?  We can only hope...

Will games like GT4 run as well on a PS3 without the Emotion Engine, if at all? We can only hope...

Sony's Phil Harrison has said that he expects over 1,000 PlayStation 2 titles to work on the European PlayStation 3 through software emulation.

When Harrison was questioned about which of the ~1,500 PS2 titles would work on PS2, he said that he couldn't give information on individual titles, but the aim would be to cover all of the big PS2 titles.

This whole debacle has come about because of Sony's announcement detailing the hardware specifications for the European PS3. One thing missing from the list of specifications was the Emotion Engine, which is currently used to 'emulate' PS2 games (it's the PS2 graphics chip, so it's hardly a complete emulation).

This was done in a bid to cut costs. What the company forgot though, is the fact that European customers have to pay a £125 price premium for a product with fewer features. To rub more salt into the wound, Harrison now claims that the Emotion Engine inside US and Japanese PlayStation 3s is a 'custom component'.

Having over 1,000 PS2 games supposedly working on PS3 without the Emotion Engine is great, but when the company used PS3's "awesome backwards compatibility" as a piece of PR against Microsoft's Xbox 360, you can't help but feel a little cheated when you're only going to get around two thirds of the promised backwards compatibility. The other thing that he hasn't detailed is whether or not this so-called 'custom component' is going to be removed from the US and Japanese units.

When is Sony going to stop pissing all over its European customers? Place your bets in the forums.
Quote DougEdey 2nd March 2007, 11:34
Number. Out. Of. Arse.
Quote _DTM2000_ 2nd March 2007, 12:02
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
Number. Out. Of. Arse.

Just what I was thinking, marketing BS. Why do Sony think it's ok to blatantly rip off customers with their sub-standard over priced george foreman grill lookalike plastic box. I never thought a company could make a product that I so strongly didn't want to buy. This is supposed to be a must have uber fantastic bit of technology that I dream of owning but I'd rather buy unnecessary dental surgery.
Quote riggs 2nd March 2007, 12:26
I thought that the 'Emotion Engine' was the main PS2 CPU, with the 'Graphics Synthesizer' handling all graphics (Emotion Engine !? It's just a CPU damnit!)?

1,000 titles?! Yeah, maybe by 2010...
Quote mmorgue 2nd March 2007, 12:42
Quote:
When is Sony going to stop pissing all over its European customers?

Never - why would they?? There's no laws to say they can't charge more, there's no govt body (that I'm aware of) to stand up and defend our rights to fair pricing. It's always *assumed* that because we're the UK (and Europe), we always have to pay more.

Sony, M$, car manufacturers... anyone and everyone will charge more here than elsewhere because they know they can get away with it. <shrug>
Quote Solidus 2nd March 2007, 13:54
everyday i pray the sony ps3 fails. We as european customers-need it to fail. Atleast it will encourage them to better their piece of crap products and try and improve things to compete.
I hope Sony fall flat on their face, nintendo wii for mii! hell il even buy an x-box now.
Quote Bladestorm 2nd March 2007, 13:58
Wasn't it the same Phil who had Kotaku blackballed* for going live with a rumour** from a reliable source what yesterday ?

* = Sony wanted there debug PS3 back and were "de-inviting" them from all future sony events.
** = That Sony are working on a copy of nintendo's mii's etc called "PS3 Home".
Quote Swafeman 2nd March 2007, 14:20
Seems quite a large number, seing as it has the same problem as the 360, yet the 360 has a lot less compatibility, and I can't see Sony making it their number 1 priority until they release PS3s with no EE in USA and Jap

