Hands-on with PS4's PlayStation 2 emulation

Digital Foundry:

It's been a long time since we first reported that classic PS1 and PS2 titles were heading to PlayStation 4, running under emulation. It's been so long in fact, that we began to wonder whether Sony had shelved the project. The company originally informed developers of the existence of the emulator at the same time it briefed them on the planned rollout for the PlayStation Now cloud service, way back in January 2014. Since then, the only hints at its existence came in the form of some telling PEGI game ratings, along with some sightings of PS2 classics appearing in shared media lists during the PS4 firmware 3.0 beta phase.

[Neonridr]

It will be interesting to see the reaction around N4G if Sony suddenly allows PS1 or PS2 titles to work on the PS4 via their original discs considering how many articles arose questioning the need for 360 BC on the Xbox One.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Considering most want PS3 BC, this if true wouldn't be much of a deal

[SegaSaturn669]

The reason I want ps3 b/c is because downloading games on ps3 slow. I want the ps4 download/installation time for ps3 games.

Still though, ps2 and ps1 have amazing libraries. I hope we get them. I didn't expect the ps2 games to look this good. Surprising.

[nX]

Who is most? The people I know can live without backwards compatibility. I for one neither have the time nor the old discs to make any use of it.

[xHeavYx]

No one is saying that BC is not needed. It's a cool feature to have, but it's not a console seller feature like people want to believe it is.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

Backwards compatibility is a console seller. The only reason I still have my PS3 is because I can go back and play my playstation 1 or 2 titles via an HDTV. If playing older games was not a system seller, or not even a big deal, we wouldn't have the constant remasters, we wouldn't have the emulation and we wouldn't be having this conversation. Not to mention; any consumer which isn't brain dead would be comparing features via each hardware. One has that extra feature that allows them to play more titles? Well that is a by definition a system selling point.

Backwards compatibility is in fact a big deal and I look forward to all the comments singing the praises if Sony ever implements it on the Playstation 4.

[xHeavYx]

@Garret
"Backwards compatibility is a console seller"
What? If you buy a next gen console to play old games, then you are doing something wrong.
And no, we don't have constant remasters. We have a few remasters of acclaimed games.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Yes and no. Like I've stated dozens of times. This is great for gamers, its not going to suddenly sell PS4's MORE because of it, not by huge millions anyway.

I friend of mine who has the bundle confirmed this to me that it was running PS2 as in the same way you play PS2 games on PS3 and he came to the conclusion that yes....PS4 is running the game as an emulation and not as a PS4 remaster or anything, as it wasn't ported or transferred the PS4 is playing a PS2 game, and not a PS2 game transferred to PS4......if that makes any sense lol

Now I have a pretty huge PS2 library in the small hundred and its actually the only library I have next to PC that is that large, but I've got lots of older titles on PSN through digital. My only consern is load times. On PS3, PS2 and PS1 games native on disk actually only have a slight bump in load times, so many titles I got digital even if I owned them.

Silly yes, but I wanted to play FFIX and thought just get the PSN version as it actually runs better then the disk version (I had scratches due to lending it to a former friend....notice I stated former) lol

That being said, my disk version didn't work clearly as good as digital version thus, I felt it made more sense to get it off of PSN. So I feel it would make sense for Sony to update PSN on PS4 to allow those PS2 and PS1 digital titles work on PS4, clearly with publisher blessing same as MS is currently doing right now.

I think its a nice move for them as PS1 and PS2 can easily be emulated compared to PS3.

Nice move for fans, won't move much units, but I'm pretty sure like MS, it wasn't intended to.

PSX will likely have the full confirmation of BC to PS1 and PS2.

@Bahamut- lol STOP! I have a HUGE pile of shame and your not making it grow even game you mention! lol!

I might start a game on DQ VIII now because of you.......thanks. I'm now going to just wait for the news of BC before I start a new game!

[Bahamut]

That's what you think. I can't wait to pick up Dark Cloud 1 and 2, Rogue Galaxy, Suikoden 3 - 5, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Dragon Quest VIII, and a few others. Haven't played those in forever!

[TripleCs]

@xHeavyx

I agree. I'm not saying it isn't a cool or great feature to have because it is is. There's no denying that but it definitely isn't a system seller. If it was the Wii U wouldn't be doing as poorly as it's doing. The Wii U might not be in first or second place but it definitely wouldn't be doing as poorly as it is now in terms of sales if backwards compatibility was indeed as system seller like people are making it out to be. I'm not saying everbody does this because there are people that are genuinely excited for the feature and have intentions of using it but a lot of people only hype the feature up not because they intend on using it but because console A isn't doing it while console B is doing it. The feature is mainly hyped up so it can be used as ammunition in console wars. That's all it is. Back when both consoles had backward compatibility you didn't get a million articles about it and the feature never got as much attention as it does now. If both the PS4 and Xbox One had the feature I can promise you that people wouldn't hype it up and it wouldn't get as much attention as it is now.

Again, it's a cool feature and it's a great feature and I'm definitely going to use the feature a bit to try it out but it's not that big of a deal to me. It's great that Sony is adding it but I don't care that much about backward compatibility. After I get a new console I rarely play my last gen consoles. I keep all my consoles and games and I never used it on the PS2 and I only used it like 3 times on the OG PS3. I can live without it. Whether they Sony added it or not I'm fine either way. The only reason I'd be happy that Sony is adding it is so we don't have constantly hear about it as much as we do now. I don't really play backwards compatibility, I play forwards compatibility. http://abload.de/img/testes...

[starchild]

Speak for yourself. I would love if my PS4 could play my PS2 and PS1 games. Tenchu, Onimusha, Jak & Daxter, etc. Would be awesome. Technological convergence is fantastic. The fewer devices I have to have cluttering up my living space the better.

