Tendo City

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/09/80gb-p...atibility/

So it seems Europe has a gimped PS3 that lacks the emotion engine, meaning it has trouble with PS2 games without emulation. Now they are rolling that lack of emotion out into other regions.

This really seems like a bad move, certainly for the consumer. I imagine that eventually the 60GB model will get downgraded as well, as I can't imagine the justification for spending an extra $100 to LOSE a feature.

If any of you were considering getting a PS3 and actually perhaps getting to put your PS2 away, now's the time. Otherwise, get a used one somewhere by searching system model numbers.

At any rate, this really seems like a good way to fracture the software development team working on the firmware updates. At least, it'll really screw things up on that end. Now they have to design firmware for two different models, and they still need to fix some issues with BC on the systems that actually support the software natively. How many people are they going to have to hire, for programming, testing, designing the new model, and so on, just to drop the cost of the PS3 production by a bit? I wonder if this move saves them more money than they lose... Certainly it's not good as far as features go to ditch something like that, considering how good a move BC was in the PS2 at the start. Further, consoles just don't ditch features, not without a price to pay in the consumer's minds. In the end, your bottom line depends on whether or not the consumers actually want what you are making.

Nintendo's GBA Micro, for example, isn't exactly the hottest selling item, in spite of it's teeny tiny size going for it, namely because Nintendo ditched the BC with GB and GBC games as part of getting it that small (and it was also more expensive for less capability). At least with the 360, it was lacking that ability from the start, they weren't losing anything. When I go into stores, the micro isn't even on the shelves any more, but the GBASP is still selling like crazy. Good move on Nintendo's part sticking a micro quality screen on remodelled SPs at least. Best of everything right in there.

Oh anyway, as you might expect the compatibility list isn't the greatest. In fact it has trouble with different versions of the same game according to the european compatibility list I checked out. I don't want to have to read a serial number off a game disk to make sure I have just the right release, I just want to play a game Sony.

In fact with this move, they just gave Nintendo another major selling point. Nintendo's console now has the greatest BC of all the current systems, playing every single Gamecube game I have flawlessly and supporting every accessory with one exception. The compatibility on the Wii even adds back in the removed component cable support on GCN games just fine (for those who are able to use it anyway). Mind you I got my GCN early enough that I didn't miss out on the port, not that I ever really used it, but it was there.

Really Nintendo could advertise total perfection in BC (it's very close to it as it is, unless someone has some game that isn't working with it I don't know of) with very few modifications. I mean it doesn't support the Gameboy Player, but that's something no Gamecube game actually used. It was just for Gameboy games to be played on the TV, and they will likely eventually release some new one that also does DS games (using the Wii Remote as a stylus) in the future anyway. The other thing it doesn't support is the broadband adapter. That can actually be fixed with software. They just need to use the wifi connection (or if you bought one of those LAN adaptors, that) as a substitute for it, just more or less telling the game that that's the LAN adaptor and setting up the connection accordingly. A simple firmware update, and I can once again do linkup in Double Dash, and everything else should work fine too. That's a LOT closer to perfection than either MS or Sony will have.

Further, since they ponied up with the Gamecube memory card ports, unlike the 360 I can actually move my saves over. That's a big issue right there. I still play games that work fine (and in some cases in higher resolution) on the 360 on the original instead because of the save file issue. MS COULD release an update for both systems setting a network option for transferring save files over LAN from one system to the other. No hardware creation, just software, but so far MS seems reluctant to do that.

I will say this. Nintendo could copy one thing the other two do that would make the Wii BETTER than the Gamecube for playing Gamecube games. Namely, allow "virtual" memory cards to be created in system memory (in this case the 512 MB flash drive, or an SD card, or maybe an external HD if Nintendo gets moving to support that), where GCN saves can be stored. Then I wouldn't even need my memory cards any more. (On a side note, this is just a minor annoyance but also would be a minor fix, if I play a GCN game, I don't like having to pick up the Wii remote just to start up the GCN game, where I'll be putting the remote away and picking up a GCN controller. I'd like to be able to navigate the Wii menu with the GCN controller. Not exclusively of course, just as another option. And, since I know the Wii should have more than enough memory to handle the extra workload of the task, it would be nice if I could use the "Home" button in GCN games to quit back to the menu just like with the 360 and original Xbox games. The GCN controller lacks a home button of course, it's just another option, and for that matter being able to map the classic controller to a Gamecube controller port in the system (using a quick intuitive interface of course, which if nothing else, videos of the PS3 interface indicate it can do rather well, it also maps virtual memory cards pretty easily and intuitively).

Anyway, as you can see my list of improvements are just additions (except for the one actual bit of compatibility with LAN) to already great BC on the Wii. Compare this to what need be done with the other two (PS3 now) where the call is "get this game to WORK", and Nintendo has a clear advantage Sony should never have allowed.

haha, "downdate"

Like a bird, or a lot of things really, height is everything. Up is good. Down is bad! The high ground is everything! Isn't that right, OB1? :D

Dark Jaguar Wrote:http://kotaku.com/gaming/say-what%3F/60g...278039.php

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow.

Wow...just wow.

Sony doesn't want to win this generation confirmed.

Wow indeed. Terminating the first $500 model and then the second one? I already said that they were idiots for "reducing" the price to the same price it was at before, just with a bit more for your money (the number on the box is still the same, you fools...), but if that's true... um, no number of great (exclusive) games is going to save the PS3. And it doesn't have all that many of those left...

Sony sure does deserve it, but it's still amazing to see how they still haven't figured out why they are doing so badly and what they could do to fix it when everyone else has. :)