PS3 Limited Backwards Compatibility in Europe

Engadget reported today, that backwards compatibility of the PS3 would be stripped down in the European version, which by the way, is still yet to hit the shelves over there. I can’t exactly name all of the instances, but the general consensus of the community seems to be that Sony loves to give Europe the shaft. It certainly seems true. The late late release in itself is just a nuisance, for Europe. PS3 has been available, here since November, and it’s proceeding to rot on the shelves.

I just can’t see the justification for limiting the backwards compatibility of the system. It’s obviously not a necessity, just a luxury really, but its important, and basically, it’s expected. Engadget is suggesting that the cause is a different chassis, used in the models for Europe, which cuts down on production costs. I understand that it’s important for them to cut costs, (seeing as they’re losing metric-ass-tons of cash on every console they sell) but to also cut functionality, and not let the consumer see any of that, is just inconsiderate. I suppose it’s just one more reason for me to dislike the PS3.

I will admit, I’ve had some fun playing it, but there just isn’t that killer app that is going to convince me to get one. Resistance: Fall of Man is certainly a fun game, but it’s easily replaceable with Gears of War. I’ve never been a huge fan of fighting games, so Virtua Fighter 5 (although, supposedly, it’s stellar) isn’t going to sell me a console. And from the sounds of it MotorStorm is a really fun game, but I’m not sure how pertinent it is to my gaming interests.

Instead, the 360 is looking increasingly interesting to me, lately. Viva Piñata intrigues me, plus Crackdown is sounding great, and GTA4 is coming to the system. And of course, Gears of War is a whole ‘nother kettle of [chart-stomping] fish. But, to be honest, Halo 3 is just about on the bottom of the list of blockbuster games that I care about. So, if I’ll be making my dive into the ‘this gen’ experience, I think the 360 will be my portal. I will, though, be sticking it out to see what becomes of the rumors of the Zephyr.