EU PS3 - Not As Backwards Compatible As The Rest Of The World

[Avalanche]

Well, it's now even more official that we Europeans get the ****ty end of the stick.

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/767/767128p1.html

EU PS3s, at least initially, will play far fewer PS3 games than their US and Japanese counterparts, and yet we still get charged far more than the rest of the world.

Great.

 

[Havok83]

about how much more does the UK PS3 cost in US dollars? Do you know?

 

[Zenien]

http://www.superherohype.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266341

And a Canadian beat you to!

 

[Avalanche]

about how much more does the UK PS3 cost in US dollars? Do you know?

A 60GB PS3 (the only version we get) costs £425. The pound is particularly strong at the moment, so much so that £1 pretty much equals $2, so the dollar conversion would come in at around $850 for the console itself. Games retail at around £40, thus the equivalent of $80 each.

And sorry Z. Despite checking to make sure this hadn't already been posted, I somehow managed to miss your thread.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

A 60GB PS3 (the only version we get) costs £425. The pound is particularly strong at the moment, so much so that £1 pretty much equals $2, so the dollar conversion would come in at around $850 for the console itself. Games retail at around £40, thus the equivalent of $80 each.

And sorry Z. Despite checking to make sure this hadn't already been posted, I somehow managed to miss your thread.

might as well go for a xbox 360.

 

[Havok83]

A 60GB PS3 (the only version we get) costs £425. The pound is particularly strong at the moment, so much so that £1 pretty much equals $2, so the dollar conversion would come in at around $850 for the console itself. Games retail at around £40, thus the equivalent of $80 each.

And sorry Z. Despite checking to make sure this hadn't already been posted, I somehow managed to miss your thread.

oh wow that sucks. Id definetly get the system for 600 but cant imagine it for 850. How much is the 360 and Wii?

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

650 dollars plus tax. unless you like mario or any nintendo first party games, the wii is a waste. buut because im a mario and metroid fan, i'll get one.....when its 69 bucks.

 

[Zenien]

You also have to compare average wage living expenses etc.

 

[Electro UK]

True, but we're still being charged more for a crappier version of the console, there's no way around it. I still personally can't wait for my PS3, but this is just confirmation of hanging onto your PS2.

 

[Zenien]

I agree but I remember once someone in PAL was complaining about the price of consoles relative to america and then it was revealed that they had like double the average income/wage. Those software BC consoles will be rolling out in the other territories soon though, I can't see them developing those models just for Europe when going software BC was a part of their cost reduction plan from the get go.

Hopefully they get it sorted, seriously I hope they do. They have full PSP PS1 BC, but emulating the PS2 on the PS3 is another can of worms entirely and we haven't seen the promised PS1 emu on the PS3 yet. Maybe with the march update?

I'm sure people who bought the hardware BC version will get an OS update to choose between Software emulation and running the games on hardware. But that could get a little complicated, though I guess it would just be amatter of the system checking what model PS3 you have before downloading the appropreate update.

 

[Havok83]

650 dollars plus tax. unless you like mario or any nintendo first party games, the wii is a waste. buut because im a mario and metroid fan, i'll get one.....when its 69 bucks.

my goodness $650 for a Wii? Ouch!

 

[Havok83]

I agree. Those software BC consoles will be rolling out in the other territories soon though, I can't see them developing those models just for Europe when going software BC was a part of their cost reduction plan from the get go.

Hopefully they get it sorted. The have full PSP PS1 BC, but emulating the PS2 on the PS3 is another can of worms entirely and we haven't seen the promised PS1 emu on the PS3 yet. Maybe with the march update.

you cant play PS1 games on the PS3 yet?

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

my goodness $650 for a Wii? Ouch!

he asked how much did a wii and 360 cost, 650 dollars. i thought he meant together. but im sure you were joking......right?

 

[Havok83]

he asked how much did a wii and 360 cost, 650 dollars. i thought he meant together. but im sure you were joking......right?

when I asked the question, I meant how much does a Wii and 360 cost each. He didnt make any mention of the 360 in his post, so I thought he mean the Wii cost 650 on its own.

 

[Zenien]

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further"​

 

[Fran]

That is incredibly disturbing.

 

[InVictus]

650 dollars plus tax. unless you like mario or any nintendo first party games, the wii is a waste. buut because im a mario and metroid fan, i'll get one.....when its 69 bucks.

Are you kidding? The Wii(+ wiimote + nunchuck + wiisports) is 249 euros here in Italy, almost 328 $ at the actual change, the 360 is 289 euros (core) and 399 euros (pro)....