Also seems like a nice round number, I imagine they thought compatibility has to be less than 98%, but more than half of the 2500 titles to make people interested still, I reckon they just made it up
Quote David_Fitzy 2nd March 2007, 15:48
How many feet does sony have to shoot itself in?
Quote Omnituens 2nd March 2007, 16:08
none - just the crotch.
Quote randosome 2nd March 2007, 18:11
Quote:
When is Sony going to stop pissing all over its European customers? Place your bets in the forums.
Lol Tim you have a wicked sense of humour :p
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riggs
I thought that the 'Emotion Engine' was the main PS2 CPU, with the 'Graphics Synthesizer' handling all graphics (Emotion Engine !? It's just a CPU damnit!)?
I believe that's true, and the PS3's graphics chip still renders PS2 stuff

or they put both the chips in the PS3 (id put my money on this option)
Quote YorkieBen 2nd March 2007, 18:36
afaik the PS3 uses the combined EE+GS chips as used in later models of the slimline PS2
Quote EQC 2nd March 2007, 19:15
Man...all the US-based sites on which I've read this story have put a very positive spin on it. Reading this post, and the comments, really points out to me how much the EU gets screwed over.

I feel sorry for you guys...as long as you feel sorry for me having to live under G.W. Bush ...
Quote kergareth 2nd March 2007, 19:52
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmorgue
Never - why would they?? There's no laws to say they can't charge more, there's no govt body (that I'm aware of) to stand up and defend our rights to fair pricing. It's always *assumed* that because we're the UK (and Europe), we always have to pay more.

Sony, M$, car manufacturers... anyone and everyone will charge more here than elsewhere because they know they can get away with it. <shrug>

Regarding the cars... I don't know if you realize how much higher the build quality of European vehicles actually are. I would take a european built (or at the very least -engineered) vehicle over any of the shite we shodilly produce here
Quote Fly 3rd March 2007, 09:58
Hahaha. Sony must employ the same damage limitation PR people as Jade "I'm in touch with indian culture if it saves my career" Goody.

Sony have turned what could have been a spectacularly successful machine into a shameful demonstration of corporate greed.
Quote specofdust 3rd March 2007, 11:31
Don't buy sony guys. They screw us - don't get pissed off about it and then go out and buy stuff from them the next day, make them suffer.
Quote ralph.pickering 4th March 2007, 11:42
Quote:
Originally Posted by kergareth
Regarding the cars... I don't know if you realize how much higher the build quality of European vehicles actually are. I would take a european built (or at the very least -engineered) vehicle over any of the shite we shodilly produce here

That may be true, but it's twisting the knife a bit when you can buy a German made Mercedes from the US for less (including trans-atlantic shipping) than you can buy the same car shipped from Germany to the UK. I suppose volume discounts and all that come into play, but still.
Quote Major 4th March 2007, 13:39
To be honest, Hardware pricing for the US is a lot cheaper than the UK. The PS3 isnt really that bad,
Quote Swafeman 4th March 2007, 13:48
Quote:
Originally Posted by YorkieBen
afaik the PS3 uses the combined EE+GS chips as used in later models of the slimline PS2

Thats exactly the point it does..

..Just not in europe
Quote devdevil85 5th March 2007, 15:49
You guys are just a bunch of babies... I mean seriously... If 1000+ games including the major titles isn't enough... I mean seriously... maybe like 10% of all PS3 owners are going to really care if all of their PS2 games will play on their brand-spanking new PS3. 360 did fine w/o it anyway. I do agree on the price being too high, but my answer to that is this: with time, the price will drop, and if you don't want to pay that much for the PS3 now, then don't pay for it until it fits your budget in the future. It's that simple! Remember, Sony is a business and is in it to make profit, so priorities are priorities, just like Microsoft not including Emulation at all on the 360, let alone a built-in HD-DVD Drive. Speaking of that, how much do you think the 360's debut cost would've been with Emulation, a built-in HD-DVD drive, and a 60GB HD vs. a 20GB? My opinion is: Easily the same debut price as the PS3 or pretty darn close.
Quote specofdust 5th March 2007, 17:21
All of what you say doesn't change the fact that Europeans are paying considerably more for a product that only plays 2/3 last-gen games where others are paying much less and getting a product that plays 3/3 last-gen titles.
Quote Flibblebot 5th March 2007, 18:15
OK, notwithstanding the fact that people aren't really fussed about the number of titles supported, it's the fact that in Europe, we're being forced to pay a premium price for what is effectively now a lower specced machine than you can buy for less in the US or Japan. Sony is a business, and yes, it is there to make profit, but there is no profit-related argument for the price premium and lack of hardware emulation other than Sony's arrogance and greed.

