It was always going to be a challenge for Sony to offer backward compatibility on the PlayStation 4. Its previous console’s CELL architecture is more complex than a Leo Tolstoy novel, meaning that replicating it on its new machine was probably never truly on the agenda. There had been some hope, however, that the company’s acquisition of Gaikai would provide a solution – but the manufacturer has suggested that's not the case.
“For a PS4 consumer, someone who has just bought a PS4, there’s been a lot of talk about no PlayStation 3 backward compatibility,” a candid John Koller told IGN. “This is not the answer to backward compatibility, but it does allow you to have the engagement with a great line-up of titles that maybe you didn’t get to experience on the PS3.” The platform holder recently added that there’ll be no rental or subscription discounts if you happen to own a specific title on a Blu-ray disc.
It’s an alternative to backward compatibility, then – but with the expectations of legacy support slightly different to what’s on offer here, it’s no surprise that Sony’s desperate to distance itself from the oft-mentioned phrase. Of course, assuming that you're still interested, the platform holder’s cloud-based service is set to enter open beta as soon as this month, ahead of a nationwide rollout in North America this summer. We hope that you weren’t expecting a quiet year.
[source uk.ign.com]
Comments 18
I expected no less. I think people who didn't own a PS3 will find it very appealing. I think those of us who did might find some appeal in games we didn't play, but mostly it will probably be in PS1/2 games, provided you didn't play too many back in the day.
Another reason to hold on the to my ps3 part perhaps
well as I never get rid of any consoles this isn't a problem for me, I have a ps3 to play ps3 games same as ps1 and ps2 games I have a ps1 and ps2 to play them on
I'm also playing my PS3 way too much to ever even consider getting rid of it. I suspect by the time I pack it away, I'll have played virtually everything I want to on the console anyway.
My PS3 isn't going anywhere. I look back at the days when I had both a PS2 and a PS3 and remember how looking for overlooked, cheap second hand PS2 classics became something of a hobby. I STILL have some titles on PS2 I never got round to playing (Killer 7 being the main one) so it might yet get broken out again. So in effect PlayStation Now is never going to be for me. Plus I don't have to worry about bandwidth issues this way.
@get2sammyb I was considering getting rid of mine but as I'm still buying games for it and there are a few new releases I'm interested in it would be stupid. My ps3 is very old, a giant clunky 40gb thing. Most likely I'll be upgrading to the rumoured new ps3 thats being upgraded to make best use of 'now'. I'll wait and see what happens but I'm not sure there will be that many future ps3 titles Ill want but can't get on ps4.
So no subscription or rental for owning a title on a Blu-Ray disc but how about a PSN title? If you own it digitally would that allow you to play via PS Now without having to rebuy a title? That would be much more feasible I would think. Or maybe at least a major discount.
I mean, if it works well enough I will definitely use it to play those games I missed in previous gens but I would also like to see my PSN titles made available without having to pay for them.
@-CraZed- It's still not really viable because it's going to cost Sony a lot of money to stream those games. Also, I'm not sure whether they've said PSN games are going to be available with this. I guess they said they were testing Journey with it so it's feasible, but, yeah...
@get2sammyb Yeah, I am not really "expecting" it to happen but it would be nice to not have to repurchase digital titles. Either way I'm excited to see whether it will work well enough to be useful.
If they're also going to say nope to streaming psn games then why would I bother. I'll stick with remote play on my vita and such.
I am a proud owner of a PlayStation SCPH-7001, PlayStation 2 SCPH-30001 and PlayStation 3 CECHK01 I would never get rid of them even if broken I would save the parts and buy another if I could not fix it my self because I must have 300 PS, PS2 and PS3 games and still get more from time to time. I have the PS boxed up but the PS2 and the PS3 hooked up to the LCD TV. I wish I had the space I would like to set up a CRT TV so I could use the light gun games I have.
@EyeDeeNO76
Respect! AND I love your PSN name. lol.
By this time devolpers know everything about the Cell. Sony should just have added more RAM to the ps3 hardware and upgrade the graphics chip a bit. Low development cost, no need to invest in new production lines, AND most of all backwards compatibility out of the box. I never understood the decision to migrade to the damn x86 architecture. The Cell blows any x86 CPU out of the water even 7 years later.
Not to mention that the developers are basically forced to through away 7 years of trying to learn to programme the Cell. All that time and money investment just thrown away. Yet Sony says developers wanted this... I don't know.
You'd only get like $20 even for a "classic" 60gb fatty like mine cause Gamestop sells em with 2 ctrlers for $220. Ebay's even less. I spent $600 on it, then $60 on a ds3, then $90 on a 1tb hdd. And years of Plus sub and so many thousand on games not coming to Now. No way, José.
@Sutorcen Sony may have looked to what they could do to the Cell microprocessor for the next new console but the typical person and the industry are moving away from a game console as you or I know it just like what is happening to PC with tablets and smart phones now in use by more and more every day. Sony went the fast track way to put out the PS4 with off the self Advanced Micro Devices components. I am Intel fan myself.
I have to admit as someone who passed on the PS3 this does intrigue me. However if I had a PS3 I more then likely wouldn't be interested in the PS3 games.
I just recently got a fat model PS2 so I will be picking up PS and PS2 games for it but for the ones that are expensive or hard to find, Playstation Now is a good alternative if it works the way they keep saying it will.
@EyeDeeNO76 The PS3 was the brain child of Ken Kutaragi. Since they distanced themselves form Kutaragi it was natural that they would distance themselves form the Cell architecture as well. Sony took the easiest path and built a PC. For the first time they did not innovate or did not push the industry forward.
@Sutorcen Why would Sony distanced themselves from the father of the PlayStation he retired as honorary chairman of SCEI and senior technology advisor. I would have loved to seen the PlayStation 4 have had a Cell Broadband Engine Architecture version 2.0. Also I have a loose connection to the chip it was manufactured just down the road from me at IBM East Fishkill N.Y. a facility I use to work at as a electrician.
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