Europe's PlayStation 3 motherboard on display

Typically, we don't single out just one aspect of an entire console or gizmo, as it's always a beautiful sight to see a perfectly assembled console do its thang in reverse, but Sony's European PlayStation 3 is a different animal. If you'll recall, the American PS3 features a neatly attached PS2 chipset to make sure that backwards compatibility was all but a minor issue, but even after countless delays and a staggeringly high price point, Europe's unit was hamstringed still. While we'd heard that the late-coming PS3 would sport limited abilities in the PS2 department, it still made us cringe when those whispers were proved true, and now its time to witness just how bare this motherboard looks as it uses emulation to crank up a few (literally) PS2 titles. Grab your tissues, and click on through for a few more shots.

[Via PS3Scene]

[dagamer34 @ Mar 24th 2007 7:08PM]

I'd like some comparison pictures of the NA/JP PS3 to compare.

[Frankenstein Black @ Mar 25th 2007 3:18PM]

Side by Side shot...
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/ps3jcus-v-eu.jpg


----------
FB a.k.a LDM
Water-bending Master
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/ldm_master_builder!.jpg

[massive_98 @ Mar 24th 2007 7:25PM]

I just got my PS3(I'm Dutch) and I love it. I can play 4 out my 5 PS2 games.

Cheers.

[Afsheen @ Mar 24th 2007 7:33PM]

I still don't see what the big deal is. People who already own PS2 games probably have a PS2 console so why not just play them through that? They don't look or sound any better on the PS3, so what's the point? I still play my PS2 titles on my PS2 because I've found my (US) PS3 does not have the same response on PS2 titles as the PS2 console. And you know what? I'm not bothered by this one bit because I bought my PS3 to play PS3 and Blu-Ray.

[Nick Nelson @ Mar 24th 2007 7:41PM]

The big deal for me with back compat is replacing the older console. This was the case with my xbox, when the launch console crapped out recently I finally had a really good reason to buy a 360 and was still able to play my favorites from the original. I'd say alot of PS2 owners will be upgrading once their PS2 craps out and would like to have their games worth something.

[Jamie @ Mar 24th 2007 7:48PM]

Afsheen:

I said in the last Euro PS3 thread - it boils down to the fact that European gamers are paying far more (~$900) for less, not just the fact that the console's less functional.

[ssuk @ Mar 24th 2007 8:01PM]

it's actually ~800 USD, €599 is something like 795 USD, £425 is something like $840-850 USD, I'd look 'em up, but feel free to do a curency exchange yourselves; http://www.xe.com

The motherboard looks as bare and dull as the Ps3 launch 'parties' last night.

[kingofwale @ Mar 24th 2007 8:10PM]

It depends how you look at it.

I am in Canada, and I own a PS3 (I don't have a PS2), so when I go buy God of War 2 and FFXII, PS3 will be the machine I play on.

I happen to like the 'potential' of Euro PS3 better.. hear me out

instead of the chip, if you use software, that means in the future, Sony might (and probably likely will) release firmware that will upscale the graphics of PS2 and PS1 games... not sure if they can do that if it's just a PS2 chips (hardware instead of software)

[Pete @ Mar 24th 2007 8:35PM]

You mean neither version upscales the PS2 games already??

[Ayle @ Mar 24th 2007 8:59PM]

Nothing can prevent Sony from disabling the ps2 chipset later on on the US and JP ps3s if the software way proves to be excellent.

[Markus87 @ Mar 25th 2007 7:06PM]

Uhm... wouldn't a firmware upgrade work?

[Paris K @ Mar 24th 2007 8:31PM]

I've read somewhere that Sony's higher european price is because of the higher cost of living. Well that might be true for someone working/living in London but certainly not for most other european cities!

[MacroEQ @ Mar 24th 2007 8:42PM]

Correct me if I'm wrong but, won't future consoles (not the games) be 'region-free' when they're all HDMI? (i.e. no more PAL/NTSC).

In my cynicism, I think that console manufacturers will still want to localise consoles so they can continue to rip regions off - namely the UK.

[Carl M @ Mar 24th 2007 8:47PM]

Pictures of the Japanese PS3 motherboard:

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2006/1111/ps3.htm

big front: http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2006/1111/ps3_32.gif
big back: http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2006/1111/ps3_33.gif

Looks like the main difference is the big black chip on the left side where the PS2 chip used to be. But also the IO chip in the upper right is different, with some different chips around it.

