all those "remastered" titles rendered useless for upgraders..

[Tron Bonne]

It may have very well been on the Vita, I could be mistaken. I think X-2 was a download code in it as opposed to on-disc (or cart, rather), so it might have been.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I don't find PS Now unreasonable. I really should try it at some point.

My only issue is that a lot of the games I enjoyed on the PS2 for example will probably never be added. But local emulation for PS2 is a pipe dream.

I recall the rumors stating that Sony is working on local emulation for PS1/PS2 games for the PS4. The reason being was that they don't see allowing to play those games as any serious competition (and brings good PR) along with PlayStation Now focusing on PS3 games so the servers don't get bogged down by a large amount of PS1/PS2 games.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I wonder if those rumors stem from an actual source or more rumors in the vein of "some hopeful guy said this on an internet forum and a bunch of other hopeful guys on the internet spread it", because I feel like I've been hearing about that forever, but it's never been something said from an official source.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

I've never heard of that before, that's pretty dope if it is true

 

[Thundercrack85]

There was talk of that a while back. One allegedly credible source suggested Sony might consider it. They were apparently trying to emulate PS2 games on the PS4, just so you could buy them presumably. Some of the results were mixed, according to the same source (an industry insider).

I see local emulation as unlikely personally, since obviously they want to maximize profit from PS Now.

I have heard nothing about that since 2014 though, so I think it's safe to assume it's dead. Though Sony having the PS4 emulate PS2 games that you can buy from the store might still happen.

Surprised they haven't done more with that really. But maybe they want to milk these rereleases some more.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I see local emulation as unlikely personally, since obviously they want to maximize profit from PS Now.

Last generation has proven that local emulation is no threat to maximizing profits. The PlayStation 3 offered local emulation of PlayStation 2 titles and it did nothing to hurt the sales of remasters and digital downloads. The people who want to play their PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games physically are really a niche market. They are the type of gamers who will either pay top dollar for physical copies of games like Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts or want games that publishers just don't care about anymore and aren't worth the effort to remaster, re-publish digitally, or obtain the rights to stream.

Most people on the other hand want their products in the cheapest way possible and aren't willing to shell $65.00 or more for a copy of Final Fantasy VII when they can get a digital copy for $10.00 on the PlayStation 3 or $16.00 on the PlayStation 4. Many games from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era have rights issues due to expired licenses, publishers going defunct, or whatnot. Local emulation gives players a chance to play games that are never going to be available through other outlets.

Also, to maximize profits why bother making deals with publishers for games that most people don't care for? And why load the PlayStation Now servers with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games when the PlayStation 4 can easily emulate them? Local emulation is a good cost control measure. And it gives the PlayStation 4 excellent PR over something so simple and expands the PlayStation 4 library to include almost 20 years worth of games.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Last generation has proven that local emulation is no threat to maximizing profits. The PlayStation 3 offered local emulation of PlayStation 2 titles and it did nothing to hurt the sales of remasters and digital downloads. The people who want to play their PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games physically are really a niche market. They are the type of gamers who will either pay top dollar for physical copies of games like Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts or want games that publishers just don't care about anymore and aren't worth the effort to remaster, re-publish digitally, or obtain the rights to stream.

Most people on the other hand want their products in the cheapest way possible and aren't willing to shell $65.00 or more for a copy of Final Fantasy VII when they can get a digital copy for $10.00 on the PlayStation 3 or $16.00 on the PlayStation 4. Many games from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era have rights issues due to expired licenses, publishers going defunct, or whatnot. Local emulation gives players a chance to play games that are never going to be available through other outlets.

Also, to maximize profits why bother making deals with publishers for games that most people don't care for? And why load the PlayStation Now servers with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games when the PlayStation 4 can easily emulate them? Local emulation is a good cost control measure. And it gives the PlayStation 4 excellent PR over something so simple and expands the PlayStation 4 library to include almost 20 years worth of games.