[KiwiViper85]

The back tracking has already started, I can't believe it, haha

[BoriboyShoGUN]

I'd love it!! There are some serious classics I would love to play on the PS4. Gradius being one of them Gradius IV was sick!!!And I've seen it on the market for the PS3.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

BC is like Shareplay...

Great to have, barely used.

[KaZeDaRKWIND]

Like I care about anything on PS3

[JasonKCK]

XiKurapikaKurta Amazing you caught all the usual suspects in one comment.

How can anyone deny BC by saying "nobody wants it" when it's one of the most requested features on "every" console ever made?

Even back in the Nintendo/Sega days gamers were begging for cartridge adapters.

LOL @ people saying they don't want PS3 BC. PS1/PS2 perfectly ok but not PS3? You're only saying that because you have no other choice.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@JasonKCK-"How can anyone deny BC by saying "nobody wants it" when it's one of the most requested features on "every" console ever made?"

Who? You can't just generalize everyone, this sounds more like you need to address that with a specific person that stated those contradictions.

"LOL @ people saying they don't want PS3 BC. PS1/PS2 perfectly ok but not PS3? You're only saying that because you have no other choice"

? Not really, consider many might not own a PS2, but more likely have a working PS3. PS2 and PS1 BC might be something they care about even more then PS3 BC as lots of good PS2 games haven't been played by many compared to games just last gen.

I can see how someone might want BC with something older like PS2 or PS1 as that might be missed by more then something as recent as PS3.

But thats just me, BC to anything it still good and you don't really know what console many might want for BC based on many reasons. I hear people asking for MS to go ahead with XB BC based on them saying they "might" which I think they will. Lots of good titles came to early XB, Fable 1, KOTOR 1 and 2, Conker Live and ReLoaded, Phantom Dust etc.

You can't just question every person that wants this as I'm pretty sure many might want PC to certain systems for different reasons. I don't doubt that many might want to play some PS2 games as I'm sure more have working PS3's out and about then working PS2 ready to be played.

I could be wrong, who knows.

[Mulando]

Even if I want it (BC for PS2) I still think they are much to late with this feature. This should have been available for PS3 (so PS2 BC on PS3) and not only for the first PS3 gen. It shouldn't be that much of a problem to emulate the PS2 on the PS3. It may not be the fastest thing of the world, but PS2 BC now is just much to late. Most of the PS4 gamers never had a PS2 just because they are to young. Most of them wouldn't even play a PS2 game if they even can't play xbox one games when they are slightly reduced in resolution

well that said, PS2 BC is just to late. PS3 BC would be phenomenal but that just isn't possible, just via PS Now.

[moparful99]

@Mulando The PS3 had backwards compatability with PS2 games but everyone wined and complained about the consoles price despite being the most robust and feature packed console. So Sony started chopping features and BC got the ax. We basically told Sony "We dont want BC" so they left it out of the PS4 and now those some people are carrying on about how sad it is that Sony hasnt done BC. Even Microsoft admitted how difficult and costly the feature was to implement. Give Sony a break. I personally dont care about BC, all the games I cared about got remasters and not only look better but pkay better.

[UltraNova]

I find it funny that most comments are from Xbox fans instead of PS fans.

Why is that? Hmmm

Personally speaking, BC is not needed we have more than enough current games to play plus I have all my previous consoles ready to 'fight'at a moments' notice should nostalgia kicks in.

Granted for some people this is a big deal.

But one thing's for sure, BC is no system seller at this point in time since most current gen future/potential buyers have probably already made their minds since they probably played everything they wanted to play from last gen, considering the 2 year drought ps3/xbox experienced.

[Army_of_Darkness]

It's pretty cool that the ps4 emulator improves the resolution, reduces jaggies and doubles the frame-rate from 30fps to 60fps! very nice.
All I'm looking forward too playing and actually completing this time is Dragon quest 8 and Rouge galaxy :-)

[t-hall785]

Sony: "Backwards compatibility isn't possible on the PS4...for free."

[Kombatologist]

Just because backward compatibility isn't a system seller to one person doesn't mean it wouldn't be to another. Some of us have invested a lot of money on previous generations. To have access to those libraries on a current gen console without having to purchase those titles again is a plus in my book.

[VforVideogames]

Here comes another 200dlls a month subscription.

[BeefCurtains]

LOL: PS4 pushing BC, and suddenly it's a "nice to have" feature again.

[Sitdown]

@Kombatologist,
Exactly, if one person purchases it because of backwards comparability, then by default it is a system seller. I purchased the 60gb PS3 early on because of reports that the revision would take out some of the backward compatibility features. Some people will go ahead and trade their 360 in if they know they can still play their particular games on the Xbox one; exorbitant since games with gold for the 360 can be played on the Xbox one. This played a part in why I went with the Xbox one version of Fallout 4.

[donthate]

BC is great news for PS4. I just hope we can use old PS2 discs in it and not be forced to buy the games again if we already own it. I hope PS1 BC also comes.

The backtracking though, is epic! :D

[Genuine-User]

As far as I'm aware, I haven't come across anyone that has questioned the need for BC rather its impact on sales.

PS2 emulation was rumoured quite a while back.

On-topic: This is exactly what I had in mind for PS2's emulation on PS4. Better resolution, frame-rate, Anti aliasing and trophy support.

[uth11]

exactly the argument is more whether BC is a game-changing feature 2-years in, not whether it's completely worthless.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

I remember a parent that was leaked online where it showed trophy support for old games (PS1 and PS2)

[GordonKnight]

BC isn't a system seller, but it could be the final factor in the decision of what console to purchase. Anyone without a new console and is on the fence on what console to purchase take BC into consideration.

[timmyp53]

it's neither game changing or worthless. it's just fan service really.

[WildArmed]

Yup, I'd use it here and there. But definitely won't be switching to a PS2-only library for my PS4 lol

PSX games I play on my vita might see more love since I might want to switch between a tiny and large screen. Though the PSTV has got that covered now for the most part.

[Kingthrash360]

Hammer, nail, head.

