March 21, 2007
SCEE Launches PS3 Compatibility Website, Details Firmware Upgrade
Posted at 5:21 pm in PS3

Following word that backwards compatibility has been (somewhat) crippled in the European PS3, SCEE has launched a website that will allow prospective PS3 owners in the region to check out whether their new shiny black box will run their old titles (or not). The website lists all titles from the portfolio of PS2 titles available in the SCEE PAL territories that are playable on the new console.

“Our engineers have been working overtime, and have succeeded in delivering a significant number of playable PS2 titles for the European launch”, said David Reeves, President of SCEE. “We will be adding additional titles to this list in future firmware upgrades, but as we have made clear before, in the future our resources will be increasingly focused on developing new services and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, rather than on delivering PS2 backwards compatibility.”

Sony also announced that a new firmware - v1.60 - will be available at launch from midnight on March 22 through the PlayStation Network. The upgrade will allow players to run the PS2 titles listed on the website; it will also deliver features such as Folding@home connectivity, allowing gamers to contribute their PS3 cycles to solve diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; background downloading of content from the PlayStation Store, allowing up to six pieces of content to be queued up while letting users enjoy other non-gaming functions of the PS3; support for Bluetooth keyboards and mice; and an optional full QWERTY on-screen keyboard for text entry.