And as for the 360, it does emulation, albeit in software, but Microsoft never said anything about hardware emulation. A bigger hard drive doesn't cost that much money, especially when you can buy a 200Gb hard drive at retail for less than £50. LIkewise, replacing the DVD drive with an HD DVD drive wouldn't considerably increase the cost of the machine.

Bottom line, Sony is acting arrogantly towards European consumers, and we don't like it. Does that make us babies?
Quote randosome 5th March 2007, 18:41
i was about to say you cant buy a 200gb drive let alone at £50 but then remembered your talking about 3.5" drives
Although, does the 360 takes 3.5" drives or 2.5" drives ?

And yes, getting a worse performing machine for more money is just ridiculous, Sony thinks its European customers are idiots, and treats them like such - and i think i speak for most people - WE DONT LIKE IT

Just because we are in Europe doesn't mean were all idiots and know nothing about Computers, whatever Sony might think
Why not just import a PS3 from the states right now, pay less and get better functionality ?
Sony saying imports damage [insert ******** here] is just a way for them to stop imports and then screw us
Quote devdevil85 5th March 2007, 20:24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flibblebot
we're being forced to pay a premium price for what is effectively now a lower specced machine than you can buy for less in the US or Japan. Sony is a business, and yes, it is there to make profit, but there is no profit-related argument for the price premium and lack of hardware emulation other than Sony's arrogance and greed.

And as for the 360, it does emulation, albeit in software, but Microsoft never said anything about hardware emulation. A bigger hard drive doesn't cost that much money, especially when you can buy a 200Gb hard drive at retail for less than £50. LIkewise, replacing the DVD drive with an HD DVD drive wouldn't considerably increase the cost of the machine.

Bottom line, Sony is acting arrogantly towards European consumers, and we don't like it. Does that make us babies?


I know Microsoft never said anything about emulation. I was just speculating about how much it would have increased the price of the 360 on it's debut. Also, a 20GB add-on HD for the 360 is $99 on Newegg, and an HD-DVD add-on is $199. Not so cheap now is it? And yes you guys are all babies for crying about how much it costs and how it's lower specced than the US and Japan. How is it any slower when you take out the Hardware-based emulator and replace it with a software? It still has the Cell processor right? and it can still run native 1080p right? And who knows, maybe it will be able upscale regular DVD's in the near future... Secondly, how high are the tariffs there in Europe and the UK? Are they playing into the price or is it just "pure greed" like you are saying? And just like I said before, if you want Sony to burn, then just don't buy their stuff. Simple as that because they sure aren't feeling obliged to losing money on their new console just to make you happy. I still agree the price is too high, so just let the people with the money buy them and then once the price drops to your level, buy it.
Quote randosome 5th March 2007, 20:48
Quote:
Originally Posted by devdevil85
Also, a 20GB add-on HD for the 360 is $99 on Newegg, and an HD-DVD add-on is $199. Not so cheap now is it?
And ? its still cheaper then the PS3
Quote:
And yes you guys are all babies for crying about how much it costs and how it's lower specced than the US and Japan. How is it any slower when you take out the Hardware-based emulator and replace it with a software?
were not complaining its slower then the PS2 at PS2 games, were complaining they are going to release the console, without the emulation ready, knowing full well that only 2/3 of the games out there are going to work, when the US/Japan get 3/3 for less money
Quote:
It still has the Cell processor right? and it can still run native 1080p right? And who knows, maybe it will be able upscale regular DVD's in the near future...
Whoopty doo, get an up scaling High def player and you pay less then the PS3 for the same functionality
Quote whisperwolf 5th March 2007, 22:27
Quote:
Originally Posted by devdevil85
Secondly, how high are the tariffs there in Europe and the UK? Are they playing into the price or is it just "pure greed" like you are saying?
If by tariff you mean our VAT it’s 17.5%.
Current amazon.co.jp price for 60Gb PS3 59,980 yen
Rough conversion to GBP = £270, 17.5% = £47.25 total price is approx £317
Current amazon.co.uk price £424.99
Quote devdevil85 5th March 2007, 22:46
Quote:
Originally Posted by randosome
And ? its still cheaper then the PS3