[Atomicjuicer]

Remote play would be game changing

[Wallstreet37]

What would be so interesting? Here you guys go with the conspiracy theory narrative. Most comments ive seen go like this "bc is an option and that is good but it is not necessary, nor it is a system seller" Ps3 fat had bc and many didnt use it (i used it maybe three times its lifetime).

Hperbole is going around saying "omg this is a system seller" when to most it is not, nor do most care.

[KyRo]

I don't know anyone, even die hard gamers who use BC more than a few times. I had a BC PS3 but it just made you realise how awsome the PS3 was and how terrible the previous PS consoles had aged both in terms of graphics and gameplay mechanics.

[Me-Time]

I can't agree nor disagree. This isn't a gamechanger. All I need to do is buy a remote and maybe a power cable for my PS2 to start playing them again. Even then, I'm not a huge gamer (constantly playing games and all) but I would consider myself more into PS1 than PS2. IDK, I think most don't care, but most people aren't huge gamers (nor do I think Most People would prefer PS1 BC over PS2).

I still own a PS3 to play PS1 games and I still think would love for the PS4 to be backwards compatible with PS1 and PS2 games. If anything, Sony should go with PS2 classics in the PS Store since it's been confirmed BC isn't possible on the PS4; was it Shu who let us know?

[Why o why]

Slight retcon but I get what you were trying to say. . I've seen many people add last gens games via bc to their 'reasons they prefer' lists. I've also heard 'game changer' and 'console seller' tied to bc on the x1.

Not gunna lie. . There were some who hated on it like it's not a good feature and I don't agree with that. An option is usually always better than no option at all plus I don't like when people use the term 'need' to discredit something they more often than not, don't have. Despite that, the consensus was it wasn't any of the above. Nice try though. .

[starchild]

Well, I'm not gonna lie, one of the reasons I love the PC platform is because of the extensive backwards compatibility going back decades. It IS a big deal to me, in any platform. I use it all the time on my PC.

[moparful99]

Sony had BC in the PS3 and most scoffed at the console, even crying foul despite Sony taking large losses on every console sold for several years. This taught them that BC is not a desired feeature, they leave BC out of the PS4 and a lot of people are acting like Microsft forged a revolutionary idea. Just irks me how much Fanboys mo e the goalposts in respect to their preffered console..

[X-23]

Probably going to be thought of as condescending to say this or something, but I'm sorry. Xbox360's gaming library doesn't hold a candle to the types of games that where available in the PS2's era and neither does the PS3.

Personally I would be excited just because of the ability to play several old RPG's I used to love or missed out on in the PS2 era.

Alot of people consider The PS2 and Dreamcast era a golden age for good games.

It's not something that's needed; as I've always stated, but it's a welcome addition. Especially for the PS2, if it was PS3, meh...could take it or leave it and I don't really consider this being a game changer or something that is going to impact sales, but you better believe if I can play some PS2 games on my PS4 I'll be happy.

[SeanScythe]

all i would like it for is my old singstar PS2 games. They have so many songs from PS2 that wasn't carried over to the PS4 and I don't know why.

[N4GGuy24]

It will be amazing to have PS1 / PS2 / PS3 disc based backward compatibility on PS4. Just imagine a history of PlayStation under your TV in one box.

Do you guys remember PS1 games on PS2 had few settings in the settings menu to allow smoother visuals. Although some were fairly noticable and others not so much. But nowadays we have games that are upscaled and re-released.

[kraenk12]

PS3 won't happen..ever...sadly.

[bleedsoe9mm]

as long as it works with discs and not just rebuys on psn , it will be awesome

[Fez]

It would be so anti-consumer if Sony don't make this work with discs. Entirely pointless if you have to rebuy games you already own.

[mechlord]

Who cares.
FFXII, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, Persona 3:FES, im waiting first for you girls :)

[Spotie]

Questioning the IMPORTANCE, not the need. And even then, the point was that it wasn't a game-changing system-seller. Not that the feature wasn't good or appealing or anything like that.

Somehow, though, too many people have taken that to mean "Nobody cares," rather than "This won't push a bunch of console sales."

Edit: Can you make an argument without hyperbole?

Who claimed "all Xbox fans" said it was a system seller? I don't recall ever seeing that. Not to mention Xbox fans were claiming BC was big enough to win E3.

Who's changed their tune? As far as I've seen, people are saying about this exactly what they said about the XB1: it's nice, but not a game changer.

Yeah, when Xbox fans are claiming that BC is gonna close the gap, when they're saying it was a better announcement than ANY game at E3, when they act like EVERY 360 game is coming to BC, when all they can do is misrepresent PSNow to try and make the XB1's BC look better, they NEED to be brought down to earth.

Or are you gonna act like none of that happened? I imagine you could say "Prove it," yet I never see you proving your claims. Ironic, isn't it? Now that you're claiming hypocrisy by certain people, you don't have a single example to back up what you say.

[gangsta_red]

I think the real issue was a lot of people where ONLY questioning the importance because it was featured on the competing console.

That is why we saw this group in every Xbox One article trying to downplay the feature, over-exaggerate and say how all Xbox fans claimed it was a system seller and other points like one comment I read that said they were there just to bring Xbox fans down to earth (funny right?).

It is funny to see this feature coming to PS4 and the usual culprits now having to bite their tongues because they spent so much time s***tting on it. Now we get to read how nice it is to have but how no one will ever use it.

[gangsta_red]

Talks about hyperbole then goes on to say Xbox fans claimed BC was big enough to win E3.

Could you please stop using that term that you read others write and decided to fly with it, because you're doing it yourself.

"...they NEED to be brought down to earth."

*sigh*, more exaggerations and hyperbole(ha) from you Spotie. But I'm glad that you feel it's your job to go around and bring these Xbox fans down to Earth. Keep fighting that good fight!

"yet I never see you proving your claims."

