Frequently asked questions
Ps3 backwards compatibility
Want to play your Ps1 and Ps2 games on your 60Gb Ps3? Then lets check an unofficial site (as Sony removed their list) for the current status of each game:
Unfortunately, the 40Gb console or (surprisingly) the 80Gb console is not backwards compatible!
We popped Resident Evil 2 into a 60Gb machine to see for ourselves. The console immediately prompted us to create an internal memory card for the game. Once we had selected to create a PS1 memory card (you could also create a PS2 card), the game loaded straight away. RE2 isn't currently on Sony's list of compatible games but it played fine with a slightly brighter, sharper picture quality than on the original system.
xBox 360 backwards compatibility
For xBox users, there's an extra couple of hoops to jump through. First, you need a hard-drive (HDD) which is not standard with the Core system. If you are lucky enough to have a Deluxe system or have paid the £70 for a drive then your HDD 360 will play about 50% of the original xBox games once you have downloaded some software from the official site (or xBox Live) and installed it first.
xBox games list
xBox download
Download install instructions
Playing PS1 games on a PS2
Still wondering whether your favourite PS1 game will fire up on the PS2? Overall, there's very little need for concern as only a handful of games will not play better than they would on the original console.
The PS2 uses emulation software to run PS1 games and on the whole it does a good job. There are two options in the browser screen which are switched off by default - fast loading and smooth texture mapping of PS1 games. Start the PS2 with no game in. Press triangle to access the 'Version' Screen. On 'Playstation Drive' press triangle again and you can toggle them both. They only affect the playing of PS1 games.
You will need a PS1 memory card to save your PS1 game as the save data is organised in blocks compared to PS2's Kb measurement. We recommend only the official cards as some third party ones are not recognised by a PS2.