Has the PS4's Lack of Backward Compatibility Affected Your PS3 Purchases?

Push Square: "Sony was fairly clear about the state of PlayStation 4 backward compatibility during last month’s PlayStation Meeting. While revered Gaikai gaffer David Perry had already alluded to the lack of native PlayStation 3 support during his portion of the press conference, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida later confirmed that the upcoming console will not support your current generation content in any meaningful manner. But has the revelation affected your usual purchasing habits in any way?"

[NYC_Gamer]

I'll continue to buy the PS3 software that catches my attention regardless

[rezzah]

I'm doing the same, unless if there is a PS4 version I'll buy that instead.

[Conzul]

Yup. I'm holding off on Beyond and TLoU till the last moment, in case there's a PS4 version announced. And if they're as good as they look, I'll probs buy both versions anyway and sell back the PS3 copies when I get the PS4.

[MikeMyers]

I want my digital content to carry over when I get a PS4. It only makes sense. My physical copies I'm not too worried about because that's why I have a PS3 and will keep it. Since I can't copy my digital content I want it linked to my Playstation account and be there when I want to access it. Having it stored on my hard drive offline isn't really the best situation.

[darthv72]

For me, i recently got a vita and was actually displeased with having to deactivate one of my psp's in order to activate the vita. Even though i wasnt using the vita for any of the digital psp games that are on my psp's. So in my case i have a unit i cant use for digital games that i paid for.

Sony should change the number of activated systems on a users account. There are games on my PSP that arent available to be played on the vita but because i wanted to download vita games, i had to sacrifice (one of) my psp and its content.

I really hope they dont enact the same restrictions on the ps4. Especially if the ps4 does not support previous digital content on the ps3. It would flat out suck if you had to deactivate the ps3 in order to activate the ps4 on your account.

It might not be a big deal on the physical games but like you...I too have digital ones i would still like to play.

[MikeMyers]

darthv72,

What they could do is make it so that you can only sign in on one device at a time. That would cut out multiple people playing the same purchased content. Meaning your friend or your brother couldn't pretend they were you.

http://www.1up.com/news/cap...

DRM has already existed on the Playstation Network.

http://www.1up.com/news/war...

Game sharing became an issue as well. I just want to be able to access my content through my account and hopefully the PS4 will allow Gaikai to stream PS3 games I bought without adding an extra surcharge.

[adorie]

My PS3 isn't working right now, but you can bet I still have The Last of Us pre-ordered and I'm going to do the same with Beyond: Two Souls, too!

[Persistantthug]

Personally,
I'm very concerned about my PSN download games that I've purchased.

I'm awaiting more word from Sony.

[Mustang300C2012]

Then keep your PS3

[LackTrue4K]

the title to this makes no sense...?!
i already have a ps3, and I already got my mind set on the ps4.

If there's any doubt, its Xbox owners.

[Donnieboi]

But the only topic here is backwards compatibility. So why would an xbox gamer (specifically) care about that?

[badz149]

And...I will get the PS4 at launch. So...I'm good

[lephunk]

me too! one at my GFs crib.. One in my room and one in Living room...
oh... and vita in the bathroom...

[Lucreto]

Not really, I will still have my PS3.

The PS4 won't have a constant stream of games as the start so I can go back to the PS3 for a while.

Sony do have a lot more time to explain on how they might do in the future.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I would normally say the same, but the launch lineup at the moment is looking pretty substantial, and of course you wouldn't have to get them all at once.

[Lucreto]

I like Killzone, Watch dogs and Assassin's Creed IV.

We don't have a full list on launch titles yet and I expect it to change coming up to launch.

[1up]

wait what no constant stream of games! the ps4 is doomed!

[Infamous2]

Nope

[LOGICWINS]

Nope, I'm keeping my PS3 until it breaks. When it does break, I'll chalk it up to the universe telling me that I need to get a PS4.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

But....what if it NEVER EVER breaks!? =P

[LOGICWINS]

lol I hadn't considered that possibility.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

Haha that'd be crazy. But seriously, my purchases won't be affected in the slightest. Because while I do fully intend on buying a PS4, I'm definitely keeping my PS3 as well.

So no worries!! :D

[Canary]

When my PS3 breaks, I'll buy another PS3.