Lmao, you sure do bark a lot out here in the comment section spotie. I guess you forgot all those PM's where I did prove it to you and I got not one reply back about it. I even asked you to give me just one link in return when you were doing your own "hyperbole"(ha) and again you were strangely quiet.

[Sparta07]

This is nice i guess, but I won't use it. People buy next Gen consoles to play next Gen games.

[ashcroft]

Except the PS3 gen and this gen is a disappointment. Rehashes, day 1 patches, ripped out content into paid dlc.

There's more content on a ps1 and ps2 than a current gen game.

Some people like to play their retro games. Some even bought the nvidia shield to play emulators with high quality graphic filters to enjoy their games on their HDTVs

Retro gaming is a thing and it's a great thing to have, the option to have BC is a must for people who like games other than Call of Duty and first person shooters.

It sounds like you don't know much or even care about retro gaming, so obviously this subject is going over your head, but for many who have built a collection, BC is important.

[Godmars290]

In what regard?

PSfanboy showing hypocrisy for BC making the PS4 worth buying, or Xbox fans still holding no PS3 BC over the other camp's head?

For me it would be a nice thing to happen, reason not to buy a new PS2 with the current one just dying, but still have to wait and see if its going to be physical or DDL as well as piecemeal because of licensing issues.

[frostypants]

I have a PS4 and I could not care less about this BC stuff.

[nitus10]

All PS3's can play PS1 game disks so adding this capability to the PS4 would be a nice feature.

I do have an original PS3 that plays PS2 games as well and having the same capability on the PS4 would be another reason for me to purchase one.

As for BC for PS3 games it would be nice but because of the architectural differences between the PS3 and PS4 I doubt we will get an emulator.

It may be possible to get a PS3 image that is specifically translated to run on the PS4 but requiring a PS3 disk to be inserted to play, however I doubt we will see this happen.

Actually the question to as is "would you play PS1 and PS2 games on your PS4?". My answer would be "yes" since I have 30 PS1 and over 60 PS2 games, however I would only play them for nostalgia reasons preferring mainly to play current generation games.

[divinealpha]

Me and you both man the hypocrisy will rise

[DarXyde]

I find Xbox One backwards compatibility to be nice, but don't care for it but I do care about PS2/PSOne backwards compatibility on PS4. I'm not shy about saying that either. I simply have no need for it on last gen platforms. My PS3 and X360 are still hooked up in my bedroom. PS2 is a much bigger deal to me than Xbox 360 and since that was arguably Microsoft's greatest platform,I see the enjoyment behind it, but don't really feel the need to jump on it. Now if the Xbox 360 was from 2 generation's ago, I'd say it's great because odds are, it wouldn't be hooked up. PS2 which many would argue was Sony's greatest console being brought to PS4 would be huge.

[stuna1]

This would be right up my alley considering I still have 450 PS2 games boxed up in my basement! Is it a game changer? No, but the option would be nice.

[pinkyxyz]

I personally want backward compatibility because of all of the ps1 and ps2 classics that I purchased on PSN. Pesona 3 and 4 are waiting for me. :)

[babadivad]

Not trying to be a troll or anything but this doesn't interest me at all. There are GREAT ps2 emulators on PC that can run games better than the original systems. If Sony allowed PS3 emulation on PS4 though!?!? I would blow a gasket!! Just playing Ni No Kuni or Tales of Graces without having to find space for my PS3 would be HEAVEN! MAKE THIS HAPPEN SONY!!

[UKmilitia]

doesnt bother me.
i wanted ps3 backwards compat and they forcing to psnow for that when MS has done it from disc.
i kinda move on with a new gen and leave rest to memories of greatness.
i dont think it will sell systems because it isnt like people are on ps2 consoles waiitng for it so they can make the jump.

[paul-p1988]

Tbh I would like the option, but it's NOT a system seller that MS are making out.

I would LOVE to play a load of the PS2 games I own on my PS4 (and a few PS1 games too), but it would probably only be for about an hour or so a YEAR inbetween playing new PS4 games. I used the backwards compatibility on my launch PS3 for about a week when I first got it as I was part way through MGS3, but this was played inbetween bouts of Resistance Fall of Man. When the PS3 games picked up I rarely used it, and the masses are most likely going to be the same.

TL:DR, great feature that not many of us will use that much, if at all, but nice to have the option and certainly not a system seller!

[mark_parch]

I got the impression ps4 owners didn't want to play old games at least that's what they said when Microsoft announced backwards compatability

[Neonridr]

yep, it was constantly brought up that they want new consoles to play next gen games.

I always think that BC is a great feature, no it's not necessary, but it's always a welcome addition.

[babadivad]

Well you should've known that was a lie. Been playing more PS3 remakes than actual PS4 games. *I kid. . . Sorta*

[BallsEye]

emulating ps3 would be awesome, emulating ps2 is a complete waste. How many of us still have ps1 and ps2 discs?

[RosweeSon]

I very much doubt they'll bother with disc use. They'll just allow all the PSN downloads from PS3 be usable on ps4 and put them up on the store I would have thought especially as they didn't with PS3 games and just made psNow instead. Sony going digital?

[RosweeSon]

I personally feel this will happen however I reckon Sony will do it digitally like they had all the ps1/2 classics on PS3 and just make them available on ps4? This is great news I haven't played some on these games for 10-15 whereas being an ex Xbox 360 user (still own it just doesn't get used) I wouldn't wanna go out an buy a new system just to play Xbox 360 games that I've been playing for the last 9-10 years as I owned a 360 pretty much from day one. It's a great option to have of course like Wii U allowed original Wii discs from day 1 but when I've been using the Xbox 360 games for the last 9-10 years anyway and I could just play them on my 360 it's not as big a deal for me on Xbox one as it is on ps4 as ps1/2 classics would be Amazing, I use my a vita for ps1 classics but if we can get them on ps4 brilliant not played majority for minimum of 10 years and the ps2 back catalogue was absolutely fantastic hence why the console sold 100 million plus.
Hey ho sure this decision announcement will cause some oh well when Xbox did it meh but now Sony are doing it wahey but it's just more exciting on ps4 for me as I had the Xbox 360 for 10 years I don't just want an updated revision for my next console hence why I went ps4/Wii u not looked back since.

