PS2 Game Downloads Coming?
Sony patents Emotion Engine emulation. It's coming, right?Published 30/06/2009 at 7:00 by nofi
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If you don’t own a launch PS3 chances are you won’t be able to use it to play PS2 games, because they’re missing the PS2’s Emotion Engine chip and thus don’t have the backwards compatibility. However, that could all change, because Sony has developed and patented a way to translate instructions from an Emotion Engine chip into chunks that can be referenced by a different, but more powerful processor.
Whilst I’m not up on the techniques used by emulators, it’s worth mentioning that Sony appear to have this ready to go running in “an example of a host system based on a cell processor that may be configured to emulate the target system.”. A PS3, then. If this means that we’ll finally have a way to emulate PS2 games successfully in software (as we’ve been hinting at for years) then this could pave the way for Store downloads of such titles.
Whether this is all purely conceptual or not isn’t clear either, but if anyone can do this it is the software engineers in the PS3’s firmware department, a tiny little shed behind Kaz’s house filled with steaming potions, and lots of coloured wires. Either this is planned for the rumoured PS3 Slim, or maybe, just maybe, firmware 3.0 will have something much, much bigger up its sleeve than just grief reporting. We’ll see.
Via SiliconEra.
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
Alex_Assassin_08 | 30/06/2009 07:05
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I’ve got a 60gb but this is great news!
3shirts | 30/06/2009 07:07
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I just posted this in the forum. Too slow I guess
As I said there, the only PS2 game I play on my launch 60Gb is GT4 and once GT5 comes out, I doubt I’ll use the BC at all
FriendlyFiend | 30/06/2009 07:07
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Hmm … didn’t I read somewhere (probably an old Edge) that all the PS2 emulation work is being done in the UK? If this is finally getting close to being up and running then well done to the boys from Blighty.
Cerberus64 | 30/06/2009 07:21
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We might have developed it but you can be sure that we won’t receive it until 6 months after everyone else!
Watchful | 30/06/2009 08:06
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Many of Sony’s in-house development tools are themselves developed in Bristol. Haven’t heard of any firmware development being done outside of Japan yet. But I’ve been wrong before.
Lanselta | 30/06/2009 07:38
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Great news! Lets hope they deliver.
sibbor | 30/06/2009 07:39
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The source that told us firmware 2.80 is coming also said something along “there’ll be something in firmware 2.80 a lot of PS3 wants, but it won’t work from start”… Been lots of buzzing around “global” voice chat, but perhaps it’s PS2 software emulation
…
Probably not.
cc_star | 30/06/2009 08:28
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Not as it was such a small download, unless the capability only requires an ‘unlock’ and not a download of the whole code
Alex_Assassin_08 | 30/06/2009 12:29
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maybe the download wa slike cc said, and just a code to ‘unlock’ it, with each game download having it’s own software code to be played, with the firmware update telling the PS3 how to read it.
also the locked volukme form the update i’m assuming is for cross game chat
epicness.
and for the record, i love text chat ^^
KillaScorp | 30/06/2009 07:49
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This could be good, but as my ps3 catalogue is expanding faster than i can play the games, i doubt i will use it. Good move though Sony if it is true!
sibbor | 30/06/2009 08:42
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Personally; same here actually. Got Tomb Raider: Underworld, Prince of Persia, the Burnout Paradise add-on Big Surf Island to play trough. Also I want to hunt more trophies in lots of games; Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (still), MotorStorm: Pacific Rift and Resident Evil 5 + some minor PSN titles like Worms, Flower and 3 vs 3 NHL Arcade.
Main point:
personally, I don’t care too much regarding PS2 support. Although I know my lil’ brother would love to get hold on a PS3 with PS3 support so he can retire his old (fat) PS2. Also I got lots of friends + colleges in the same situation; they would probably upgrade to a PS3 if PS2 emulation would be implemented.
I bet, lots of the conservative people around the world (esp. in poor countries) would get their hands on a PS3 if PS2 games would be playable out of the box.
Roarster | 30/06/2009 10:08
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“conservative people”?
benny boy | 30/06/2009 07:49
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“If this means that we’ll finally have a way to emulate PS1 and PS2 games successfully in software”
ALL PS3s can play PS1 games. Surely everybody knows this by now.
nofi | 30/06/2009 08:36
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It does say PS1 /and/ PS2 games, but I can see where it’s not clear. Greg’s going to edit the article shortly.
toutski | 30/06/2009 07:52
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More great news!
Would certainly pick up a few games off the PSN store.
Vandix | 30/06/2009 08:17
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This is pretty weird… The PAL 60GB’s has an emulator for the PS2 games. This is why not all PS2 games work on the 60GB’s. Only the US and Japan 60GB’s had the Emotions Engine chip…
Watchful | 30/06/2009 08:36
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Good point. The PAL 60GBs still had the PS2 graphics chip though (Graphics Synthesizer?). Wonder if this patent has just taken a couple of years to bubble up through the system. I’ll go find the patent for myself.
cc_star | 30/06/2009 08:26
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Look how long it takes SCEE to get PS1 classics on the store, Japan has hundreds, the US has made a committment to step up production, but nothing from SCEE.
It would be financial suicide if this emulation re-enabled disk based PS2 games to play, as everybody would hit the second hand Market further hindering the apperently woeful PS3 attach rates, although since my launch 60gig YLODd I’d appreciate it.
nofi | 30/06/2009 08:36
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SCEE are working on the emulator, though. =)
Ross_K91 | 30/06/2009 08:35
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Maybe that was the secret unusable feature in 2.8, or was it patented more recently?
mcphatty | 30/06/2009 08:36
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Definitely good news! Hopefully this means they will get to work on the compatability list again and as a bonus its less YLOD worries for those of use with ageing 60’s.
DarthSharkey | 30/06/2009 08:40
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Good news if you don’t own a launch day PS3. Having some of the games on the store would be a real bonus for people who missed earlier titles in the last generation and can not afford the inflated prices on ebay among other places.
3shirts | 30/06/2009 08:50
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Come on, there is no way the PSN download will be cheaper than a second hand copy of the original game off eBay
tyrant161 | 30/06/2009 09:17
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I’m not too shure about that…2 games in particular.
Check out Ebay
ICO….from £30 upto £120 still in original wrapper.
Shadow of the colossus £35 upto £80 depending on condition.
Both are fantastic games but not worth those asking prices.
I would pay upto £20 each for a download of them (the price of a platinum game).
If Sony were able to add trophies to the games (can’t see it happening though) I would consider paying a bit more.
Great adventure games—and trophies are hard to come by on Ps3.
hannes_truce | 30/06/2009 08:49
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sweet. I want to play though the previous ICO games before Last guardian is released. this could make that possible.
Aitrus | 30/06/2009 08:52
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If they get this up and running, they are sitting on a gold mine. PS2 games on PSN could sell a lot.