Because of lack of backwards compatability, I won't even consider (ever) buying a PS4. IMHO, it's really only in the past year or two that the PS3's library got strong enough to stand on its own w/out b/c titles. The Wii and 360 (IMHO) never got there.

[LOGICWINS]

If you get another PS3, you should probably consider trading your broken PS3 in to Sony and getting a refurbished PS3 Slim for $99.

EDIT: And yeah, I'm not even going to consider buying a PS4 when the PS3 is still pumping out games like The Last of Us, Beyond, Yakuza 5, GTAV, Bioshock Infinite etc.

[Hicken]

So this is your last generation of Sony consoles, then?

Sorry, but that's such an utterly STUPID reason for not buying a console. You'll pass up on any and all games on the PS4 because the PS4 won't play PS3 games? So what was the point in buying a PS1? Or an original Xbox? Or any of the dozens of consoles that are not the PS2, PS3, Xbox, or Wii? Did you only JUST start gaming with the PS2? Because until then, NO CONSOLE HAD BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY. With the reason you give, I can only assume you must have skipped out on buying ANY consoles until at least then, right?

I mean, since the lack of backward compatibility is a big enough reason why you wouldn't buy the PS4.

But hell, I guess most people just buy new consoles to play their old games, right?

Right?

Edit: Then again, reading your impression of the libraries of all three consoles, I guess it makes sense for you.

[sitharrefus]

my ps3 will become a bluray player on my future office then i can play ps3 games from there xD

[TheRealHeisenberg]

Nope, because I have no intention of buying a PS4 unless/until it is $300 USD or less. Again, I can wait. There are still plenty of things coming to PS3 and I have a gigantic backlog of games to keep me busy for years to come.

[Skynetone]

sure it will drop 50$ a year, but waiting 2 years to save a 100$, the ps4 will give me hours of entertainment for that extra 100$

lifes 2 short to save a 100$ over 2 years

[TheRealHeisenberg]

@MC_KOOL_K

"lifes 2 short to save a 100$ over 2 years"

Indeed, which is exactly why I'll be busy doing other things in life while the PS4's price drops. See how that works?

[Ju]

Fair assessment. They won't sell 70M PS4s in a day. It probably will take a while to get there.

[Brian1rr]

Nope

[thebudgetgamer]

No.

[Zerotino]

No. Even when I get a PS4 I will still have my PS3 just as I have my PS2 and PS1.

[lodossrage]

But it hasn't.

Plus the fact that Sony wasn't exactly clear on what they were going to do about it (according to Shuhei's interview) still doesn't rule it out. I don't understand how this opinion piece says they were fairly clear about it when in the very same interview he/she speaks of Shuhei literally said they could try to go either cloud or emulation and that nothing was set in stone.

But as I said, I thought it would affect my PS3 purchasing habit. But in the end, it didn't

[jjb1981]

Ill choose the ps3 version only if not available on ps4 and if its worth buying. I plan on keeping my ps3 for my psn games I haven't finished

[capnjoe217]

No. Because fun games. The whole point.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I bought my PS3 to play PS3 games. I will buy PS4 to play PS4 games.

[Qrphe]

Why would it?

[koehler83]

Not at all. Especially since I don't feel in any way committed to buying a PS4 simply for owning a PS3.

Should I choose to purchase a PS4 at some point (and I assume I will), I will do so knowing that my PS3 (my PS2 compatible one, anyway) shall remain in my possession to serve its purpose going forward.

More and more my PS1 and PS2 consumption is happening on PC.. (even if that makes me a thief by some people's strange perceptions..nevermind) All my PS3 is for these days is for PS3 games, more and more of which are also migrating to PC via Steam.

[Donnieboi]

Thief!

[Bathyj]

I've still got my Fat PS3 from launch day, I've used it for BC maybe a couple of times since 2007 and that was for ICO which I quickly decided looked ugly and much prefer the HD version.

This might surprise many, but I'm getting a PS4 to play PS4 games. I dont see why people think buying a game entitles you to play that game on every console the manufacturer might make 5 or 10 years in the future.

Everyones glad Sony dropped the cell, this is just a side effect of that, that cant really be helped without spending a lot of money, which no one wants to do either.

The other thing is, probably most people dont have BC now, so it youve lived without it for the last 5 years why would it be important to have it next year?