 

[Avalanche]

You also have to compare average wage living expenses etc.

The average wage in the UK is somewhere around £20,000 per year if I remember correctly, so around $40,000. Not sure how that compares to the US average. That said, everything in turn is more expensive over in the UK. Petrol, clothes, food, you name it.

 

[Avalanche]

Brief explanation from IGN on the backwards compatibility issue:

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/767/767810p1.html

The current PS3 model that's available for purchase in Asia and North America achieves backwards compatibility through hardware, as each unit includes the "Emotion Engine + Graphics Synthesizer" combination CPU and graphics chip that powers the slim model PS2. The European version of the hardware will not have this chip, SCEI confirmed today. To achieve backwards compatibility, the European model will rely on a combination of hardware and software. Sony is including hardware of some form that will take the place of the Graphics Synthesizer graphics chip. The Emotion Engine CPU functionality will be replicated entirely through software emulation.

Sadly, SCEI did not clarify some of the vague terminology used in the European subsidiary's press release to describe the level of backwards compatibility that can be expected from the new system configuration. SCEI also kept mum on when the new version of the hardware will appear in other territories.



And finally, some good news for us Europeans:

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/767/767811p1.html

UK, February 26, 2007 - Sony has finally revealed how much you're going to have to pay for its first-party PS3 games at launch and it's less than the cost of Xbox 360's initial line-up.

Potential big hitters MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man cost £39.99 (€59.99), as do with Genji, Ridge Racer 7 and Formula One Championship Edition. With many expecting Sony to follow Microsoft's lead and price its next-gen games at £49.99, it's nice to see we'll be saving a few extra pennies - even if the console itself might be shockingly expensive and won't play as much PS2 stuff as those of our friends overseas.

Sony also announced that registering for the PlayStation Network is free (as expected) and unveiled pricing for its downloadable PlayStation Network titles. For an "introductory period" games will cost between £2 (€2.99) and £6.70 (€9.99) approximately, depending upon the title. Although what happens when the introductory period ends is anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, other downloadable items from the PlayStation Network, including tracks for MotorStorm or songs for SingStar, start from around 66p (0.99&#8364 and are part of an "easy to understand sliding scale". Just so you know how much you're wasting on new Girls Aloud tunes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[The Guardian]

"Thousands" of B/C Games for EU PS3
Phil Harrison claims PS2 compatibilty won't be an issue.
by Rob Burman, IGN UK

UK, March 1, 2007 - Phil Harrison, head of Sony's worldwide studios, has said that despite the change in hardware there will still be "thousands" of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games playable for European PS3s at launch, later this month.

Speaking to The Guardian and on Sony's semi-official blog Three Speech, Harrison responded to criticisms over the EU PS3's reduced backwards compatibility by saying, "There will still be thousands of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles playable on the PS3 at launch. It's very easy to over-react."

Indeed, following the March 23 launch Sony will be working on its firmware updates, available from the PlayStation Network, which will improve compatibility with more titles from the PS2 back catalogue.

When asked whether the removal of the Emotion Chip could lead to a potential price cut, Harrison remained vague: "We strive to get the cost of manufacturing down as soon as possible. As soon as we can pass cost savings onto the consumers, we will."

Harrison went on to say that potential PS3 owners aren't buying the console to play their PS2 titles, instead claiming, "the reasons why people buy PS3s are the new games that it offers, the HD content experiences provided by games and movies and the opportunity to access the PlayStation Network".

Harrison also admitted Sony's tactics for securing third-party exclusives had changed too, with its focus shifting to producing in-house AAA titles rather than relying on the externally-developed big hitters like Grand Theft Auto. "When we launched the PlayStation there were no accompanying games developed by Sony," he explained. "When we launched the PlayStation 2 there was one - Fantavision, which, beautiful game though it was, was no game on which to launch a platform. But the PS3 will launch with more exclusive, high-quality games from our studios than we've ever done before."


I LIKE THE FACT THAT SONY SEEMS TO BE FOCUSING THEIR EFFORTS TO DO MORE IN HOUSE EXCLUSIVES FOR THE PS3!!!

 

[Zenien]

Sony's first party is spectacular these days, though I think that they should be focusing a little more on nabbing key timed, or third party exclusives here and there. Not overwhelmingly so but they've lost so many titles that once were PS3 exclusive, it's rediculous.

It looks like their first party is really going to be a force to be reckoned with though.