I have two more friends who have added PS3s to their household as of this holiday season and, in both cases, they were shocked that they cannot enjoy any titles from their PS2 libraries on their new consoles.

Granted, if we step back a few years backward compatibility was never a given. We couldn’t play original NES cartridges on our Super Nintendo systems. And neither of those would fit our N64s. In the case of Sega’s Genesis, we had the option to buy a Power Base Converter to play Sega Master System Games. And in spite of the popularity of the original Atari 2600, it wasn’t the follow-up 5200, but the eventual release of the 7800 that finally allowed the player to enjoy backward compatibility with their old VCS cartridges.

The two big obstacles in providing backward compatibility are cost and size. In the case of these older cartridge-based systems, creating a separate port into which one can plug a cartridge is both expensive and drastically increases the size of the system. Selling an adapter (like the Power Base Converter) provides an option that lets the end user pay for the additional hardware and keeps the access through a single slot.

However, these days our current generation of consoles no longer use cartridges. They use a standard disc format. If we take a cue from the evolution of the media disc, we see backward compatibility as a standard. For example, a DVD player can play audio CDs. A Blu-ray player can play DVDs and audio CDs. Heck, the now-abandoned HD-DVD format went so far as to put standard DVD content on one side of a disc while putting the HD-DVD content on the other. As media consumers, we build libraries and we don’t want our investments to appear worthless. With this in mind, let’s look at the current generation of consoles…

Of the current systems, the PlayStation brand has the longest history of using disc-based media. The original PlayStation used a CD to house the game content. The PlayStation 2 used both CDs (for smaller games) and DVDs (for larger titles). And the PlayStation 3 uses Blu-ray (or digital download from the PlayStation Store) for title distribution. The PlayStation 2 was backward compatible with the original PlayStation. The PlayStation 3 is also backward compatible with the PlayStation. However, only a handful of PS3 systems are backward compatible with the PS2 library. Through their communication Sony has conveyed that they believe that backward-compatibility was more of a transition tool for early adopters to make sure that they could play games on the new system until the PlayStation 3 library became viable in and of itself.

The original two PS3 systems (the 20Gb and the 60Gb) had built-in hardware compatibility with PS2 games. They included the emotion engine chipset which ran the games themselves. Though there were some initial challenges in the way the new upscaling video chipset handled the older content, these problems were resolved with subsequent firmware upgrades and now these first generation PS3s are coveted. Since these launch systems, the 80Gb system is the only other PS3 that can play PS2 games and it handles this via software emulation. This fact begs the question, “Why can’t Sony make a downloadable emulator for the current PS3 systems to enable them to play PS2 games?” Until they wake up and smell the opportunity to increase their market share, we’ll have to hit Ebay and used game stores to find the older systems.

Since not every game plays flawlessly on the PS3, Sony created THIS PAGE that searches a database and lists any potential problems with certain titles on backward compatible systems.

As for emulation, this was the Microsoft approach from day one. Though they announced that the Xbox 360 would be backward compatible with the original Xbox before launch, it wasn’t until the system arrived that we understood what they meant. In fact, as frustrated as many have been with Sony’s approach, the Microsoft backward compatibility plan can be even more disappointing. On the plus side, if you have an Xbox game that you want to play on your 360, it won’t matter which version of the 360 you own. However, you may find that the game you want to play is not supported at all. For example, if you want to play the Xbox version of Beyond Good and Evil (one of my favorite titles from the last generation) you better find an original Xbox. In fact, before you assume that something will play on your 360, you should check THIS LIST. Also, just because a game makes the list doesn’t mean that it is without it’s own glitches. Check out THIS LIST for possible problems.

What I find particularly disappointing about Microsoft’s lack of proper backward compatibility is that the original Xbox was arguably the most advanced console of the previous generation and many of the titles that were released on all platforms looked best on the Xbox. For example, the Xbox version of Soul Calibur II is the only incarnation that runs at 720p. Fortunately, this is one of the titles that is supported on the 360. Unfortunately, the controller vibration does not function.

Then we come to the Wii. Lately Nintendo has made some very wise decisions and this console has quite a bit going for it. First, the Wii’s backward compatibility is the best of the current generation of consoles. This is even better than it sounds because there are a number of brilliant titles that came out on the Gamecube that were never fully appreciated because the system didn’t compete as well with the Xbox and PS2. Also, many of these titles were designed to take advantage of 480p resolution (although the Gamecube component cable that allowed players to experience this was downright elusive). This means that in many cases, they look every bit as good as the current generation Wii games. To take backward compatibility even one step further, the Wii is the only current generation system that can use it’s predecessor’s controllers. In fact, I heartily recommend hunting down a used Wavebird over the current Classic Controller any day of the week.

On the portable front, Nintendo has always understood the value of backward compatibility. However, their most recent handheld has cut the cord with some of the ongoing legacy support. The original GameBoy line had an impressive history of building a living library for the system. Games for the GameBoy worked on the GameBoy Pocket, GameBoy Color, and even the GameBoy Advance. As for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo made it clear that this was not a “GameBoy” product. However, the system included a second slot so that it could still play GameBoy Advance titles. Considering the robust library for that system alone, this is a worthwhile addition.

However, unlike the original DS and the DS Lite, Nintendo is on the verge of releasing a new incarnation of the DS called the DSi. It has some benefits including a built-in camera and larger screens. However, they are removing the GBA slot, thus eliminating the backward compatibility of the system. (Oh, so close!)

In Conclusion
It appears that most of the current console manufacturers see backward compatibility as a less-crucial feature on their systems that can be eliminated once they have a large enough library available on their current platform. (I hope that Nintendo doesn’t release a version of the Wii that follows in the footsteps of the DSi.) As players we recognize the value of our investment in our libraries. As parents, we know how much we’ve spent on games for our kids over the years and the ability for our kids to still enjoy them years later has value. (I still recommend the Gamecube version of Mario Kart!)

At the same time, we have to recognize that the manufacturers are in the business of making money. They don’t make much if we spend more time playing older games or buying used copies of Halo 1 and 2. Furthermore, with the virtual marketplaces that the big three have for their current consoles, it’s obvious that they are recognizing the opportunity to re-sell older titles through new channels. It’s harder for Sony to sell a downloadable version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night if you can just buy the original disc from a friend and pop it in the PS3. I only hope that we can find a balance in this situation. As gaming parents, I want us all to be able to enjoy these older titles with our families, but not at the expense of destroying the business model of the companies who create these systems in the first place.