Sony opens site for PS3 backward compatibility problems

Culver City (CA) - Despite once stating that all back system titles would be compatible with the PS3, Sony has now put up a site that lets users search their games to see if there will be any problems playing them on the next-gen console.

Each PS3 console literally contains a built-in PS2, to help with the backward compatibility playback of well over 1000 original Playstation and PS2 games. However, Sony confirmed during last-minute testing of the PS3 that more than 100 older titles had problems, ranging from minor, specific issues to entire incompatibility.

Though the company has said that, over time, the problems will be resolved through firmware updates, Sony has now put up a website that allows users to search for legacy games to see if any major problems have been reported for the queried title. There is no master list of all the games with compatibility issues.

Some titles that have logged in problems categorized by Sony as "major" are Final Fantasy XI, Gran Turismo 4 and Tekken 5. The former of these, FF :XI, is part of a sweeping problem that prevents full playback of any PS2 game that uses the external hard drive that was released late into the console’s cycle.

The title of the original Gran Turismo 4, one of the flagship games of the game console, is described to hang on a black screen at a random time when the title is left inactive on the main menu. Gran Turismo 4 Greatest Hits runs without problems on the PS3, Sony said.

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