LONG BLOG
Paystation 4
Going into the 8th generation of console gaming, it seemed like Sony finally understood their fans. All their mistakes with pricing and vague marketing with the PS3 were a thing of the past. Microsoft became money grubbing and lost their focus on gaming. Nintendo was being Nintendo, but promising a stronger drive to make new games.
A few years into this generation, Nintendo is the only one that remained consistent. Microsoft made a dramatic reveal of backwards compatibility on the Xbox One at E3 this year and Sony is now following suit.
Wait, let me rephrase that; Sony is now charging us a 3rd (4th or possibly 5th) time to play our old games on new hardware. I think I've had enough of this lunacy. Despite me strongly preferring the PS4 interface over Xbox One, I can't believe that my older games are being resold to me.
It's not the largest deal to me as my PS3 is still functional and plays PS2 games. Many people are not in that same boat. Backwards compatibility should be a required on all consoles, regardless of architectural differences. All those legacy consoles are not going to last forever and I'll be damned if I'm going to keep feeding money to a company bent on making me bankrupt.
Sony has gleefully taken to the trend of re-releasing "HD Remaster" ports of PS3 games on PS4 and now the PS2 is falling in line. Instead of selling a more expensive version of the current console with backwards compatibility support (which would make sense!!!), we're being asked to fork over $10-15 for our favorite older games.
That doesn't seem too dramatic, but the implication is that this will be a trend. Down the line on the PS6, we're going to be rebuying our PS4 games. Hell, it may not even take that long as we're currently rebuying PS3 games!
Because we all asked for this shit...
What makes this so shocking is that Sony was such a stalwart for PS1 support on the PS2. It was one of the defining features of the console when Nintendo switched formats and Sega basically forgot about the Saturn. With a PS2, you didn't need to kiss your old library goodbye.
When the PS3 launched, Sony figured that not giving gamers an option was best and decided on jam packing the system with a bunch of extraneous features. Most people didn't need media streaming, SACD support, wireless networking and video playback; for some, just playing a video game was all they wanted.
If you wanted the prestige of owning a Sony product, you had to deal with the price and extra nonsense. You were getting a Blu-Ray player, whether you liked it or not. You were dealing with internal storage and install times despite older consoles not having that. You were making due with WiFi even if your network didn't support it.
Granted, the PS2 forced DVD support, but Sony managed to keep the price down by including expansion ports on the system. This let Sony develop a hard drive and network port for later use and for people to decide if they wanted. Now that philosophy is lost.
With Microsoft granting you access to your games simply by owning the 360 disc, Sony has no reason to expect gamers to jump on these PS2 remasters. What is more baffling is that Sony launched a "PS2 Classics" line on PS3 that let gamers purchase things digitally.
They also started an initiative called "Cross-buy" that allowed you to make one purchase of software and get it on every Sony console. Like that cute little game on your Vita? That's cool; you can have it on PS3 and PS4 for no extra cost! Why is this not a feature with PS2 on PS4?
It's hard not to immediately jump to the conclusion of, "MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!!" It's doubly hard when Eurogamer took an in-depth look at the first PS2 remasters (Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Racer Revenge and Jedi Starfighter) and found that they truly are emulation. This isn't even some new code being written for different hardware; it's the same damn thing!
Yeah! I'll rebuy that!!!!
I could maybe understand not allowing discs to be used as there were a tremendous amount of PS2 games, but previous digital purchases not being supported is just unacceptable. It's downright criminal, if you ask me. For a company so prided on their dedication to their fans, this just reeks of greed.
I will not stand for it. I may not be able to speak with Sony directly, but I'm not going to buy a single one of these "PS2 remasters". There is no point. If I give in, what's to say that I won't be buying a PS2 Re-Remaster on the PS5? In some cases (San Andreas), you may already be doing so.
Unless you really cannot find a functional PS2, don't give in to Sony. Let them know that you demand to have your games back. Owning a disc should mean that I can use it; the PC format has been like that forever. Enough is enough with this remaster trend.
LOOK WHO CAME:
