When Sony announced that PlayStation 2 games would be playable on its latest console through the wonders of emulation, it stirred a sizeable portion of the gaming community. For me, as someone whose Facebook is largely free from the influence of game-related content, it was surprising to see the number of people chipping in on the topic, making PS2 emulation one of the social networks most talked about trends that week. Although some were more excitable than others, none of my friends could wait to dust off their shelves of decade old gaming goodness.
However, the dream of Sony simply allowing users to pop in old discs and relive their favourite titles on PlayStation 4 never came true. Sadly, what the company actually meant by emulation was a means for it and other publishers to repackage their ageing catalogue and sell them anew on the PlayStation Store. When the first wave of these enhanced PS2 games hit the digital store front there was a palpable sense of disappointment. Although keen to see the return of some PlayStation classics as well as some of the lesser known titles, their associated price tags left a bitter taste in the mouths of many, as they ranged from eight to twelve quid.
Despite being caught up in all the excitement, for me this put an early nail in the coffin for PS2 emulation. I don’t usually buy digital titles anyway, and to pay anything more than a fiver for a spruced up version of San Andreas of Twisted Metal Black just seems like throwing money away. Even some of the rarer PS2 games I have always been itching to play lost their appeal, with Rogue Galaxy being one of the more premium £11.99 offerings.
Dom thought more of less the same, having been eager to grab copies of Dark Cloud, Fantavision, and more. For him, the most he’d be willing to pay is four to five pounds for smaller PS2 games, with a couple of quid thrown on top for slightly bigger ones. Then again, Kris and Dave make the point that many of the big franchises from this era have been remastered on PS3 such as Metal Gear Solid, Ratchet & Clank, and God of War. Although even more expensive than their emulated counterparts, these updated versions have been given far more attention, with some going far beyond a simple visual top-up.
Tuffcub goes on to stress these points further:
Frankly I’m not all that interested, when you do go back and play PS2 games they look and sound ropey, and there are very few I would really want to play. None of the current crop of PS2 games are worth the money. A lot of the games I would really like to play again have already been ported to PS3, such as Resident Evil 4 and Kingdom Hearts, so I have no desire to buy them yet again.
That said, he would like to see some games make their way to PlayStation 4 via emulation. For one, he cites the lack of side-scrolling shoot ’em ups on the platform, calling for the return of R-Type Final. Secondly, there are hits such as Manhunt and The Suffering, though he fears that these won’t have aged well, even with a bit of polishing up.
Although miffed, I suppose that’s what is keeping me interested in the emulation line-up. There’s always the prospect of something incredibly obscure or offbeat turning up. If games like TimeSplitters 2 or X-Men: Legends were to suddenly turn up I’d have to seriously re-evaluate whether £10 is really a stupid price to pay. After all, it was games like these that really defined my childhood.
For all the negative things we’ve been saying about the PlayStation 4’s PS2 emulation, Teflon points out that the system has actually been doing a job in reviving older titles. Although PC emulators have been upping the resolution and frame rates of these games for a while now, the inclusion of trophy support as well Share functionality are smart tricks that definitely add value.
It seems that, for many, only time will tell whether PS2 emulation was worth all the initial hype. The two main obstacles are variety and price, though I suspect we’ll witness some sort of change within the next twelve months. Though some may call me cynical, I can definitely see Sony looking to inflate its monthly PlayStation Plus line-ups with emulated games, and in terms of the variety of games, this is something that will no doubt grow organically.
If so, it seems as though Dave has quite a few suggestions up his sleeve. Unlike the other staffers here at TheSixthAxis, pricing wasn’t a primary issue:
Honestly, the only thing that has been making it difficult to purchase any of the PS2 emulated games on PS4 has been the lineup. It’s full of games I either didn’t care too much about or games that I’d played to death on other systems.
If Dave ever got his way, he’d jump straight on under-rated hits like God Hand, as well as games like Viewtiful Joe, Final Fantasy XII, the Onimusha series, TimeSplitters 2, SMT: Persona 3 FES, and Katamari Damacy.
But where do you sit on the topic of PS2 emulated games? Are you eager to pick up classics and play them again, or have you been put off by the small selection and high pricing?
Dazbobaby
Emulation is completely pointless unless it’s PS3 on the PS4. PS2 on the PS3.
What is so hard about that that Sony just don’t get it.