[mayberry]

I also still game on my (hdd upgraded), 60G 'fat' 'chromed' PS3, and the majority of PS2 games I have played on it has been ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, my kids used to play all my older PS2 games on it, but have grown up now to the point they only play PS3 games on it now. I will get the PS4 to play PS4 games on it too.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but some people love to stand by their ridiculous reasoning just to make some irrelevant stand. Someone above said they will never get a PS4 because it isn't [natively] backward compatible. If that's the case, then you wouldn't have had any interest in PS4 to begin with. You don't buy a new console to play old games. Yea, its a nice luxury, but that's all it is, or was. Like you said, Bathyj, nobody should feel entitled to backward compatibility. There is nothing written in stone about game consoles playing old games. Technology moves forward, and some things aren't feasible.

[wishingW3L]

that's stupid. That's like saying that you don't buy an iPod to listen to old music or a PC with Windows 8 to use Office 2010 instead of 2013 so why is it different with consoles? Even blu-rays play DVD. Is just to make the transition easier to digest because the PS4 will not have hundreds of games at launch you know.

You say that you don't buy a new console to play old games, right? Then how do you explain the market for digital re-releases and HD collections then? You see how easy it is to break your argument?

Just stop being a fanboy and think rationally. Corporations don't need people to defend them or explain stuff and they don't give a crap about you either, only about your money.

[rainslacker]

It's just a nice feature to have. I don't think anyone who was seriously looking at getting a PS4 soon really cares if it is BC. Even the BC proponents are more annoyed at the lack of convenience. I understand where they are coming from, but I grew up with consoles since the Atari 2600, and it was just a nice feature on the PS brand...and one that many just came to expect.

One nice thing about Sony's prior forays into BC is that they always had ways to improve the look or disc access speed of the game. Other than that, my phat PS3 will stay connected for a long time since it has the ability to play 3 gens worth of games. It'll sit right next to my PS4.

[FrightfulActions]

Not really. Though if I had purchased a lot of PSN games of HD "remasters" of PS2 classics... I'd probably be pissed. Had to buy the HD version of X game because PS3 won't play my original PS2 version and now if I want to keep playing it I'd have to buy a re-remastered version on PS4? Annoying but luckily I haven't bought any HD collections personally so it won't really have any effect on me that I can foresee.

It would be really sweet if the streaming component on PS4 scanned my PSN account, saw what games I had purchased and then enabled me to be able to play them via streaming rather than forcing me to purchase them for the third time.

[forcefullpower]

That is what they where saying was that our accounts will show if we own the game and be able to either stream it or if they make a version for ps4 we can download it.

I am so far not that bothered about downloaded content as I have already played them.

[DOSemp]

No.

[Minato-Namikaze]

Not even,slightly still have have about 8 games to buy.

[keabrown79]

Yep, I've stopped buying PS3 games as I always trade my old system in for the new system to help defer some of the cost. If I can't play old games on the new system it's not worth it to me.

[SonyPS4]

PS3 shall co-exist with me under your living room TV.

[Robotronfiend]

No, because I am not sure I will be buying a PS4. I want to wait until the first SteamBox hardware releases. I am leaning towards "PC on my TV" gaming these days with Steam big pic mode.

[drsnoopyseussdog]

I am very interested in that Knack game and Infamous Second Son looks great. I am just very concerned whether my digital games can play on the PS4 cuz i dont wanna start over again:/

[jay2]

I'll be keeping mine. People need to remember that there's 2-3 yrs of the 10 yr life span in it.

[Bonerboy]

Why would it be?....just keep your old ps3.

[syphon32]

If it comes out on both systems, it only makes sense to get it on the better system. That is if plan on buying a Ps4.

[syphon32]

Watch dogs looks awesome. It's coming out for both systems, which makes some sense for those not purchasing a ps4.

[ufo8mycat]

Well the only difference between the PS3 and PS4 versions of Watch Dogs will be the graphics thats it. The gameplay is the same. People who buy it on PS3 instead of PS4 are still playing the same game.

As for which system I will buy it for. I am not sure yet, it all depends if the PS3 version comes out sooner, if it does, I'll get it on that.

Getting it on my PS4 would be a nice excuse just to start building my PS4 games library and since thats the new system I have just spent my $$$ on.

I guess we shall see.