[BG11579]

It won't work with all the original disks. The PS4 can't read CDs, only Bluray disks and probably DVD...

[lowkey10011]

I suppose they had to put out something considering how good the X1/360 backward compatibility has taken off competition is good for everyone. On a side note xbox 360 servers are still up and I can play online with my 360 buddies. Are any ps2 servers still running?

[BG11579]

PS2 servers? Did the PS2 had online games. Apart from the Metalgear Online game, I can't remember any other games.

[lowkey10011]

@bg11579 killzone,socom 2, starwars battlefront etc.... just to name a few. Believe it or not I had alot of fun back in the day playing the first killzone online.

[timmyp53]

. I'm going to stay on the side of the skepticism. I see sony opening up the market for remasters for old games with trophy support for a price but not straight up BC. I'll be pleasantly surprised otherwise.

[Genuine-User]

That's fine by me. I don't have any of my PS2 games anymore.

I don't think many do. Just an intuitive feeling.

[Lukejrl]

i have a ton. some will be worth alot later. but for now i cant wait to dive into to xenosaga again. and my ps3 is dying fan is getting much louder it is almost 10yrs old bc compatible one, so when i get a new one it needs it won't have bc anymore.

[Imalwaysright]

I have them. Never sold any of my games.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Luke- OH YEA! I just played Onimusha 2 and Killer 7 a few months back on my PS2, after I put it back in the box and like a day after beating them, I was playing the Xenoblade X japanese import at a friends house and we were talking about Xenosaga and I was like "Damn...now I have to take it out again"

lol.

Xenosaga will be a nice playthough, along with Onimusha 3 and Dawn Of Dreams. Some nice old PS2 games lol.

[DarXyde]

I do. I get too sentimental thinking about how great PS2 was. Honestly, it is my favorite console of all time. This is probably sad to say, but PS2 basically raised me lol. Dark Cloud 1 and 2, MGS2 and 3, Devil May Cry 1 and 3, Persona 3 and 4, Onimusha, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy X, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Resident Evil Outbreak, Crash Bandicoot, the good Need for Speed games, etc., etc., etc.

It was sincerely a magical time to be a gamer. PS2 to me in my teens was basically what Disney was to kids in the 90s: you grow up and the love never stops. I would never turn in my PS2 collection.

Sounds radical, but I have an unwavering love of that thing.

[Eonjay]

Sorry but the 'Accessing 8MB memory card' kinda gives it away. Its emulation not a remaster.

[_-EDMIX-_]

...Sony doesn't own every PS2 or PS1 game though. They don't even own the game being shown right now.

Its more likely its BC to PS1 and PS2 as its unlikely anyone is going to be buying PS1 or PS2 games just for trophies. Its more likely PS1 and PS2 support through emulation.

I'm not sure why you would even say that considering MS is doing emulation of 360 and not merely for achievement support or for "remasters' as that isn't what BC is...

A remaster has nothing to do with emulation. Nothing...

Resident Evil Zero is being remastered, its a Gamecube game, being made for PS3,PS4, XONE, 360 and I believe PC.

...it has nothing to do with emulation. Your saying they are emulating PS2, to allow remasters? What? PS4 has remasters of PS3, Gamecube games etc, it doesn't have emulation of either system.

I think your confused on what emulation is bud. To seek to sell those games over again, is actually not to seek emulation as it means the system itself is being EMULATED, it allows the FUNCTION of a PS2, PS1 etc to be supported on PS4.

That is like saying for Resident Evil Zero to work on PS4, they need to have Gamecube emulation...

Maybe you don't' fully understand what a remaster is lol

[Neonridr]

unfortunately going that route means us gamers having to pay again for these older titles. But I guess it's not much different than say Nintendo titles on the VC.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

Can't wait to play tenchu wrath of heaven again!
Yes, i like ps2 emulation because i dont have my ps2 again :[

[timmyp53]

For all we know a couple of PS2 games are wrapped in an emulator. This isn't exactly confirmation that a universal BC like PS3 had is incoming.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

I hope that it's true doe :[

[timmyp53]

We all do brother. Believe™

[starchild]

Wow, another Tenchu fan. I just mentioned in a comment up above how I'd love to be able to play the Tenchu games on my PS4. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins and Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins from PS1 and Wrath of Heaven and Fatal Shadows from PS2....all of them are awesome games for me.

Btw, when are we going to get a new Tenchu game on PS4? That would be amazing. One can dream...

[iceman06]

Add ME to the list too!!! Tenchu was an amazing game. It had it's flaws, just like any other game. But, at the core, it was really great. I wish someone would just take on the franchise and give it a go. Imagine what could be done now with the map editor!?!

[Hoffmann]

Thanks a lot at the developers of PCSX2. Their emulator rendered backwards compatibility of PS2 games completely obsolete.

[Hold_It]

@Hoffmann

Bubble up for well said

[Elit3Nick]

Agreed, being able to play old games at multiplied resolutions and with updated shaders is amazing. You need a beast computer to run PCSX2 at a stable 60fps, my laptop with a GT540M couldn't do it, but my R9 390 rig handles it no problem :D

[Hoffmann]

Well it depends from game to game of course. For some like Samurai Warriors or Tekken 5 you really need a better machine but many others, especially the 2d ones like Disgaea or Guilty Gear run on older hardware as well.

And damn..Final Fantasy XII looks amazing with the bigger resolution

[vanity29]

I could play some games at 60fps with intergrated graphics. And i still cant play Dirge of Cerberus on my Rig lol

[Elit3Nick]

I only played GT4 on both, since it's one of the PS2's most demanding games it would explain why my laptop couldn't run it smoothly. I'll definitely add Shadow of the Colossus to replay and try Ace Combat 5 for the first time.

