PS3 goes 360 in Europe

Flicking my way through some sites and something terrible appeared on my screen European PS3s Lose Specialized Backward Compatibility Hardware. So after all the jokes about how America and Japan were just beta-testing it for us Sony go and rip out the hardware that'll allow it to run the old PS2/1 games and are replacing it with software emulation that might not work as well just like the XBox360 whose actions they kept decrying.

In theory this might be better, with constant updating the system could approach the same emulation rate as the hardware they've just ripped out. Besides all the latest older games will play on it fine...won't they? Check Sony's press release

Users will be able to check whether their titles are compatible with PS3 at http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc.
[hurray]

This site will be available on 23rd March to meet launch day.

What? No seriously what the f*** are you talking about. You're releasing the compatibility list on the very day you're releasing the console; that bodes f***ing well doesn't it. All this bloody pre-ordering and now you've got no idea if your favourite PS2/1 game is even going to f***ing work. I still play a couple of PS1 games on my Ps2, I would still be playing these games plus my PS2 ones on a Ps3 and you want me to buy the f***ing thing on faith!

Couple that with Sony's apparent indifference to the 720p playback problems and we're talking major fubar.

I don't care that this was supposedly Sony's original master plan, all that means is that the software emulation code wasn't ready for the US/Japan launch dates and no doubt still isn't.

The only good news is that removing this hardware means the cost of a PS3 goes down oh silly me that's the cost of production we'll still be expected to pay over the odds for one compared to everyone else.

Well I wasn't go to buy one on launch day anyway; my cousin was, but he found the idea of me wanting to play PS2 games on it quite funny so he won't give a damn about this news.

Hmm I wonder what price a Xbox360 will be reduced to on the PS3 launch date?