[kingofwale @ Mar 24th 2007 8:55PM]

>Correct me if I'm wrong but, won't future consoles (not the games) be 'region-free' when they're all HDMI? (i.e. no more PAL/NTSC).


yes, PS3 is the only console that's Rigion-free right now.. so, if you want get a PS3 in Japan on your business trip and save 200 pound... I would definitely so "go for it"

[Afsheen @ Mar 24th 2007 8:59PM]

Jamie: Yeah, I do see that Europeans are getting less and paying more, and that does suck. It seems that the Europeans have to pay for the price break we've been getting in the US, when you consider the cost of manufacture.

But my point is really directed across the board in terms of backward compatibility. I guess I didn't think of the fact that my PS2 could crap out. And I have to admit that at that point backward compatibility will be a big deal for me.

Pete: No, the PS3 does not upscale PS2 titles. The most it does is 480p, which, if you ask me, in some cases looks worse. There are rumors of a fix in a future firmware upgrade. But we'll have to see.

[Carl M @ Mar 24th 2007 9:03PM]

Looking carefully at the Sony chip numbers, it kind of seems as if the European version was the one that they were planning to make all along, except they couldn't get the emulation working fast enough, so that the Japanese version was a stop-gap measure.

I'm saying this because the chip number of the PS2-substitute chip is CXD2972GB, while the IO chip is CXD2973GB (and CELL is 2964; RSX is 2971) (the IO chip number is the same on the old and new versions). What this tells me is that the PS2-substitute chip was designed at the same time as all the others, not later. Thus they probably had in mind to do emulation all along, but probably software delays in getting it working made them come up with a plan B for the original release.

[Colin @ Mar 24th 2007 10:32PM]

Regarding Region Free PS3 status...

That is ONLY for PS3 games. PS1 PS2 DVD and BD are all region blocked. You can not take a US PS2 game and play it in a UK PS3.

[Jake @ Mar 25th 2007 2:28AM]

"...and now its time to witness just how bare this motherboard looks as it uses emulation to crank up a few (literally) PS2 titles."

When did 1,200 (a.k.a 72% of the entire PS2 catalog) become "a few?"

[Dale Massey @ Mar 25th 2007 5:23AM]

No, the PS3 upscales to 576 / 540p on PlayStation 2 titles.

At least thats what it does through HDMI on a UK console.

[steve neal @ Mar 25th 2007 7:32AM]

Err - if the PS3 is displaying PS2 titles at 576/50p then it isn't really upscaling at all, it is just outputting a progressive rather than interlaced signal.

The PS2 outputs a regular 576/50i RGB, Composite/S-video etc. video signal for games (or 480/60i for 60Hz games) - though this is often treated as more of a 288/50p (240/60p for 60Hz) signal if advantage is not taken of the greater vertical detail available from interlacing.

[MacroEQ @ Mar 25th 2007 9:18AM]

If you guys agree with me that consoles (not the games) can no longer be 'region free' (i.e. when using HDMI and no longer using PAL/NTSC) then surely Sony is creating an excuse to localise it's machines and still charge UK users through the nose for a piece of hardware that will quite frankly, work on any HDMI TV in any country.

This is an absolute disgrace from Sony, and the comments above about the chipset will only further the argument that British consumers have been given the short straw.

[poseidongroove @ Mar 25th 2007 11:01AM]

Engadget use to be a good website for objective review, now it seems your bloggers are posting just to incite fanboy flames from either side of the console divide. It all boils down to this. We've got more games supported via software emulation couldn't care less what's under the cover as long as the games play. Sony did better than MS in that regard.

Secondly, 360 fanboys, if you can't afford PS3 please shut up and stop screaming. I like the PS3 as a games console and a mediacentre. If you're happy to buy add ons for Xbox 360 or just happy with it as is that's your problem. It's a free world.

From all the flame war going on, it's obvious the folks that are complaining the loudest would actually, like to have one but are too damn proud to admit it.

Who cares what you or anyone thinks about Sony as long as i've got my all in one mediacentre gaming platform. If Engadget really want to have a whinge or put up an objective review, why don't you pick on Apple TV. The most uninspiring technology released this year. Yet you all froth over Apple crap and slag off Sony. Are you sure you guys are not Jap haters ?

MS MediaCentre and Sony IVL are much better than that crap from Apple.

Can Apple ever get away from tethering consumers to it's store and it's hardware think not ?
Can Engadget stop being Apple and Xbox lovers think not ?
Will anyone ask MS why Xbox 360 elite after Xbox Premium think not ?

Stick to the console you like and stop complaining.

[shekki @ Mar 25th 2007 1:31PM]

europeans pay more due to VAT tax, sony isn't getting anymore money.

[Carl M @ Mar 25th 2007 7:13PM]

One more thing that seems curious about the Euro design: The video outputs from the RSX are routed through the PS2-substitute chip rather than running straight to the video encoders like they do in the JP design.

This makes me wonder if the PS2-substitute chip can do resolution scaling?