were not complaining its slower then the PS2 at PS2 games, were complaining they are going to release the console, without the emulation ready, knowing full well that only 2/3 of the games out there are going to work, when the US/Japan get 3/3 for less money


Whoopty doo, get an up scaling High def player and you pay less then the PS3 for the same functionality

omg you're just as ignorant as the other guy. I never said that I thought it was slower than the PS2. He said and I quote "we're being forced to pay a premium price for what is effectively now a lower specced machine than you can buy for less in the US or Japan". I understand the reason for calling it lower specced due to the emulation now being software-based, but to call it "effectively lower specced" is a little too far. That's why I was asking those questions to reinforce that there is, when it all comes down to it, nothing really lacking in the PS3 that actually matters; atleast not to the 90% of all future PS3 owners unlike yourself. And for the upscaling... Aren't you happy that they are adding the feature? I mean now you're just talking it down even more which makes absolutely no sense, unless you've just hated it from the get-go. I can tell you, from having seen the PS3 and played it, it is worth the money to the people that actually care and not to the people who don't want to spend the money. So why don't you keep playing your PS2, because there are still new games coming out as we speak and wait until the PS3 drops into your budget.
Quote randosome 6th March 2007, 00:32
Quote:
Originally Posted by devdevil85
omg you're just as ignorant as the other guy. I never said that I thought it was slower than the PS2. He said and I quote "we're being forced to pay a premium price for what is effectively now a lower specced machine than you can buy for less in the US or Japan". I understand the reason for calling it lower specced due to the emulation now being software-based, but to call it "effectively lower specced" is a little too far.
well in a way it is lower specced
US PS3 plays 100% of available PS2 games
UK PS3 plays 67% of available PS2 games
OK so it may not make a big difference to people who are just buying the PS3 for it being a PS3, but many people do like to move their collections over
With the 360 it wasn't that big a deal, i mean how many games were there available at the time for the xbox, now the PS3 has a backlog of PS2 and PS1 games, probably coming up for many thousands of games
At that rate, if only 2/3 games play, that leaves (assuming there are only 3k games) 1k games that wont play, and someone is bound to bump into that, and wouldn't you be pissed if your very expensive PS3 wont actually fulfil its backwards compatibility promise
Or that you could have gone to the US and pays less and it would have worked ?

Anyway this discussion is quite fruitless, the PS3 is what it is, and Costs what it costs, and for most people the combination is just downright wrong
Quote devdevil85 6th March 2007, 01:33
The backwards compatibility thing is something to consider when buying the PS3, but when I hear people making a mountain out of a molehill on the issue I think it's a little absurd, especially when they start calling it crap and that they will never buy one because of it, or that Sony should burn to the ground. This is the reason for my writing these statements. It's not to say that it's not a big deal or that it's not something to consider; it is something to consider, but don't make such a big freaking deal about it either. That's all I'm saying. Most people, such as myself, still have their old PS1 or PS2, so I don't see how B.C. is such an issue. And don't tell me you're going to use the money you get from selling your PS1 or PS2 to help buy your PS3, which brings up the main issue of needing the B.C. for every game in the book. You'd maybe get $15 tops for your PS1 (if you're lucky), let alone $40 for a PS2. You're better off keeping it and giving it to your kids or for another room in the house.
Quote DougEdey 6th March 2007, 07:25
Another reason that we are pissed off with Sony devdevil, is that they said that we should be priviliged to even get the console to come to Europe. Sony have acted like arrogant cocks throughout the PS3s launch and promotion which is insulting.

