Sony's New PS2 Won't Play All Games
Sony's limited edition version of its PlayStation 2 will not be able to the play some games. The new slim-line console will be available in Japan in late November.
Sony has published a list of nine PlayStation 2 games and 38 PlayStation games that run into problems on the new console.
In an effor to boost its sales, the SCPH-75000 will be available in a silver color for a limited period.
However, it seems that some software changes in the internal of the console are causing problems.
"We believe multiple factors are responsible," said Reiko Sakamoto, a spokeswoman for SCEI in Tokyo. The latest console uses a new chipset -- the chip that sits between the main processor and the rest of the device -- and changes in that chip coupled with the way some software is programmed is believed to be causing the glitches, she said. The problems are largely screen hang-ups during certain parts of the game but also include glitches such as the slow saving of game data onto memory cards.
The problems were discovered when SCEI began compatibility testing of the new consoles with the roughly 8,000 games that have been released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles in Japan. Mass production of the consoles had already begun at the time.
As testing isn't complete the list could become longer. SCEI wouldn't specify how many titles remain to be tested but said "most of" the software testing has been completed.
Looking ahead to the PlayStation 3, which SCEI plans to launch in the first half of next year, Sakamoto said that SCEI remains committed to backwards compatibility with existing titles on the new machine.
"It's hard to say the PlayStation 3 will be 100 per cent backwards compatible but as we said earlier this year we aim to make it so as much as possible," Sakamoto said.
The latest promotion comes ahead of the holiday sales season in Japan and just under three weeks before Microsoft is due to launch its Xbox 360 console in Japan.
SCEI hasn't detailed an international launch for the console, which will cost 19,800 Yen (143 Euro) in Japan.
In an effor to boost its sales, the SCPH-75000 will be available in a silver color for a limited period.
However, it seems that some software changes in the internal of the console are causing problems.
"We believe multiple factors are responsible," said Reiko Sakamoto, a spokeswoman for SCEI in Tokyo. The latest console uses a new chipset -- the chip that sits between the main processor and the rest of the device -- and changes in that chip coupled with the way some software is programmed is believed to be causing the glitches, she said. The problems are largely screen hang-ups during certain parts of the game but also include glitches such as the slow saving of game data onto memory cards.
The problems were discovered when SCEI began compatibility testing of the new consoles with the roughly 8,000 games that have been released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles in Japan. Mass production of the consoles had already begun at the time.
As testing isn't complete the list could become longer. SCEI wouldn't specify how many titles remain to be tested but said "most of" the software testing has been completed.
Looking ahead to the PlayStation 3, which SCEI plans to launch in the first half of next year, Sakamoto said that SCEI remains committed to backwards compatibility with existing titles on the new machine.
"It's hard to say the PlayStation 3 will be 100 per cent backwards compatible but as we said earlier this year we aim to make it so as much as possible," Sakamoto said.
The latest promotion comes ahead of the holiday sales season in Japan and just under three weeks before Microsoft is due to launch its Xbox 360 console in Japan.
SCEI hasn't detailed an international launch for the console, which will cost 19,800 Yen (143 Euro) in Japan.