Microsoft understand that, and it keeps last gen games alive while the new gen play catch up.
Even polished up the PS2 games are fun for 5 minutes, the nostalgia trip wears off and your wallet is lighter.
Same with remakes in general, though The Last of Us really did show the world it could be done properly. Uncharted might look really good, but the lack of MP really distracted me to the point of frustration as I really loved the co-op.
But if I could just pop motorstorm into my PS4 and play then I could finally be rid of my antiquated PS3. But I guess I’ll have to wait for the PS5 before I can do that.
Dazbobaby
Not forgetting that emulation exists on the PC, and it’s free if somewhat tricky to get working perfectly every time.
JustTaylorNow
There is a thing called PSNow, that makes up for backward compability otherwise what is the point of buying a PS4 just so you can play PS3 games to sell your PS3.
Dazbobaby
The number of launch games was fairly high for the PS4, but until year 2 starts then games are always fairly thin on the ground.
This is the perfect time for backwards compatibility to keep you going until quality and quantity to meet user demands.
Hence why I said: “Microsoft understand that, and it keeps last gen games alive while the new gen play catch up.”
Jag
I’m sure Sony do get it and would do it if they could but Cell was such a unique beast that it’s almost impossible to emulate at a workable level of performance on PS4.
I’ve seen some benchmarks (from Ubi I think when they were talking about Unity) that say the Cell can be more or just as powerful as the current CPU in PS4.
Microsoft’s biggest boon was probably using DirectX in both the 360 and the One and that’s probably the key to them getting BC working.
Avenger
DirectX doesn’t have that much do with it. One of MS’s biggest issues was emulating PPC architecture on an x86 based system, which I can imagine was very difficult.
Jag
That’s the second part of my point, as while difficult, PPC is easier to emulate than Cell.
My point with DX though was that software on both MS systems talked to the hardware through the same layer. This means you don’t have to emulate the all of the hardware itself but make sure all the DX calls are just as performant on the One as they were on the 360.
SamBeThyName
Its not just one system to the next. Port GTA San Andreas onto Vita and anybody that uses a Vita regularly would buy it.
ron_mcphatty
I’m disappointed, though I feel naïve to have hoped for disc emulation. To be able to quickly shove Burnout 3 or Rez in for a few minutes would’ve been great, it’s a bit more of a faff to get my PS2 out of the loft but at least I have that option.
MrJimmy
Yep it’s a non event, they did it because they could. Even Timesplitters I might consider but expect to be bored in a few hours, it just won’t stack up against current gen titles of which we all seem to be drowning in half finished titles
JustTaylorNow
I watched a few games on PS4 playing PS2, I just cannot play anything with such graphics anymore, my eye has gotten used to PS4 standards that PS2/1 games are just not worthy anymore.
me personally, I don’t want to see last gen games on my new gen, especially PS2. It was a waste of time & Sony could have did something else with the time they spent on creating this emulator.
JR.
This is one of the reasons I kept hold of my Vita. PS1/PS2 games look great on that little screen. I just wish it had L2/R2 buttons instead of that god awful rear touch screen. Other than that, I do enjoy playing the old games every now and again.
Jag
It all feels like it was in response to Xbox BC more than anything.
I’m not even sure what I’d actually buy on it now given the remasters that came out last gen which look better and have trophies too.
There are a few classics but a lot of those are probably impossible due to licencing or the devs not existing anymore like with X-Men Legends 2 and Timesplitters.
Also when it comes to games like Burnout, as cool as it would be to play 3 or Revenge again I’d much rather a new game in the series or a true sequel to Paradise.
Going back to the Xbox BC thing, the coolest thing about that to me is being able to play the great games I bought off the store again.
If Sony could emulate those types of games it would be amazing and maybe it would easier than full emulation but I understand that it’s not likely.
Still at least there’s cross buy!
tactical20
I bought them for full RRP on PS2. Then I bought them for PS3, albeit only when in store sales. They are actually having a laugh if they think I’m buying them again for PS4. Besides, my most wanted forthcoming PS4 list is looking quite healthy for the first time in it’s life! The Division, Far Cry Primal, Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, etc.. No time for playing ancient PS2 games for a third time!
Avenger
Certainly doesn’t do much for me. I’ll probably play Star Wars Bounty Hunter and SW Racer Revenge, as they’ve both aged well, but it’s not reason to go shouting about it (it’s very nice though, if Socom comes along I’ll shout about it).