Also sony will be saving $27~ on each console due to having no hardware emulation, so why aren't those saving being passed on to us.
Quote Flibblebot 6th March 2007, 11:05
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
Also sony will be saving $27~ on each console due to having no hardware emulation, so why aren't those saving being passed on to us.
And that, devdevil, is exactly my point. The whole problem is not with emulation or backwards compatibility per se, it's all about the fact that we are getting less console, yet are still expected to pay a price premium for that console.

We're already paying more than the rest of the world (and the difference, as discussed in other threads, cannot be justified with taxes and import duties), and now Sony have the gall to tell us that we'll be having a cut-down version of the console, even though we're paying more.

Oh, and I don't take kindly to being called ignorant. Care to tell me the difference between "lower specced" and "effectively lower specced"?
Quote devdevil85 6th March 2007, 18:04
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flibblebot
Oh, and I don't take kindly to being called ignorant. Care to tell me the difference between "lower specced" and "effectively lower specced"?

"Effectively" can mean whatever you want it to when you put it in context. I took it the wrong way, of course, so I'm sorry. Secondly, there has to be a reason why the PS3's more expensive there. I don't know what the reason is, maybe it's taxes/tariffs/whatever, but either way, people who have the money will pay for it upfront, just like people did here in the US for $800-2000. I, myself, am waiting until it hits the $400 range, and more titles hit the shelves. Now if I were you, I would wait until it's been out for a good few months, and then if it's still in the "omg" price range then start getting mad. I think the price will drop with time, just like the PS2 did. Lastly, Sony needs to stay afloat or the next Xbox720 or whatever you wanna call it sure as hell won't be as good as we will come to expect.
Quote randosome 6th March 2007, 19:13
Quote:
Originally Posted by devdevil85
Secondly, there has to be a reason why the PS3's more expensive there. I don't know what the reason is, maybe it's taxes/tariffs/whatever, but either way, people who have the money will pay for it upfront, just like people did here in the US for $800-2000. I, myself, am waiting until it hits the $400 range, and more titles hit the shelves.
Maybe its because Sony will charge whatever they think will get them the most money (IE the max the market will bear) and for some reason they think that us euro's like paying more, let alone getting reduced functionality for it
We get it later, we pay more and we get less, Sony are really just not getting the point, and when the rest of the Europeans catch on, i bet Sony is going to plummet
Quote Bladestorm 6th March 2007, 19:49
I believe sony were the ones who originally made a mountain out of backwards compatibility also, when they made statements something like "Some companies dont consider backwards compatability important, we here at sony are better than that and thats why we will make it a major focus of our superior console" (anyone got the link handy ?)
Quote devdevil85 6th March 2007, 20:13
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladestorm
I believe sony were the ones who originally made a mountain out of backwards compatibility also, when they made statements something like "Some companies dont consider backwards compatability important, we here at sony are better than that and thats why we will make it a major focus of our superior console" (anyone got the link handy ?)

still waiting on that link....... don't speak too quickly now, and secondly there's still B.C. that should include every major game released (or atleast the ones that are actually worth playing more than once), so what are you saying about Sony not living up to the B.C. that they promised beforehand? The B.C. is still there.
Quote devdevil85 6th March 2007, 20:37
Quote:
Originally Posted by randosome
Maybe its because Sony will charge whatever they think will get them the most money (IE the max the market will bear) and for some reason they think that us euro's like paying more, let alone getting reduced functionality for it
We get it later, we pay more and we get less, Sony are really just not getting the point, and when the rest of the Europeans catch on, i bet Sony is going to plummet

randosome...c'mon... Sony wouldn't be in business today if they just wanted to screw everyone on their products and make bookoos of profit. Now the PS3 may not be meant for you right now due to it's price... so big deal wait like the rest of us normal middle-class citizens who spend their money wisely, and get it when you can afford it and when it's actually worth buying.... sound good?
Quote Bladestorm 7th March 2007, 03:15
"The PS3 will feature backwards compatibility with PS and PS2 games from day one. I'm emphasizing this because, from what I hear, there are some platforms that haven't been able to completely do this. It's costly in terms of hardware, but we'd rather [invest] firmly on compatibility from the beginning, rather than to have issues later on"

^^ Was the actual comment from ken katuragi, though I cant find the original interview now because every other site under the sun seems to be using the quote in there commentry on the chip now being removed.