[Blastoise]

Well if that were true it wouldn't be one of the most requested features on the blogs and this article wouldn't have got to 300 heat in 20 minutes.

[Hoffmann]

Its just that the most of us don't even know that there is an emulator like that. Others believe everything emulator related could be illegal or they simply don't want to go through the "hassle" to configurate the software.

[Stringerbell]

Once I was running Rogue Galaxy at 1080 60fps I never looked back.

[DivineAssault]

I remember that patent being filed thinking it was for PS3 but i guess they were thinking way further ahead.. I hope they make as many ps1-ps2 titles available as possible down the line w trophies.. I didnt think it was going to happen because of psnow but im glad something is getting worked out

[Rookie_Monster]

Awesome news. BC is great for any console to have regardless of generation. If this is true, hope it allows disc based too in addition of just having them on sales digitally. I still have Dragon Quest and may classic PS2 titles on disc still. Make it happen on PS4 Sony!

Maybe a PSX announcement?

[Eonjay]

Well its still welcome, but I would definitely prefer disc based as well.

[Rookie_Monster]

Totally agreed with your assessment on disc based. Can't belive we actually can agree on something. LoL

[Black0ut]

Aren't you two just the cutest...Now kith! XD

Kidding, honestly that's super good news if PS2 emulation does rock up to the PS4. PS2 is still my all time favourite console, you guys remember the good days with Tony Hawk back in the day??? OMG that was so good :O

[Eonjay]

Star Ocean Till the End of time... I'm coming baby!

[timmyp53]

Such a great game. I remember getting the game and goddamn that holographic boxart was so gud... mmmmhhhh

http://i.imgur.com/kqhTpRt....

[Eonjay]

I still have this case.

[nitus10]

I still have this and it does play well on my BC PS3 however I have the PAL version PS3 which uses a mixture of software and hardware emulation and not all PS2 games work fully.

With Star Ocean Till the End of time I get a fair way into the game and at one point he game freezes and I can't proceed past that point. Fortunately I can bypass that event, however a few hours later I need to go to a different area and each time I try the game freezes and I cannot proceed any further in the game.

Another game that has a similar issue is Eternal Ring where you cannot proceed any further into the game. Annoying after playing 12 hours.

I also have Kings Field 4 which has a few minor issues which can easily be bypassed. There is a specific room that if you go into it and talk to the NPC all doors become basically "black holes" and you die if you enter them. The fix don't talk to the NPC.

[GryestOfBluSkies]

trophy support on ps2 games? yes please.

[fattyuk]

BE AMAZING IF POSSIBLE

SCARFACE

THE GODFATHER

THE SOPRANOS ( I NEVER PLAYED! )

RESEVOIR DOGS ( I NEVER PLAYED! )

STATE OF EMERGENCY :D

[Akuma2K]

The Godfather is one of my favorite games, would love to play that again.

Also hoping they add the Tenchu game series as well, that was a real ninja game imo.

[Effects]

As a socom fan i hope some games get some online support, bring back socom 2 online would be great. Alot of people have asked for a remaster of socom 2, but at this point I would take anything.

[s2Celerity]

Now if they release multiplayer servers for these emulated games on PS4, then we would all die happy. SOCOM 2 ONLINE >

[Father__Merrin]

BC 2 years in wont make a world of diifference. 99% want to move onto new games and if they want to play older titles they can keep theier 360 or ps3 its not a deal breaker.

if anything BC is important from launch possibly 1st year

[Eonjay]

Since this is running on emulation, does this mean that the Star Wars classic games are PS4 exclusive?

[Imalwaysright]

Wait, when was this announced? Either way these are great news.

[GryestOfBluSkies]

it hasnt been announced. its been hinted at several times but never announced.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Not really announced, but clearly many are confirming it due to how the game is actually playing.

It will likely be officially announced at PSX. The team wouldn't just make PS2 emulation on PS4 just to have those titles as it would make more sense to port those titles to PS4, then to make PS2 emulation to port it as that is more costly and doesn't even make any sense.

This sounds like Sony's doing and they have emulated PS2 and PS1 and are saving the announcement for PSX. They did hint that PS2 and PS1 emulation was feasible, but not PS3, they never ruled out PS2 and PS1 and those recent surveys are starting to show they've likely been thinking about adding it if fans wanted it enough.

[brando008]

I doubt Sony will push for any PS3 BC after pouring millions into Gaikai. They would essentially be abandoning their cloud streaming service and cutting losses

[captainexplosion]

Why do people think Gaikai is for BC? It is a completely different service. I never play PS3 games on my PS3 but I do stream games to my Vita at work through Now and my son uses it on his PSTV to stream games. Its a different service.

[iceman06]

I think that you were missing the true aim of PSNow. Sure, it does offer a limited form of BC. But, what it REALLY does is allow for a broader audience to play Playstation branded games. The aim is for smartphones, tablets, Smart TV's, set-top boxes, etc. to be able to play those games without the need to buy consoles.

[captainexplosion]

Is this for disc based games or do you have to buy them digitally? I didn't care about PS1 or PS2 emulation at all before because I can always play them on my PS2 or with improved graphics on my phone. But if they improve the visuals then I will probably dust off Crash Warped and SSX.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

BC is a great feature for any system and welcome. Just wish these companies would have launched with the features in place rather than waiting 2 yrs realize its important enough. Now Sony needs to figure out how they can let PS4 owners play PS3 games with a disc check or library check via PSNow and not make them pay for it.

[SmokingMonkey]

I'm mostly intrigued by the Retro-Trophies!!

[DasTier]

PS4 backwards compatibility would actually make me want a PS4.

[TeamLeaptrade]

This all looks pretty decent. The graphics also look pretty crisp. Can't wait to try this out myself.

[Jamaicangmr]

I'd go back and mess with GT4 if this is done right.