People who play it on PS3 though are still getting the same game though

[syphon32]

True

[USMC_POLICE]

My question is what happens to our free Ps plus games we have gotten? Do we lose them or will Sony let us keep them active? Or will Ps plus register on both systems?

[rainslacker]

Hopefully they up the number of registered systems to 3. I currently have my Vita and PS3 on my account. I'm not really sure if my PSP was ever registered, so can't say if it's per type of system, or all systems combined, hopefully the former.

Anyways, PS+ is account based. But given what's been said it looks like those PS+(and likely PSN purchased) PS3 games will not be playable on the PS4. I'm still holding out hope that PS1 games will still be able to play and there is just confusion in what's been said. It would make sense since any modern computer of lower spec can do so quite easily. Even PS2 would be a nice bonus, but not holding out hope for that.

[PS4isKing_82]

Hell no. Playstation gamer for life. I still have my psone and ps2 with a ton of games for both.
Sony rules!!!! Can't wait for ps4!!

[WayniaK]

Not at all. I have way too much time and money invested in my PS3 to get rid of it. I'll keep it AND get myself a PS4. Problem solved.

[SOULJER]

Not one bit.

[mochachino]

Not at all.

I'll keep my PS3 for the odd time I feel like playing last-gen games (which judging from the last 2 gens is very rare).

Old consoles are worth almost nothing and certainly not the nostalgia/collection value imo. I still have my PS1, PS2 and PS3 all working.

The sad truth is my Playstation consoles will probably be worth more on ebay in 30 years than they would be in 6 months.

I'm glad Sony is spending the manufacturing costs exclusively on NEXT-GEN features, why sacrifice the future-gen to preserve the previous one.

Make sure you keep the boxes:)

[remanutd55]

I havent bought God of War Ascension yet but i will get it soon and i think it will be my last ps3 game because i have a feeling Beyond Two Souls is gonna be release on the ps4 as well and im not interested in The Last of Us so is God of War and psvita games till the ps4 comes out.

[GravelerMagnitude9]

Even if ps4 had zero games at launch, i would still buy it day one because it is a upgrade from ps3. I want my ps3 gone when ps4 come out because I want a fresh experience. I lost interest in ps3 games for the future just because of the thought of ps4 .

Games that will bring fun like Knack, infamous and more excite me more than some backwards compatibility for a system I had access to since 2006.

And even if I weren't able to afford games at launch, I could watch someone stream a game I'm interested in through that feature, so overall I hope the ps3 continue to do well , but that ps4, Dat Ps4 Cuz, you know, you know that day 1

[DivineAssault]

its affected what i buy on PSN but not disc based games

[kingPoS]

Who says you can't have both. HDMI switching be damned, I'll get my enjoyment out of both the ps3 & ps4.

Anyone remember how the Nintendo DS used to play to play GBA games. Well folks, this here is the same difference.

[CaulkSlap]

No. But I haven't bought anything but the big console exclusives in the last few years. Which is like 12 PS3 games with more to come and 2 Halo games. Everything multiplat on PC.

I am kind of regretting buying HD collections on disc because that's probably the first things guaranteed to be ported to PS4. Digital content at least has that advantage. I doubt they'll ever bother with the PS3 titles though.

[strickers]

The concept is stupid . You might not buy a system because it won't play the games of the system you own?? :-)
Anyone who does that is a moron.

[cedaridge]

AGREE! Why ppl make a big deal out of BC is beyond me. I am keepin my ps3 while I get a ps4. When my ps3 dies i'll get another. psn: cedaridge / xbl: MrSkittles405

[ShiftyLookingCow]

The PS4's lack of bc means I am not going to be an early adopter. I have way too many games that I haven't finished yet for this gen.

I will get a PS4 about a year or two after release.

[mrmancs]

how daft are these articles? If you want to play the same generation games or older , stick with the current gen console (or older) why would you want to buy a new console and play the same games you had on the previous? Wow. Besides cloud service will no doubt provide a large collection for the weirdos who do.

[jagstatboy]

I've been wanting to buy Mass Effect 1 from PSN but have been reluctant to do so because of the possibility of not being able to play it for as long as I want to.

[SpinalRemains138]

Ill continue to rent games and return them when Im done. I will only buy the huge multiplayer titles that interest me due to lasting appeal.

BC is a non issue to me, because I do not hoard titles I am done with. Insert game, play game, finish game, return game.