As the PlayStation 3 enters its 3rd year in its lifecycle rumors are abound of a firmware update bringing back backwards compatability. But do we really need it at this point?
Don’t get me wrong, the more features the better…
The more available options, the better the perceived value of a product. So when Sony dropped the support of backwards compatibility early on in the PS3’s life, gamers were very upset, and rightfully so.
Backwards compatibility helps ease the transition into a new console. It helped the jump from the original PlayStation to the PS2, since you could still play your existing game library. And having PS2 support in launch PS3s was a major selling point. But the PS3 launch is LONG gone.
So why bring back backwards compatibility now? With the massive, ever-growing, AAA title filled library the PlayStation 3 offers, and the fact that over 100 million people own a PS2, backwards compatibility this far into the PS3’s lifecycle seems pointless. Gamers should be moving forward, looking to future releases. So why is going backward still so important?
Bringing PS2 titles to the PS Store is great for business. It allows Sony to turn a profit, on otherwise stagnant-selling games. Doing this seems much more reasonable than reviving BC via a firmware update.
What’s your opinion? Do we really need backwards compatability at this point?
