Last week, Sony confirmed to scores of surprised gamers that PS2 emulation is coming to PlayStation 4. Although backwards compatibility rumours have been in circulation for quite some time now, they became more credible back in September when PEGI (Europe’s video game ratings board) listed several PS2 classics including Dark Cloud, Twisted Metal Black, and Ape Escape 2.
Confirmation from Sony finally came last week with the launch of Star Wars Battlefront. Those who went out and brought one of the limited edition PlayStation 4 bundles were treated to updated versions of four memorable Star Wars video games. Among them were Super Star Wars, which originally launched on the SNES, as well as three titles from the PS2 era: Racer Revenge, Jedi Starfighter, and Bounty Hunter.
Naturally, we assumed the latter three would be remastered ports. However, it didn’t take long for Digital Foundry to work out that these Star Wars hits are actually running via the PlayStation 4’s yet-to-be-revealed PS2 emulation process. With the cat out of the bag, Sony responded to questions but didn’t go into any more details as to what fans can expect from its upcoming emulation feature, which games it will cover, and how it will actually work.
For some, however, this backwards compatibility may as well have stayed a secret. Although he considers it to be a nice addition, Teflon points out that in today’s current climate gamers are always looking for the newest, shiniest games to stock their libraries with. To that effect, he doesn’t envision a massive uptake when PS2 emulation finally rolls out, compared to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility to the 360.
Another point he makes (and one shared by Dom) is that many of the classics from that era have already undergone substantial work. Ever since God of War kick-started the trend back in 2009, we’ve seen a flurry of notable series retooled for newer hardware, from Kingdom Hearts to Prince of Persia. We’ve yet to hear any solid details regarding the PlayStation 4’s emulation process, but if publishers need to be involved, would it honestly be beneficial for Square Enix and Ubisoft to feed these previously remastered hits into the pipeline? Looking further ahead, there’s a good chance that – in Square’s case at least – we haven’t seen them hit remaster saturation, especially with hits like Final Fantasy XII and Dragon Quest VIII waiting in the wings.
Whether or not these emulation tools take the PS4’s fan base by storm will hinge on functionality. Personally, I’m quite happy to draw a line under my PS2 backlog and call it a day. However, if each emulated title gets the same treatment as the recent Star Wars trio then my stance is likely to chance. For starters, with a noticeably improved resolution and the games running at 60fps, the PS4’s emulation process looks to eliminate some of that visual awkwardness when revisiting older games. Another boon would be the implementation of trophy support – personally, I’m a massive trophy fiend, so having them there would provide some added incentive.
Of course, implementation is also another huge consideration. If, by some miracle, the PlayStation 4 allowed players to redeem free emulated copies of titles by inserting their old discs into the system, for many that would be game, set, and match. That’s exactly what’s happening with Microsoft and the Xbox One with more and more games from the 360’s software library requiring nothing more than an old disc to cement that backwards compatibility process, albeit it from a pre-approved list that comes from working in collaboration with publishers.
We honestly shouldn’t get our hopes up, however. As much as I’d like to believe this is what Sony is doing, it doesn’t make sense for the company to work hard at implementing this new feature without wanting to fill their pockets. Chances are that emulated PS2 games will crop up on the PlayStation Store as downloadable titles, though hopefully those that have already bought a PS2 classic for play on the PS3 will be treated to the PS4 version via cross-buy. At the same time, with their PS2 emulation at a sufficiently advanced stage, it’s quite plausible that we’ll see them added to the PlayStation Now streaming service.
Although this will certainly cater to some fans, we can’t see the uptake coming anywhere near to that of the Xbox One’s superb backwards compatibility offering.
So, how do you think Sony’s PlayStation 2 emulation plans will play out? Are we a little too pessimistic in dispelling the disc-reading theory or is PS2 emulation bound for PSN and PlayStation Now? Which lesser-known PS2 games would like to see make an appearance?
freezebug2
Not too bothered about already having bought the originals and paying again, let’s face it they’ll only retail at a couple of quid and will boot considerably faster than disc with better visuals.
Just give me my Riding Spirits….the saga continues :P