The Backwards Compatibility Research Poll

[Shifty Geezer]

Time for a poll to actually gauge at least a tiddly sample of BC use and interest, and from what's possible the largest interest group for BC - 'hardcore' gamers.

Edit :

Right, now I've created the poll and know what it's contents are going to be, I can talk a bit about it!

It's multiple answers to cover different aspects of BC. It's created on the spur of the moment so may have problems (what internet poll doesn't!) but I found there were some groupings that seemed a natural fit, so I've got groups 1,2,3,4,5. Not everyone will answer a question from each group, but no more than one should be ticked from each group. In my case having no current gen console I have no answers for group 1 or 2, will answer yes to 3b, will skip 4, and will go with 5d. For 5d, 'don't care' isn't really a good phrase. Specifically it means does it affect your purchasing choice, rather than do you like the idea or not. I like the idea of BC, especially enhanced BC, but it won't affect my purchasing decision.

 

[I.S.T.]

I use my PS2's BC a fair bit. The only other system I have that has BC is my GBA, and I've beaten my GB/C games a billion times over.

 

[vazel]

I make extensive use of bc. On my PS2 I had some PSX games I still wanted to play in the future and I still buy PSX games. On my x360 I played xbox games I always wanted to play like Panzer Dragoon Orta but never had an xbox. I never had a GBA but do have a NDS and plan on getting some GBA games.

Clutter is a big factor in my room. I can't have lots of old consoles hooked up to the TV. I only have room for 3-5 consoles(depending on footprint) in my TV area. Having bc is a big thing for me. It means I have a bigger library of console games to easily play whenever I want.

I think we all know what the poll results are going to look like on B3D, a forum centered around bleeding edge technology. I wonder what a poll like this would look like on say NeoGaf.

 

[Readykilowatt]

I dont care about BC, but if my Gamecube breaks, I'll begin to care about BC...

 

[ShaidarHaran]

Hard to select any of the options here... I bought the 80GB PS3 and backwards compatibility was on my list of important features but at the very bottom in terms of importance. I no longer have any PS2 games but have downloaded a PS1 game off of PSN so I guess you could say I've used the BC functionality of my console. At this point I'd rather buy PS3 games than PS2 games though, but if a friend were to come over with a PS2 game or two I'd play.

 

[liolio]

I vote I don't care, But I could I said I don't want it especially if it in some way affects hardware evolution!

 

[BadTB25]

I regret now not picking up a 60GB PS3 sooner. They had them here at our Exchange instead of the 80GB model over X-Mas all through the holidays. It's hard to say whether they sold out or just removed as they all were gone within a 2 day period. They They sold only 2 the previous 4-5 weeks prior.

I was trying to wait out a lower price drop and now it doesn't appear I'll be able to pick one up with BC at the price threshold I want. The only game I still want to pick up for it is Heavenly Sword and maybe Ninja Gaiden Sigma. FFXIII and possibly MGS4 are titles that I may pick up later this year as well.

BC is important to me because I didn't play GOW 1 and 2 on the PS2.
A PS3 at $299 or lower with BC would be just what entices me to finally pick one up.

 

[Carl B]

I voted 2b, 3b, 4a, and 5a... although for 5a "happily" is qualified... certainly only to a point. B/C is important for me, but I recognize I belong to a smaller subset of folk who believe in the overall appeal of an unbroken continuity of support, Kutaragi-style.

But on the whole, I have many a post on the subject that I refer to. I certainly understand why we're in the present situation, and I think as far as PS3 goes, they did what they had to. I hope that full SW emulation will appear down the line, as that would be the best of both worlds.

 

[Arwin]

Hard to select any of the options here... I bought the 80GB PS3 and backwards compatibility was on my list of important features but at the very bottom in terms of importance. I no longer have any PS2 games but have downloaded a PS1 game off of PSN so I guess you could say I've used the BC functionality of my console. At this point I'd rather buy PS3 games than PS2 games though, but if a friend were to come over with a PS2 game or two I'd play.

PS1 games don't fully count though, because 40GB machines can still play PS1 game discs even. So not all BC is lost in them, but you'd think PS2 games are currently more important than PS1 games.

As posted elsewhere, I very rarely (mostly Buzz now) use BC, but I do like to have it, and I would probably pay up to 50 euros extra for it. More expensive, and I might just as well get a new slim. Better for the environment too. And except for Buzz it's really just a luxury - there's enough PS3 content now to keep me happy.