I find hard to believe Sony were doing this as a major feature for the PS4. There was very little build up or publicity, it just seemed like they were expanding the digital library more than any grandiose announcement of backwards compatibility. If they were trying to compete against 360 BC (which I doubt), they didn’t quite get the idea.
Lyts1985
When it was first announced it was obvious they weren’t going to let you play those old games you’ve got tucked away in the attic, that’s just crazy talk and very un-Sony lately, there’s no profit for them there.
The pricing is definitely off-putting. Had Vice City or San Andreas been around a fiver I’d have been very tempted, but that said, like tactical20; I’m not paying for the same game a third time!
I also share JustTaylorNow’s opinion – I feel like I’m wasting precious and increasingly rare gaming time playing games I’ve already played that are, nowadays, of inferior quality, when I could be enjoying brand new, graphically superior experiences that I’ve not played before.
Nah, not for me! Clearly an after-thought intended to try and steal some of the XO’s BC thunder. A real missed opportunity.
I’ve really not been too enamoured with Sony this gen and not just in terms of BC. I can’t help but think that Sony believe they’ve already trounced MS, they’ve already got our money and our early support, so there’s no point trying anymore, they’ve got this gen in the bag. A real shame.
All that said, if Manhunt or any of the TimeSplitters games come along I may have to reevaluate everything! :-D
Tuffcub
PlayStation does have cross-buy tho, which is a big plus id you have more than one Sony system. For example, paying once for Volume gets the PS3, PS4, PS Vita AND the PlayStation VR versions.
Lyts1985
Yeah of course, and ive made use of that more than once, I was mainly referring to PS2 games where we’ve bought the disc, maybe then bought the PS3 version, and now the new PS4 version…
Zimsalabim
All good points raised here but how about this as a possible route for Sony to take:
Unlock the emulator for those with PS2 discs to play anytime (e.g as part of a Plus Sub) BUT for those who want trophies & other goodies, offer the upgraded package as now, BUT in 2 price codes – cheapest if you’ve got the original ‘verified’ disc in the drive while playing, higher price if you haven’t.
It might work. ‘Free’ emulation for those who want to revisit old flames on a whim, coupled with the full-on ‘premium’ experience for those with greater commitment…
Oh and while they’re about it, how about PSone BC on PS4 for everyone? How hard can that be?
Or am I missing something?
ron_mcphatty
Disc emulation for Plus subscribers is a great idea! Or they could sell the emulator app for say £20? I totally get that emulation is expensive and needs funding somehow.
Good point about the PSOne classics, even my old uni computer from 2002 could emulate them. I’d quite like to play the ones I’ve already bought, though I’ve got my Vita TV for that.
bunimomike
Most of the dilemmas will be whether it’s worth doing it or not (i.e. financially). I can’t see PS1 backward compatibility being highly sought after.
Amphlett
“I can’t see PS1 backward compatibility being highly sought after.” – I would have said the same about PS2 compatibility.
Sitorimon
Yes yes to all of that please!!!
As someone who collects and keeps my games, I want to be able to keep my collection alive. Parappa I was happy to pay for as I got that preowned and love it to death. Others less so. I think I should have to pay for the extras like trophies and so on. I wish I didnt have to for just experiencing something again.
I am glad I have a back up ps2 for when my current one goes pop.
Tuffcub
From what I’ve read it’s not a simple case of “One Emulator fits all” – each game needs tweaks to make it work. If Sony did charge for a single emulator and half the games didn’t work, then that would be much more of a scandal.
Zimsalabim
Al true, Tuffcub, which is why I suggested the unlock would be via Plus – “We’re giving it to you, so some might work, some might not… But buy our selection of ‘remasters’ if you want to ensure a good experience…”
As to the PSone BC, I think it’d be the work of a skilled teenaged intern with a week’s supply of Mountain Dew and the original source code as found in the PS3. Again, unless I’m missing something, the PS3 emulated PSone via software did it not?
As a direct link back to PS Heritage it’d be easy, cheap to implement and more than worth its weight in PR.
Tuffcub
Yeah PS1 games were software emulated, but considerably less complicated than PS2 games.
Amphlett
Looks like the consensus to your questions is “No”. Not really a shock.