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
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tyrant161 | 30/06/2009 09:08
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I have a launch (60gig type) Ps3 with a 500gig hard drive and i have to say that i still play Ps2 games on it, they look loads better upscaled.
Ps2-PSN downloads that i would like to get…..
Shadow of the colossus
ICO
Resident evil 4
Amplitude
God of war 1&2
WRC Evolved
Just to name a few, i would buy/download all these games if they were available even though i can play them from disc.
If Ps2 games do become downloadable, i just hope that our PSN European store is a bit better with the date’s for content.
I am still waiting to download Metal gear solid,Resident evil and Spyro the dragon (last one for my kids “Honest”)
I cant wait to play these on my psp but we still have no release dates.(a bit of a worry).
jimmy-google | 30/06/2009 09:18
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Only a few days ago someoen asked the question about ps2 games on the psn store on the eu playstatiob blog – the answer was there are no plans for ps2 games to be on the store.
LycanGav | 30/06/2009 09:23
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Sony said last year that they hoped to have PS2 emulation available to all PS3 owners by Q4 09, but then retracted the statement iirc. I guess this is what they meant. Great news for me personally, having only joined the console gang this generation. Give me a chance to play stuff like the God of War series and the Team ICO games.
YOURMUMANDME | 30/06/2009 09:55
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I still have my launch , 60gig ps3 . It still might mean PSN dowloads though so that’s still good news .
What I don’t understand is , how come they haven’t used the P.C. Port version of PS2 games ? P.C.’s don’t have the Emotion engine do they ?
Roarster | 30/06/2009 10:07
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I’m only copying this from another site so it could be rubbish, but some people are suggesting this patent is only describing the technique used in the existing BC capable PS3’s. Seemingly they emulate the Emotion Engine chip but still need the Graphics Synthesizer chip on-board. If that’s true then it doesn’t sound like this patent is fixing that problem and offering full software BC.
To be honest, it’s never been that clear to me why they can’t do full software emulation of the PS2 on the PS3, it’s not like any of the hardware on the PS2 is particularly advanced.
Watchful | 30/06/2009 11:04
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I’ve got the full patent up on screen at the moment and I’m working my way through it in between other things. So far I can’t see anything in it that doesn’t apply to the way PS2 are emulated on PAL 60GB PS3s. As pointed out by Vandix above the US and Japanese 60GBers had Emotion Engines in them. Still got a way to go through the patent though so something might turn up.
Roarster | 30/06/2009 12:49
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According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3#Models) the original 60GB had both the Emotion Engine and the Graphics Synthesizer chip on-board. However, the first US 80GB removed the Emotion Engine and emulated in software but retained the Graphics Synthesizer (unlike the PAL 40GB/80GB and the current US 80GB which removed both chips). I haven’t read the patent, but based on other people summarising, it sounds like it describes the software emulation of the Emotion Engine working together with the Graphics Synthesizer hardware of the original US 80GB which isn’t much use for PS3’s with neither chip (like the one under my TV!).
marvzilla | 30/06/2009 10:36
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my 60gb launch model freezes whenever I try to play SSX Tricky, if the emulator works better then I’d be a happy chappie
re PS2 game prices, I’ve been picking up loads of classics (Burnout Takedown, MGS2 + 3, God of War 1 +2) from car-boots for £2.50 a pop though I did pay a whopping £4 for Godhand!
Aitrus | 30/06/2009 12:57
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I have the same problem with SSX Tricky. I can play the first course but if I try to go to anything else it freezes. It sux cause it’s a great game.
AcidCrashX | 30/06/2009 10:48
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I bought my PS3 just after christmas once i got a pay increase at work and fancied splashing out on something. i have to say not being able to play Persona 3/4 and old guitar heroes without having to plug in the old PS2 is one of the worst parts of having bought the system so late.
i hope sony do eventually release backwards compat. i would even happily pay some cash for it in honesty
cc_star | 30/06/2009 11:23
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You raise a good point there, is there a market for Sony to charge for this? I think there probably is, I’m not sure how much I’d pay, but I would definitely pay something for it.
Aitrus | 30/06/2009 13:00
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Even if there is a market for it, I think Sony would deliver the service for free – and then charge an arm and a leg for the games…
rht992 | 30/06/2009 10:50
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i would really like to play old ps2 games. I never got the change to play the god of war games(i know its like blasphemy if you have a playstation) and i love the jak and daxter games but i never managed to play the first
cc_star | 30/06/2009 11:20
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If FFVII is 7.99 I can see PS2 download games being 9.99-19.99 on the PSN Store, so if I can play my old games or pick up games from car boots for a couple of quid I can’t see them re-enabling disk play.
Timesh1993 | 30/06/2009 11:36
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I kind of got lost when i started reading the first line.
Too many big words.
Blue Heeler | 30/06/2009 11:44
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My take on this…God of War 3 will come packaged with GoW 1 & 2, but as digital download codes. Sony adds in PS2 software emulation with a firmware update just before GoW3 launches.
Alex_Assassin_08 | 30/06/2009 12:25
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this should be epic. If SONY can do this, there set to make millions.
I’m 15, so missed LOTS of classics on PS2.
God of War 1 & 2? instant buy!
Shadow of the Collosus? instant buy!
There are so many classics on the PS2, please SONY…please!
one litle thing…PLEASE SONY let us have in-game XMb on PS1 and PS2 games? It’s so annoying playing FFIVV (another classic I missed but now love!) and and you recieve a messege only to realise you can’t reply…¬¬
and last time I checked you get signed out when you play PS2.
If SONY are gonna do this properly, let us stay signed in and have in-game XMB! and im not expecting it to say what game your playing under your name, but would it be too much for ‘PlayStation One Game’ and ‘PlayStation Two Game’ to be shown?
Come on SONY, get on the ball. You can download classics on the 360.
Myh mate who has just got a PS3 has said he feels completely restricted on the PSN, and madly misses cross-game chat.
The PS3 is supposedly the most powerful console ever.
So why aren’t SONY showing off what it can do? (apart from exclusive games!)
Snebjnr | 30/06/2009 13:15
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Wow that sounds like some good news
yogh_wayne | 30/06/2009 17:25
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That would be awesome! Backwards compatibility for PS2 games is the feature I miss most on the PS3.
HITMAN999 | 30/06/2009 21:43
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I wonder if they’ll listen to any requests for less popular games such as the EA Cricket series or Brian Lara Cricket. Can’t wait till the Ashes game comes out.