[FoxyGotGame]

I don't really care too much about BC on any platform ...but I could care a little more for GT4 and Dragon Quest 8 )

[0to100]

ps3 emulation anytime soon? or sony rather keep ripping us off with ps now?

[mushroomwig]

PS3 emulation won't happen because of the cell. Also backwards compatibility and PS Now are two completely different things. If you don't want to subscribe to the service, don't.

[JohnRambo392]

I see Sony is trying to play catch-up with Xbox One.

[DigitalRaptor]

Hmmmm not so sure about that. Maybe if you want to speculate...

If that were true though, then Sony would not have already patented adding Trophy support to their older games YEARS before Microsoft ever announced Xbox 360 backwards compatibility for their successor console: http://www.pushsquare.com/n...

PS1/2 emulation was always going to be in the cards for this console, due to their it being widely done for years now and being relatively simple in comparison to PS3 emulation. Sony was always going to capitalise on the nostalgia of the PS1/2 era, like they have already to a certain degree. PS3 emulation is a no go for obvious CELL-based reasons. Regardless, it's not hard to catch up when the PS1/2 libraries are each easily superior to the X360 library - and with added trophy support? Damn, that's so hot it's going up in flames.

[GrimDragon]

Oh please don't act like it's been something Sony been working on nearly since launch don't even try it. Sony always said vehemently there would be no bc obviously they decided to do it because of Xbox. Seems like eurogamer got its nose right up sonys behind.

[Sephiroushin]

Emulation and BC are two different things duh....
They have always say "no" bc to ps3 titles, they never said anything about not having psx and ps2 emulation... After all they filled a patent for trophies on psx and ps2 titles so this was bound to happen sooner or later, its something very obvious...

[GrimDragon]

Dude you serious? That's symantics bro you want to defend that nonsense go right ahead. When ever bc was mentioned they clearly stated they had no intention of doing it because that hardware wasn't compatible and they had no interest in emulation because they believed no one was interested in it enough to warrant the time and money to make one. Emulation was an obvious part of the subject because ps4 hardware according to them couldn't do it. In fact what drove that decision was the money they lost with PS3 having ps2 hardware in it. I shouldn't even have to explain this to you because obviously your just pulling apples out your ass but whatever bro both Sony and Microsoft have been playing hop scotch with each other for awhile that should be obvious to you as well.

[_-EDMIX-_]

? Where did you get that they stated this regarding all PS platforms?

http://bgr.com/2015/06/19/p...

Notice..."“PS3 is such a unique architecture, and some games made use of SPUs very well,” Yoshida said. “It’s going to be super challenging to do so. I never say never, but we have no plans.”

ie even on PS3 it was never stated "never" lol

They are talking about BC to PS3. That isn't to say the won't do PS2 or PS1 as they didn't say no BC from any platform period as they were not directly asked about PS2 or PS1 BC to my knowledge.

If your going to say something so brash, at least look it up.

"Sony always said vehemently there would be no bc"

Yet a link actually states otherwise. They never said "never" either lolz. How can they decided to do a feature, they've been doing longer then MS? You sure they doing it JUST because of MS? You sure MS isn't doing it because of them?

Consider PS2 and PS3 were BC before 360 was (clearly).

We don't know how long they had PS2 and PS1 BC planned for.

[Fijn]

I might be wrong here but this isn't emulation. This is just a port. The reason they believe it's an emulation is because back and start is binded to the left and right of the track pad but this is like saying a PC game that has Xbox buttons (Which I'm pretty sure I've seen somewhere) is emulating an Xbox?
Also the fact that there are trophies surely shows it's not emulation as it must know what's going on in the game whereas in an emulator, the actual system can't possibly know the difference between any actions at all.

Again I could be way off these are all just educated guesses

[Sephiroushin]

If it was a port i dont see the reason of asking the player to create a virtual memory card

[Soldierone]

Depends. If it is like the Xbox One where we put in the disc and it installs, that's friggin sweet! But if it's just like PS3 where we have to rebuy the games digitally then I'll just continue to pass.

[marioJP87]

I'm not interested in this because I have PCSX2 on my laptop and i'm able to run each game in full 1080P/60 FPS in 4X native.

[Eidolon]

That's not the point, I'd rather play on a tube tv with my PS2, but what grabs me on this is the trophy support.

[marioJP87]

Why? When you can connect it to an HDTV using HDMI?

[Eidolon]

Because most of the reason we go back to these games is nostalgia, and I played them on a tube TV.

[Angerfist]

I'm sorry but no one who is bitching about games not being 1080p should cheer for an emulator that upscales games from 4:3 480p. And tbh PS2 had good games but almost all good games got HD Collections on PS3 anyway. And no, PS1 games aren't of any value on a 55 inch screen.

Only a PS3 Emulator would be of value but that would break Sonys Neck on PSNOW.

So unless Sony gives a PS3 Emulator there isn't much value in all of this.

Get the HD Collections for your PS3 and be happy with it.

[Sephiroushin]

The same could be say about ps3 BC, I mean almost all good ps3 games are having a HD remaster.

So its kinda like... Get the remaster for your PS4 and be happy with it.

[no_more_heroes]

If they get ps1 games to work on ps4, will there be an option to buy them in the store?

If so, then I'd buy FFIX in a heartbeat (if it's there, of course). I've seen the whole thing, now I want to play it.

[Sephiroushin]

My guess is they'll mostlikely add a tab on the psn store(ps4) to buy psx / ps2 titles like the one on ps3 & psv.... Kinda like what they did when they added support for avatars on ps4 but dont quote me on that...
And FF9 is there for ps3/psv so i dont see why they would not add it on ps4 store once emulators are released!

[PersonMan]

If I could play Silent Hill 2 and 3 on my PS4, I'd be so happy!

[Skate-AK]

Man, I would freak if they did this for the Fatal Frame series.

