Maguire explains PS3 BC loss

Sony UK boss Ray Maguire says that money previously invested in PlayStation 3's backwards compatibility with PS2 is better spent on new game development or helping to support hardware price cuts.

"As we come to our first Christmas with the PlayStation 3 there's going to be about 65 games in the marketplace, so we feel now that there's sufficient choice in the marketplace and that we're still better off using that money that we'd put into backwards compatibility in either investing in new games or using that money to help support bringing the price down so that people can get into the franchise," Maguire told our sister site GamesIndustry.biz in an interview due to be published on Monday.

He was speaking in light of today's news that Sony plans to launch a 40GB PlayStation 3 without backwards compatibility support on 10th October for GBP 299.

When PS3 first launched, Sony felt that backwards compatibility was an important feature as there were relatively few games for the new system, Maguire explained.

"So it was a big decision," he said of facility's removal, "and we know it is a very emotive subject as lots of people think that backwards compatibility is high on the agenda and yet few really use it."

For more of Maguire's reflections on the current state of PS3, check GamesIndustry.biz on Monday for the full interview.