Uh, a very small amount of PS3s did. PS2 local emulation was cut very early on in the PS3 lifespan. I really don't think that's a good way to make an analogy here.

And besides, the industry has changed a lot since then. Remasters weren't nearly the kind of business they have become this generation.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Last generation has proven that local emulation is no threat to maximizing profits. The PlayStation 3 offered local emulation of PlayStation 2 titles and it did nothing to hurt the sales of remasters and digital downloads. The people who want to play their PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games physically are really a niche market. They are the type of gamers who will either pay top dollar for physical copies of games like Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts or want games that publishers just don't care about anymore and aren't worth the effort to remaster, re-publish digitally, or obtain the rights to stream.

Most people on the other hand want their products in the cheapest way possible and aren't willing to shell $65.00 or more for a copy of Final Fantasy VII when they can get a digital copy for $10.00 on the PlayStation 3 or $16.00 on the PlayStation 4. Many games from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era have rights issues due to expired licenses, publishers going defunct, or whatnot. Local emulation gives players a chance to play games that are never going to be available through other outlets.

Also, to maximize profits why bother making deals with publishers for games that most people don't care for? And why load the PlayStation Now servers with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games when the PlayStation 4 can easily emulate them? Local emulation is a good cost control measure. And it gives the PlayStation 4 excellent PR over something so simple and expands the PlayStation 4 library to include almost 20 years worth of games.

That's all well and good, but they still need to make an emulator for the PS4. That's work I just don't see them doing. Like you said, it's a niche. The amount of people who really want to see local emulation amount to... me and maybe five other people on the internet.

If it's not going to make money, they're not going to bother.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Uh, a very small amount of PS3s did. PS2 local emulation was cut very early on in the PS3 lifespan. I really don't think that's a good way to make an analogy here.

And besides, the industry has changed a lot since then. Remasters were nearly the kind of business they have become this generation.

there's not really a way to tell how many of the 87 million Ps3s sold were the fat ones though. They stopped distribution in 2008 with a 40GB model bundled with spiderman3, but all Ps3s have PC with Ps1 games.

 

[Tron Bonne]

there's not really a way to tell how many of the 87 million Ps3s sold were the fat ones though. They stopped distribution in 2008 with a 40GB model bundled with spiderman3, but all Ps3s have PC with Ps1 games.

Obviously, but that really doesn't discount what I said. Common sense is all you need, though, to know that not many of those 87 million are gen 1 phats.

And PS1 BC is 100% irrelevant to what's being said.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Obviously, but that really doesn't discount what I said. Common sense is all you need, though, to know that not many of those 87 million are gen 1 phats.

And PS1 BC is 100% irrelevant to what's being said.

eh, it's not totally irrelevant, as we are talking about how much BC effects sales of remasters. But yeah. After the mgs4 bundle, all Ps2 BC ceased, I think it was later in 2008 when the 40GB model launched, or it could've been the same time. So that's 2 years of fully BC Ps3s, and 5 years of no BC Ps3s. And it's especially 2009 and onwards that the Ps3 was selling well, with the slim.

 

[Tron Bonne]

eh, it's not totally irrelevant, as we are talking about how much BC effects sales of remasters. But yeah. After the mgs4 bundle, all Ps2 BC ceased, I think it was later in 2008 when the 40GB model launched, or it could've been the same time. So that's 2 years of fully BC Ps3s, and 5 years of no BC Ps3s. And it's especially 2009 and onwards that the Ps3 was selling well, with the slim.

It's 100% irrelevant, because PS1 remasters were never a thing, so they don't factor into this discussion at all. If we want to go broader and say digital sales, too, sure, but as far as remasters, it really has nothing to do with anything.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

It's 100% irrelevant, because PS1 remasters were never a thing, so they don't factor into this discussion at all. If we want to go broader and say digital sales, too, sure, but as far as remasters, it really has nothing to do with anything.

isnt resident evil hd the remaster of a Ps1 game?