Anyway by there own logic they have chosen to stop investing and have issues ? :)

It all works for me though, anything that drops the price of PS2's and games increases the odds I'l actually buy a second hand one sometime ;)

Last thing while I'm rambling : If I come across as a sony hater I can only apologize, its not my intent - its just that they make me laugh with the arrogant P.R. they've managed over the last year or so that keeps coming back to bite them in the bum and I can't seem to help myself from commenting on it now and then.
Quote Gman22 7th March 2007, 13:03
Quote:
Originally Posted by devdevil85
I know Microsoft never said anything about emulation. I was just speculating about how much it would have increased the price of the 360 on it's debut. Also, a 20GB add-on HD for the 360 is $99 on Newegg, and an HD-DVD add-on is $199. Not so cheap now is it? And yes you guys are all babies for crying about how much it costs and how it's lower specced than the US and Japan. How is it any slower when you take out the Hardware-based emulator and replace it with a software? It still has the Cell processor right? and it can still run native 1080p right? And who knows, maybe it will be able upscale regular DVD's in the near future... Secondly, how high are the tariffs there in Europe and the UK? Are they playing into the price or is it just "pure greed" like you are saying? And just like I said before, if you want Sony to burn, then just don't buy their stuff. Simple as that because they sure aren't feeling obliged to losing money on their new console just to make you happy. I still agree the price is too high, so just let the people with the money buy them and then once the price drops to your level, buy it.

First, you are a stereotypical Sony fanboy. You have to resort to complaining to present you point.

The fact remains still that Sony is forcing Blue-Ray onto consumers who have absolutely no need for it. The only people who benefit are those who have a 1080p TV, and that's not many people.

And about the Hard Drive. I have an Xbox 360, and I have a bunch of game demo's (which is really all you need the HDD for), and its not even half full. Don't even say that the HDD is for media, because it's not...use streaming.
Quote devdevil85 8th March 2007, 02:26
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gman22
First, you are a stereotypical Sony fanboy. You have to resort to complaining to present you point.

The fact remains still that Sony is forcing Blue-Ray onto consumers who have absolutely no need for it. The only people who benefit are those who have a 1080p TV, and that's not many people.

And about the Hard Drive. I have an Xbox 360, and I have a bunch of game demo's (which is really all you need the HDD for), and its not even half full. Don't even say that the HDD is for media, because it's not...use streaming.

First off, I'm not a stereotypical Sony fanboy. To be completely honest with you. I've never owned a PS2, but I did own a PS1 with a mod chip. I do not own a PS3 and more than likely I will never own one since I'm getting ready to spend all of my "fun money" on a new gaming rig.

Secondly, buying a PS3 will ensure that you have a piece of hardware that will last you for a good few years, and that's even with all of the crazy things happening right now, hints HDTV. Now of course a person like yourself, with let's say a Tube TV, will not like the idea of paying for something that's not meant for you (hints the Blu-Ray), but someone like myself who owns a projector that can display 720p and 1080i will of course want to get his hands on it as soon as his pocketbook says. So like I said before in my other statement, wait for it to fall into your price range, or maybe until you upgrade to that new TV, or maybe when there's actually a selection of games, and then buy it at a price YOU feel it's worth. Again, sound good?

Oh and by the way, the HD can be used for more than just game demos; it can be used for movies, patches/firmware, music and offloading textures and other things for games (which is why Oblivion looks so much sharper than 360; if you don't believe me then go here: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6165505&om_act=convert&om_clk=mostpop. Peace.
Log in

You are not logged in, please login with your forum account below. If you don't already have an account please register to start contributing.





Stats: 0.090 seconds