Ben-DutkaAs far as I was concerned, one of the biggest selling points of the PlayStation 3 was it's backwards compatibility that would allow me to play almost any game I have in my PS1 and PS2 collection. This meant that early on, when the PS3 had little in the way of software, I could still choose from over 100 titles in my current collection, and still continue to play new PS2 games on my PS3. In other words, I'd have no reason to hold on to the PS2 once I upgraded.
However, as we all know, backwards compatibility for PS2 titles was one of the first features to be dropped from Sony's new machine, primarily in the interest of lowering production costs. Now, people complained, but I think they probably complained more about the $600 price tag the system sported at launch in late 2006. Besides, I started to notice that playback wasn't entirely perfect for some of my PS1 and PS2 games, and I actually started to miss my PS2 for older classics in my collection. So I got a silver PS2 Slim, which I've been using ever since. However, since it has become clear that Sony intends to release PS2 classics on the PSN alongside the existing PS1 classics, I've noticed a lot of negative feedback from supposed long-time PlayStation fans.
I understand the question, "why should I have to buy my PS2 games again?" I really do. But I think Sony's been so good to all of us over the years that we've gotten a mite spoiled… What other game console do you know of that's backwards compatible? The PS2 was entirely backwards compatible concerning PS1 games throughout its life so perhaps we all expected the same treatment this generation, but really, who else has ever given you true b/c? The Xbox 360 always had limited b/c due to its software emulation – I couldn't get most of my Xbox games to ever work well, even with the patches – and I'm not exactly seeing all the old Mario and Zelda titles readily available on the Wii. In fact, Nintendo, a pioneer of the industry, has only once delivered b/c, and that's with the Wii, and only goes as far back as the GC, so no Link to the Past and I bet PlayStation fans may want to be able to play Metal Gear Solid on the PS4. I suppose because the PS2 spoiled us we expect things to always remain the same, and I certainly can understand that.
The bottom line is that if you have old games for any other video game system (not counting PC), you need the old console for which it was originally intended. Period. And with the exception of the PS2 and the PS3 for a very short span of time, this hasn't changed. Personally, I just think it's amazing the PS3 even plays PS1 games. True, I need a PS2 hooked up so I can play PS2 games but what else is new? I always need to have my old consoles to play my old games! To denounce Sony for reissuing PS2 games on the Network – which does indeed cost them a little something and oh by the way, they're digital downloads – seems a little like a petulant, spoiled kid freaking out because one day, the teacher didn't give him a lollipop at the start of school. Nobody else ever got that lollipop but the spoiled kid ignored that and threw a tantrum because he was forced to take a step "back" to normalcy.