Next-gen.biz wrong: Backwards compatibility has a long heritage

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 26 February 2007 18:29

Your IT - Entertainment

The firestorm over Sony removing hardware PS2 chipset compatibility from the PS3 to save $27 per machine has raged online over the past few days, but one opinion says that “there is no compelling historical example of backwards compatibility to draw on”. This is news… I mean, there isn’t?

While a rumor breaks of Gran Turismo 5 launching this year for the PS3, the PS2 compatibility issue still rages. In an article entitled “OPINION: Why Sony is Right”, journalist Colin Campbell presents a reasoned opinion piece on why Sony dropping hardware backwards compatibility with the PS2 in the European, Australian, Middle Eastern and African PS3 releases and replacing it with (initially) less capable software emulation isn’t really going to end up the big deal some are making it out to be, and is an article worth reading.

But it’s near the end that Campbell says: “The idea that BC is somehow a duty for game publishers is absurd. The console games market is not a single platform system, probably never will be, and there is no compelling historical example of BC to draw on. Now, there are zero hardware manufacturers offering global hardware BC on their previous games”, I take issue with the notion that backwards compatibility isn’t backed up by history.

Campbell also says that Nintendo has traditionally not paid much attention to backwards compatibility. Well, the current Nintendo DS line plays GameBoy Advance game cartridges with ease – it has a dedicated slot for that purpose. The Nintendo Wii offers GameCube compatibility to the degree of even offering the slots for existing GameCube controllers.

Nintendo has also delivered a Virtual Arcade that not only offers games from previous Nintendo consoles, but competing old-school games systems in an ever growing library. Yes, you can’t plug your SNES cartridges into the Wii, but even that’s taking backwards compatibility a tad too far. It’s easier to do it in emulation, and Nintendo is able to re-monetize a vast library of their own and other’s gaming content.

The PC is also an icon of the backwards compatible movement. Windows has long been compatible with previous generations, and while there are no doubt older programs that won’t run on Vista, backwards compatibility is something that PC and even Mac users take for granted, if it is desired. One thing that Vista does provide backwards compatibility for, funnily enough, is the ability to format a floppy disk by placing a tick in the box that says “Create an MS-DOS startup disk”. Oops… shouldn’t it have been something along the lines of “Format this CD/DVD as a Vista startup disc” if this function has any use at all anymore?

But I’m getting off track. Another example of backwards compatibility is the modern television set. Nowadays they come with every plug imaginable for backwards compatibility purposes. Want to plug your ancient Betamax player into your shiny new plasma TV to relive the retro times? Just plug it in.

The latest Blu-ray and HD DVD players can play audio CDs with ease, and will likely even handle old formats like Kodak’s Photo CD.

I’m sure you can think of other examples of backwards compatibility. This, plus Sony’s original announcement that the PS3 would be backwards compatible thanks to having the PS2 chipset included within, gave rise to an expectation that it would be there.

Now that it is not there in hardware form, but an inferior software emulation that will have to be tweaked over time to support more games, naturally, we are disappointed. Publicizing the list of PS2 games that can be run on the new PS3 after the Euro launch wasn’t necessary, and Sony can still rectify that now if they so desire.

But as has been said, the PS3 offers a rich feature set beyond backwards compatibility that will ultimately far outweigh today’s issue of hardware PS2 compatibility replaced by software.

And Sony will continue updating the hardware within the PS3, as new technology allows significant cost savings, but as always have to ensure that near perfect compatibility. This didn’t happen with a few older titles not playing on newer machines, but that was in an era before broadband Internet connections.

The era of the updatable console is here, and this will make backwards compatibility even better. The timing of Sony’s decision may be unfortunate, and the loss of better initial compatibility mourned, but in the end it really won’t make any difference. Can we all please get over it now? ;-P