Compatibility glitches for PlayStation 3

Sony has admitted that the PS3 is unable to play a number of titles which were designed for the PS and PS2. The idea was always that the PS3 would be fully backwards compatible, but Sony have come forward and said that the audio features do not work on some titles, and that some other titles have problems with graphics.

A Sony spokesman has said that they are aware of a number of titles that have compatibility issues, but that Sony will be making a software upgrade available that will deal with these. Seemingly, some 200 games sold for the original PlayStation and the PlayStation 2 are affected by these issues. This apparently includes such blockbusters as Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy.

Industry specialists say the glitches are similar to problems that often plague console launches and are not likely to have a lasting impact on the PS3 business. The console was originally intended to go on sale in early 2006, but production problems and shortages of components caused a delay. The European launch of the console has been pushed back to March 2007.

"There are always sorts of little problems at launch ... It may take some time to make everything compatible, but I don't think it's a huge problem," KBC Securities analyst Hiroshi Kamide said.