[PS4XBOXONEPC]

Dear Sony, PLEASE put ...champions of norrath,and Baldurs gate dark alliance on ps4.;)

[Majin-vegeta]

If true.Cant wait to play SWVF1&2 :D

[CuddlyREDRUM]

I can smell the money Sony is going to use this for on PSN already.

More "pay again for the games you already own on disc".

[TWB]

That would be really cool but I still kinda doubt they are being emulated. Emulation in itself doesnt provide any extra performance since its trying to replicate the game running on the original machine 1:1 (meaning the virtual machines speed is locked).

Even now if you want to play PS2 games with better performance on PCSX2 you would need quite beefy CPU to run the "virtual overclock" and even then the game would need to suffer from frame drops or have dynamic V-sync to benefit.

Command prompts and icons could be blamed on the lazy porting.

I hope Im wrong though and I hope we could activate and run our own games without having to buy the classics from store or anything. I hope Microsofts BC policy puts some pressure on Sony to set up a similar system. Straight emulation from the discs would be the best thing though.

[DeadManMMX]

I mean this is pretty open and shut my PC can emulate PS2 so of course the PS4 can. Are they saving this announcement for PSX? Any addition is a good addition in this case.

[Knightofelemia]

Emulation would be great with the ability to stream now thats a great match. Hopefully Sony does do it I would be stoked about it.

[Loktai]

I cant wait to play Suikoden 4 again... with the short-shorts and the weird instagram filter graphics YEAARRSS before instagram existed and I was sailing around and didnt realize I could hold a button to sail faster until I was like 2/3 through the game, so my characters were massivly overleveled from LISTING LAZILY AROUND THE WORLD MAP AT IDLE SPEED and fighting for hours, I thought it was just meant to be realistic! No I just was too tolerant of grinding because I'd played so many RPGs at that point. I have no excuse, games still came with Manuals at that time so I really dont know why I didnt realize it sooner.

[DafunkyRebel]

most people have dead PS2s lying around so yeah they should let you use your old disks, seeing as I've been dying to play Onimusha again I will start a riot if they won't.

[chaosx]

Why would anyone bother ???

[yeahright2]

Some people enjoy things you don't bother with?

[Condemnedman]

O now bc is cool! 😕

[Grown Folks Talk]

"I didn't buy a next-gen console to play last last-gen games."

[Eiyuuou]

Your point being?

[tigertron]

I don't get why people are so against BC. BC is a great feature to have and I'm glad Microsoft have implemented it for the XB1. You can say how much you don't want PS3 BC, but spare a thought for people would like that feature on the PS4.

[UNKLE]

HOLY SHIT! TROPHY in EMU? its better than PCSX2. and I guess no graphics/sound glitch like pcsx2.

[hemmo1986]

Meh, I said with Microsoft and I'll say it again. I don't get what all the fuss is about.

[Smokingunz]

I see sony is following MS every move now with backwards compatibility lol good news noon the less though. People wanted this sonce the ps3.

The big challenge here will be getting all the big game people want to play. they did an aweful job with the ps2's downloadable games last gen on the ps3. At least Microsoft foods a great job with the backwards compatibility as far as games went last gen and note with the x1.

Im looking forward to seeing where Sony takes this.

[isarai]

oh man dude, this would be so great because i was actually planning on getting a ps2 soon to play some missed ps1/ps2 games like Tomba 1~2, the bouncer, and quite a lot more.

[kingdom18]

I wonder if this emulation can produce better or similar quality graphics to PCSX2. I also am curious if Sony will be produce a digital library for the games as well, I'm guessing they will if they offer disc support otherwise they would only make money through any additional hardware sales the feature would bring.

[The7Reaper]

Sweet hope Manhunt 1 and 2 work with it

[Doodleburger]

The ideal outcome would be the ability to use discs, and have digital games at $7. The reality outcome will probably be no disc use, games at $10 or more, or, even worse, they're all on PSNow.

[Orionsangel]

We need more previous gen games. Yeah sure. That's why we bought next gen consoles, to play previous gen games, smh

[Sadist3]

While you guys are playing old ass PS2 games, I'm gonna be playing fallout 4 and the witcher 3...because I bought a PS4 to play NEW games.

[Simco876]

Playstation Now is dead then? I just don't get it

[iliimaster]

ps2? ps1? on my 65 " tv..... forget it i want my ps3 library of games. and its massive, thats the way to go

[shankentertainment]

For people that doesnt have a fat 60GB PS3 this is a NEEDED feature that should have been a day one feature. I like PS2 its one of the greatest systems next to Dreamcast but i dont want to go buy one just to play classics its just not enough room. It jus amazes me that Sony thinks that people wouldnt want this to begin with, the only convenience that sony is offering is to download the classics to vita but not the other way around or even crossplay from vita to ps4 which seems odd its as if they bridging the gap but they have unfinished untapped features in the works that we just have to put two and two together on.

[shankentertainment]

I dont want to buy another PS2 in 2015 just to play classics, its no reason why Ps4 didnt have this feature day one but at least they're listening to the fans, i believe psnow is just for the last gen most likely this is the only way realistically bc can be achieved. The vita (which is the shit) allows you to play classics on it through download but it doesnt allow cross play or for you to be able to access them through the store on ps4 which is odd. Maybe theyre bridging the gap and they have to counter what mircosoft is doing, im sure psnow is just to fund this feature into the actual ps4 os and one day psnow will be like $10 a month or $50 a year for those who want it and dont want to go actually buy classics. I dont see why Sony would seem to think people dont want to revisit memory lane.

[Rhythmattic]

wow.... bc..... so excited... NOT.

How about features we most want?

[PurpHerbison]

Socom please

[craig2web]

Gran Turismo 3 and/or 4 PLEASE

[starcatcher]

Rouge Galaxy
Dark cloud 1-2
Klona 2
Dragon quest 8
Tales of the Abyss
Final fantasy X and 12
Sakura wars so long my love.
Disgaea afternoon of darkness