Yesterday brought the good news for those of the North American persuasion wanting to buy a PS3 - the 80Gb variety is going to be available. Now comes the less wonderful news that it will not feature PS2 hardware emulation via the Emotion Engine chip.

According to Kimberly Otzman, SCEA Corporate Communications Representative, "The current 60 GB model utilizes a hardware solution for backwards compatibility, namely the Emotion Engine chip. The new 80 GB PS3 will use a software solution for backwards compatibility, similar to that currently found in the PAL model."

This now places residents of NTSC regions (e.g. North America) in the same league as PAL PS3 owners in that they will have to download 'updates' in order to ensure that PS2 games can be played on the shiny new 80Gb PS3s.

We've obviously been used to this since the launch of the PlayStation 3 in the United Kingdom and Ireland in March. Despite early cries of "foul!" the furore appears to have a quietened, and PS3 owners have adapted.

It is also a gimme that any new 60Gb versions out of the fabs will also drop the EEC. A price cut based on this is unlikely at this time, however.

Are you a PS3 owner? Are you still having issues with PS2 backwards compatibility? Tell us in the Forum below.


^{Source: GamingBits}