 

[....]

I wouldn't like to pay a premium for bc, but I prefer if it is included at least in software and improved over time.

 

[-tkf-]

Used the BC on my PS2 only to see how it looked and played, never used it for actual playing.
Used the BC on the PS3 to see how it look and bought an adapter for PS2 savegames but didn´t really use it.
Would gladly play more for BC since i like the option in case i need it but would never skip a new console because it wasn´t there.

 

[vazel]

I think it would be really silly to stop buying consoles because of lack of bc even for a bc fanatic like me I don't know why that's in the poll it's silly...

 

[assen]

I missed a lot of good games on the original Xbox - the KOTORs come to mind - and I'm looking forward to playing it on 360 as Xbox Originals.

 

[cthellis42]

I'll in addition mention "I'll happily pay a premium" means "reasonable premium" and not whatever-the-heck they want to charge. I picked up my PS3 when there were BC concerns, but it was mainly because the price dropped FIRST, and I was unsure what the future would hold when they started removing bits of the EE+GS. (Turns out the 80GB was just fine, too.)

I'd have gotten the 20GB earlier (or at that point, since it dropped too), but it was harder to acquire out here, and looking at a friend's system, I knew 20GB would be a little tight on storage (so I'd have been paying more to get a larger HD as well, and having a 20GB I'd be doing nothing with). So the premium was also going into HD concerns as well, and getting the integrated WiFi and memory card readers was good as well.

Oooh, and the chrome! Always important. (Especially to ShootMyMonkey. )


It'd be silly to say "NOT AT ANY PRICE!!!" but it'd be similarly silly to turn a blind eye to whatever surcharge they'd throw at you.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I think it would be really silly to stop buying consoles because of lack of bc even for a bc fanatic like me I don't know why that's in the poll it's silly...

For completeness sake. If you have the option and no-one votes for it, you have the evidence that it's not a deciding factor, whereas if you leave the option out you lose any data on that possibility. Not that anyone's gonna do statistical evaluations of all this!

And I also realize I missed an important plot point. There should be an option for not getting an console earlier if it lacks BC due to software library, versus getting one early because of BC propping up the weak launch library. Still, I think so far the poll's doing it's job to gauge what matters with this population regards BC.

 

[Arwin]

I'd like to add though that I do know a fair amount of people, mostly with kids, that would benefit from BC. Though I hear from others that the free demos from PSN are often enough to keep their kids occupied. Not good for attach rates ... Probably won't work for all ages either.

 

[Jedi2016]

Of course I use it. One less device cluttering up the living room, yet I can still keep and play all my old games.

 

[iceberg187]

It's the main reason I was outside of Gamestop at 8 in the morning to ensure a launch unit of the PS3. 60GB here.

 

[Phil]

I voted

2a) I use BC all the time on my current gen console
3c) I have used BC on previous gen consoles a lot
4a) I have a current console but I'm still looking forward to playing (a) last gen game(s)
5b) I won't buy a console without BC


Just to add: I've been a supporter of the PlayStation brand since the beginning and B/C sure had made it a whole lot easier keeping it that way. There are still plenty of games I enjoy playing that came out for both the PSone and PS2 - yet due to the age of the older consoles, keeping them hooked up isn't always possible. Limited room is also an issue. Having a backwards compatible console makes life so much easier and helps restore the value of older games I spent good money on.

The possibility of not having B/C on future [Sony] consoles is something I find quite disturbing. Knowing that my investments now might not be playable in the future, are making me more concious about what I buy on this console. Re-downloading old games on next-next generation consoles that I've already bought/own that are not playable is not going to happen for me.

Cheers Phil

 

[Enzyme]

I chose 1b, 2b, 4a, 5d.

Got myself a 60GB PS3 at European launch.

I never had a PS2, but I did buy a PS2 game recently (FFXII) and will probably buy some other (GT4, maybe Rogue Galaxy). I haven't played any PS1 games on the PS3 yet, but I do have some, so maybe I'll go back to playing them sometime (I still have my PS1 too, they live in harmony next to my TV ).
So BC wasn't really an issue for me, but I have used it though, although it wasn't planned. I would have been happy with a PS3 without BC too.

We have all three consoles now (my brother got a PS2 this Christmas) so I guess BC wouldn't be an issue at all anymore even if I had to get a 40GB PS3.