That's what Phil Harrison of Sony tells us today in PlayStation 3 loses all Emotion in Europe:
"What has previously gone into PS3s on sale elsewhere in the world was a custom component, which we have now removed." Harrison won't be drawn on precise details of which PS2 games will be playable on the PS3 at launch, but says: "We expect the list to encompass over 1,000 PlayStation 2 titles." So, will Sony concentrate on making the big PS2 titles - the Grand Theft Autos, Gods of War and Gran Turismos - compatible with the PS3? "I can't give information on individual titles, but clearly, that would be our aim."
(You'll recall that the European PS3 won't have the Emotion Engine chip, thus limiting backwards compatibility of PS2 games.)
When he says the Emotion Engine 'removed' he means 'won't be including in European editions'. Unclear when it will be removed from those being sold elsewhere.
And can anyone in foreign parts who has got a PS3 and PS2 and has taken the top off both confirm that the Emotion Engine in the PS2 is not the same chip (part numbers, size, stuff like that) as that in the PS3? We'll ask our sources (which we didn't have time to do before having to go into print) but we're certainly intrigued by the idea.
Meanwhile, it's nice to know there'll be 1,000 PS2 games that will play on the PS3 in Europe. But which ones? It feels like a number plucked out of the air - though of course Phil Harrison will have solid data to back it up. He wouldn't just say it without being sure.
