Does PS3 Play PS2 Games

Does PS3 play PS2 games? This is a very common question asked by prospective PlayStation 3 buyers, because they want to know if they'll be able to enjoy the massive library of games that are offered through the legendary PS2. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not exactly black-and-white.

As you may already know, there are several different PS3 bundles available on the market today. The consoles that are sold in stores today are not the same as the ones that were available when the PlayStation 3 first launched in 2006. As such, when you try to answer the question--"Does PS3 play PS2 games?"--you need to first know exactly which version you are considering.

The Sony PlayStation 3 first arrived on the market in the fall of 2006, ushering in a new era of Blu-ray movies and terrific PlayStation 3 games. People got caught up playing titles like Motorstorm, among others. At the time, Sony offered two versions of the PS3. One came with a 20GB hard drive, whereas the more expensive model had a 60GB hard drive. Almost ironically, these original consoles offer the best "backwards compatibility" of all the PS3 models ever sold. In this way, if you're looking to play PlayStation 2 games on a PS3, you will have the most success with these models.

This is because the architecture of those PlayStation 3 consoles made use of many similar or identical components as the PlayStation 2. In this way, these PS3 machines offered hardware-based PS2 emulation. Does PS3 play PS2 games? Yes, the 20GB and 60GB models do, but there are some caveats to keep in mind. The emulation does not work with all PS2 titles and the backwards compatibility does not apply to video game accessories, like the guitar controller for Guitar Hero.

Somewhere along the line, Sony discontinued the 20GB PlayStation 3 and replaced it with one that had a 40GB hard drive instead. This wasn't the only hardware change! Several internal components were changed, both in an effort to improve performance and in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. This led to a move away from PS2-based components as well, so the 40GB PlayStation 3 does not offer any backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 2. None whatsoever.

On the bright side, the PS3 40GB will be able to play titles from the original Sony PlayStation, also known as the PS1, PSX, or PSone.

With the introduction of the 80GB model, Sony re-introduced PS2 backwards compatibility to the PlayStation 3, but this does not work in the same way as the 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3. Instead, in answering the question of does PS3 play PS2 games, the 80GB model makes use of a software-based PlayStation 2 emulator instead. This means that the ability to play PlayStation 2 games is not based in the hardware or physical components of the PlayStation 3. Instead, the emulation comes by way of a software application, much like the PS2 emulators that you may be able to find for a Windows-based computer.

The software-based PS2 emulator was originally quite poor and did not work very well. As time went on, Sony released firmware updates that improved PS3 emulation performance and it is generally accepted as being quite good now. If you are having trouble with playing PlayStation 2 games, one of the best things you can do is to check if you have the latest version of the PS3 firmware.

The European (PAL) 60GB PlayStation 3 has similar software emulation for playing PlayStation 2 games.

Does PS3 play PS2 games? As this article has explained, it depends on the exact model of PlayStation 3 that you have, but it also has to do with the specific PS2 titles that you would like to play as well. Sony continually updates its compatibility status list to show which PS2 games can (and cannot) be played. In the meantime, maybe you should play some of the best PS3 games instead.

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