To some gamers, backwards compatability is not a big deal.  I know especially younger gamers getting Next Gen systems now could care less about a 3 or 4 year old PS2 game, so for them this whole reworking of the PS3 is great.  But as for us long-time gamers from the old school know, most of the best games...have already been made.  That's right.  We want to be able to play the entire Final Fantasy Saga on our shiny new GiGANTIC Sony Boxes.  We want to sneak through Solid Snake's past adventures, just to remind us of that time in high school when we first beat that game.  Yep, the pistol is still hidden there, yes, the history of the cardboard box is both long and interesting.

Microsoft learned hard that backwards compatability was important to the now average 18 year old gamer.  A couple months after the 360 launch, a Microsoft exec said nobody cared about backwards compatability.  That it would phase out soon.  Then they spent the next year and a half backtracking, updating the system software to play more original Xbox games. 

From the beginning of the PS2 it was assumed that you could play your PS1 games and that was that.  Gameboys for years promoted their 700+ game library available from the launch of each new incarnation (pocket,color,advance,sp,etc...) because of all the older games that people continue to buy sell collect and trade to this day!!  It's really an interesting side note to think about compatability with newer versions of a system.  Why then has this new generation struggled with finding a comfortable spot on the topic?  Well, for one, these huge companies know that people want to play those games, but on the other hand, those same companies want us going out there buying new fancy games, with new fancy prices (Collector's Edition Anyone?). 

So why DO they continue to switch the compatability on the PS3?  Well, first let's discuss what HAS happened in this tale of turncoat trickery:  In the beginning, the PS3 was born in two types (in the States anyways).  You had your 20 and 60 gig hard drives.  You had your card slots your Chrome and your price tag on that 60 gig.  But most important to my article here, you had your EMOTION engine.  Thas right baby.  It allowed for functional backwards compatability on both models with minor hiccups in the graphics or sound, due to software emulation troubles, or the fact that you were playing an old game on an incredibly powerful and different new system.  Software updates were announced throughout the first months of the PS3's life that made some games run smoother and allowed others to just run.  It was a good time for us older gamers.  We could enjoy our shiny new PS3 games, but still dust off our old black PS discs and play some Final Fantasy 7 (Which looking back now, with those graphics...how did we keep from going blind?).  Then Sony decides they're taking too big of a hit on the hardware market and they sure can't move the price up.  So they start in Europe, I believe, by introducing systems without an emotion engine.  This component, which probably cost Sony all of....5 cents US$, was removed so that they made more profit on the system.  But to fill in that backwards compatability gap, they introduced SoftWare Emulation for that model.  It allowed for backwards compatablity on CERTAIN games.  I'm not sure which ones, but I'd say 9/10 you couldn't play any of your more sub-genre third party developed ones.  Meanwhile, Back in the US of A, we get a price cut, knowing that those emotionless boxes are on their way to OUR shores.  This is when I jumped on board the PS3 wagon, just because I had recently collected about...oh 20...PS1 and 2 RPG's to play!  I got a 60 gb before they left the shelves.

Now, we have arrived at present day.  This new 40GB punk is hitting the shelves soon.  Less USB's, no card readers, no emotion engine, basically NO Backwards compatability according to a GameSpot Article.  He's a rebel without a cause.  Well, maybe a stripped down, lower price point cause.  So this is where Sony stands = "We don't care which PS3 you own, just buy one of 'em!  Please!  They play Blu-Ray!"

So, there's the story.  Take it as you will.  If you have alot of old games you haven't beat yet, and you wanna play 'em still, then get a PS3 that will play'em.  You know they're still making games for the PS2, right?  But if all you care about is the future of gaming?  Forget all this!  I'm not gonna tell you about all that you will be missing, because this industry is only getting better!  Look toward the future then, and Don't Look Back.

Sincerely,

Wesman