 

[Tron Bonne]

No, Resident Evil HD is a HD remaster of the Gamecube game that was a complete up and down remake of the PS1 game.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Uh, a very small amount of PS3s did. PS2 local emulation was cut very early on in the PS3 lifespan. I really don't think that's a good way to make an analogy here.

And besides, the industry has changed a lot since then. Remasters weren't nearly the kind of business they have become this generation.

While the PS3 eventually lost support for physical PS2 games, it still allowed emulation for digital PS2 games that just weren't worth remastering. And keep in mind that with the emulation technology at the time of the PS3 wasn't up to par with what is around today. What the PS3 struggled with emulation, the PS4 can do easily.

 

[hippie_hunter]

That's all well and good, but they still need to make an emulator for the PS4. That's work I just don't see them doing. Like you said, it's a niche. The amount of people who really want to see local emulation amount to... me and maybe five other people on the internet.

If it's not going to make money, they're not going to bother.

Because it's cheap and easy enough for some good PR and makes PlayStation Now easier to manage. People aren't going to care for PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games on PlayStation Now if they can easily play them on their systems. Also when the Xbox One eventually gets Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, Sony is probably going to want to counter that with something.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I don't see Microsoft making the Xbone backwards compatible either though.

With the advent of cloud gaming, and being able to sell these games online, I think local emulation is a thing of the past.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Yeah, Microsoft has never cared about backwards compatibility really. They had that pitiful attempt on the 360, yeah, but I think that was more because BC was sort of a standard thing at the time. But they gave up on it pretty quickly. Not sure where 360 BC for the One is coming from. They've not even mentioned it as far as I'm aware.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Phil Spencer has me out stating that Microsoft is working on some kind of solution to being able to access Xbox 360 content on the Xbox One. While he wouldn't confirm whether it's adding backwards compatibility (which would be easier for Microsoft than Sony) streaming, Microsoft is listening. The new Xbox team under Spencer is a whole new beast as opposed to the one that Don Mattrick ran.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Phil Spencer has me out stating that Microsoft is working on some kind of solution to being able to access Xbox 360 content on the Xbox One. While he wouldn't confirm whether it's adding backwards compatibility (which would be easier for Microsoft than Sony) streaming, Microsoft is listening. The new Xbox team under Spencer is a whole new beast as opposed to the one that Don Mattrick ran.

wait, BC is coming to xbone?

 

[hippie_hunter]

wait, BC is coming to xbone?

Microsoft is dealing with the issue in some form. Whether it is streaming or BC has yet to be confirmed, but Spencer made it sound closer to a form of BC.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Microsoft is dealing with the issue in some form. Whether it is streaming or BC has yet to be confirmed, but Spencer made it sound closer to a form of BC.

damn, that could be a game changer

 

[X Knight]

damn, that could be a game changer

bringing true BC to the X1 would indeed be a game changer!

imagine being able to play Skyrim or the Mass Effect Trilogy on the X1!!

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

bringing true BC to the X1 would indeed be a game changer!

imagine being able to play Skyrim or the Mass Effect Trilogy on the X1!!

lol, that would certainly sorta defeat the purpose of a remastered trilogy

 

[Tron Bonne]

Phil Spencer has me out stating that Microsoft is working on some kind of solution to being able to access Xbox 360 content on the Xbox One. While he wouldn't confirm whether it's adding backwards compatibility (which would be easier for Microsoft than Sony) streaming, Microsoft is listening. The new Xbox team under Spencer is a whole new beast as opposed to the one that Don Mattrick ran.

Wait, is that typo or are you saying you working for MS here?

I mean, I like what you're saying, but this is the first I'm hearing of any of this. I seem to vaguely recall reading something about MS experimenting with in-browsing streaming for games, but this was a long time ago, probably even before Spencer took over the Xbox division.