Backwards Compatibility For PS3 Divides PlayStation Fans, But Here’s Why It’s Needed
It seems the PS3’s Cell processor was aptly named. The third generation in PlayStation was a high-definition step up from the PS2, and the capabilities of its custom chip was hyped up by Sony. But this massively powerful CPU proved to be a huge headache for a lot of developers, so much so that a number of PS3 games are likely forever jailed to the system – that is, unless Sony decides to put in the effort and resources for backwards compatibility, native support, or even emulation.
Backwards compatibility for PS3 games has been a source of discussion lately. There are jokes about how Sony itself doesn’t know enough about its own console, or just doesn’t care enough to support or emulate its most complex PlayStation.
Related: I Might Consider A PS Plus Premium Sub If It Lets Me Play These Forgotten PS3 Classics
There are other divisions. Some simply don’t care about old PS3 games, as many of its best games, such as the first three Uncharted games and The Last of Us, have been remastered for the PS4 anyway. But others, like Metal Gear Solid 4, Resistance 1 & 2, Tokyo Jungle, Binary Domain, Tales of Xilia, Heavenly Sword, and Folklore, remain stuck in a cell.
The cloud-based PS Now subscription service already offers PS3 titles such as the Infamous series and Resistance 3, but only to stream, meaning you need reliable broadband to access them – Sony’s makeshift workaround to the back compat problem. However, there are entire regions of the world that don’t have decent internet or where PS Now isn’t available, such as Latin America.
There’s an excellent explainer video on why the PS3 was so uniquely difficult to develop for. To summarise, it’s basically due to the system's complex architecture. It required a significant
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