PlayStation 2 games on the PlayStation 4, all thanks to an emulator developed by Sony, is still relatively new. Given the relative momentum that PlayStation Now has had with its collection of PS3 games (though that’s streaming-based and not running on emulators), you’d think there’s a strong audience for old PS2 games, right?
11 bit Studios (known for their fantastic This War of Mine and its expansion The Little Ones) PR and marketing manager Karol Zajaczkowski has a different opinion. When asked from a gamer’s perspective whether it would be successful, especially since Sony is charging money for digital PS2 titles, Zajaczkowski said, “It’s a thing that may only interest I don’t know, 5% of the PS4 owners? Probably even less.
“That’s why in my opinion it will fail in the end. Of course it will be available as a feature, but as soon as everyone realizes there is no money in it, the developers will stop doing it and new titles will stop appearing.”
Sony isn’t the only one to delve into backwards compatibility – the Xbox One’s support for Xbox 360 games has been propped up as a huge selling point for the current gen console despite some hiccups. But unlike Sony, Microsoft’s feature is completely free and does not require players to buy digital copies of the game. But then again, Sony is making PS2 emulation on PS4 attractive by adding trophies and other minor graphical updates.
But what are your thoughts? Will PS2 emulation the PS4 ultimately fail? Let us know what you think in the comments below.