Every time I see a classic title available for download on a console, I let loose a sad little sigh. I already paid for this game, why do I need to pay for it again? It’s because Backwards Compatibility is slowly dying a painful and expensive death. The powers that be have chosen to reduce support for backwards compatibility in favor of digital distribution.

Cleaning out your gaming cabinet one day you find Metal Gear Solid 2. If your PS2 was taken by the electronic gods a while ago, you turn to your PS3. If it’s not a launch PS3 you are done for, the game will not work. Why? It worked on the PS2, it’s the same product line from the same company, but you get no love there.

Your options are limited to either get some antique hardware running or lay out some cash to download the title, if it’s even offered to download of course. If you remember you hated the game and that’s why it’s buried in the back of the cabinet, there is no chance you can return it once you downloaded, or even sell it used for a few bucks. The man got your nuts in a sack and just stomped on it twice. Was it worth it? I get fed up every time I see a game I already have, not working in my current console. On PC it’s not an issue because you can play around with the settings until it works. Consoles aren’t that flexible.

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