Can't they just install the software emulation from the 80GB on the 40GB?? What would be the complexity of doing that??

Everyone's talking about it would have to take a lot of good programming and that it would be very expensive, but ignore that the 80GB does have software emulation already! Isn't the emulator for the 80GB good for the 40GB?? If not, WHY??

No. The 80gb is only lacking the EE chip, it still has the GS chip. The 40gb is missing both chips. From what I've read, the GS chip is much, much harder to do emulation for.

I say never. Its most likely not that they don't want to allow it, but that they can't.

Back when people first started saying that they took out the graphics synthesizer in the 40gb model just to stick it to gamers and force them to buy ps3 games (they did it to bring down costs so that they could offer a cheaper model as 40 extra gb of space two extra usb ports and memory card readers do not = 100 dollars) I decided to try my hand at a ps2 emulator for pc. This was just out of curiousity as I happen to own a 60gb ps3 already. This particular emulator had finished its fourth year of development. Only one of my ps2 games booted past the playstation logo. The framerate was absolutly horrendous (I was pushing 10-13 fps). Final fantasy x was the only one that booted.

this was the computer I was running it on

Windows Vista^® Home Premium; English OS; Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5250 (2MB L2 Cache, 1.5GHz, 667MHz FSB); 2GB (1/1) DDR2 667 SDRAM; Dual 160GB hard drives; Super-Multi drive (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM); 5-in-1 card reader; 15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display, Acer® CrystalBrite Technology; NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT graphics; 802.11a/b/g WLAN, gigabit LAN, V.92 modem, integrated webcam; eight-cell battery

"While it isn't as fast as its high fillrate hinted it would be, the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT is still capable of handling new games like BioShock." Qoute from gpu review.

And a qoute from the emulators webpage.  

"it is not the intention of the authors to provide a means to play illegaly copied games. It is however the intention of the authors to let you play (once hardware is capable) PS2 games on your PC's, with the enhancements emulation allows, such as save-states, high resolution graphics, infinte memory cards, cross-region support etc."

I don't think USB has nearly enough bandwith. I'm surprised they didn't design an expansion slot into the PS3. That way they could have made people who want BC pay for it.

The network port could handle the bandwidth. Could it be possible to use it in a system similar to a router where it could route network traffic to the internet yet keep GS chip internal to be processed and sent back.

All this is Patent pending, BTW. Patent pending. Patent pending. Patent pending! ;)

Yeah I don't understand why people are acting like Sony is holding back a firmware update to bring it back at a later date. If they had the capability to software emulate on a 40gig they would do so NOW as that could help motivate PS2 owners to buy a PS3 instead of another system, knowing that their library would continue to work on a newer system. There are rumors they hired some software engineers specifically to work on the problem but who knows if it'll ever work.

I am just glad I got a 60 Gigger.

@ Fishyjoe - That would have been a great idea.

PS2's are dirt cheap , unless your rooms the size of a prison cell I don't think BC should be too much of a concern.

Look at it this way if your PS3 dies you got your PS2 to play or vice verca.