Sony Patent Reveals…PS2 Emulation on the Cell Processor?

Why yes, the title of this article is correct, no, you’re not dreaming, and no, I will not pinch you. That’s right, this patent, filed in December 2008 and discovered by Siliconera, reveals that Sony has, contrary to popular belief, thought about backwards compatibility, and much more than we’ve given them credit for. The patent explains how code written for the Emotion Engine (the PS2’s processor) can be divided into fragments, translated into Cell (the PlayStation 3 processor) code, and then reassembled.

Of course, there aren’t too many reasons why Sony would even bother filing a patent like this, especially with reference to the Emotion Engine. I’m talking about backwards compatibility for the PS3, of course. Considering that recent models cannot play PS2 or even PS1 games, this may very well be the holy grail that many PS3 gamers have been looking for, as I, myself, do not have a PS2-compatible machine. If this patent is any indication, then Sony very well may be listening to gamers’ pleas and restoring backwards-compatibility to the PS3, and if released this year, it couldn’t come at a better time, as the PS3 is still third to the Xbox 360 and the Wii. With backwards compatibility, Sony could easily move more units, and coupled with the release of the long-rumored, practically-confirmed PS3 Slim, they could see a sudden surge in PS3 sales, probably even enough to garner Microsoft’s, and maybe even Nintendo’s attention, and they could also appease current PS3 owners by making their systems compatible through a firmware update or a PlayStation Network download.

Previous attempts at backwards compatibility were generally ill-receieved when the PS3 was first released in 2006, due to two different models that used different methods to achieve PS2 compatibility. The 20GB and 60GB models both contained the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer chips on the PS3 itself, which had perfect compatibility. Later, Sony released an 80GB Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle, which used software emulation, and as a result, only about 80% of PS2 games were compatible with the system. This method is assumed to be different from the ones used in the 80GB model, which should hopefully yield a near-100% compatibility rate. Eventually, Sony removed all emulation from the PS3, most assume to cut costs, considering that at the time, they were losing money on each system sold.

The tale of the PS3 has definitely been interesting thus far, and if Sony’s wishes for the PS3 hold, then we’ll have it for another six years or so. With the reintroduction of backwards-compatibility, Sony could easily start to level the playing field, but of course, compatibility isn’t everything, although the PS3 is definitely starting to show its muscle in terms of exclusive games for the system. But the icing on the cake, the one thing that would make me dust off the system more often and get more playtime in, is the ability to play inFAMOUS one minute and then switch to Persona 4, all without turning off one system and switching on another.