Somewhere between the time Sony removed backwards compatibility from the previous PS3, and we knew there'd be a new PS3, people got to hoping that the feature would be brought back in the PS3 Slim. It hasn't.

Put a PS2 disc into the PS3 Slim and it won't play. Which for some will mean nothing, but for others, will mean a great deal. If that's you, and you're after an explanation, SCEA's director of marketing John Koller has one.

"Now that we're at a point where we're three years into the lifecycle of the PS3," he told us earlier today, "there are so many PS3 disc-based games that are available that we think — and noticed this from our research — that most consumers that are purchasing the PS3 cite PS3 games as a primary [reason]".

"And it's not just like 50 or 60 percent. It's well into the 80 or 90 percentile range who are purchasing it for PS3 [games]. We do know that there are next gen consumers wanting to come over the the PS3. Most of those are consumers who have not utilized their PS2 for a little while and they're ready to jump into the PlayStation 3."

Shame. A predictable shame, but a shame nonetheless.

http://kotaku.com/5340337/sony-explains-why-the-ps3-slim-has-no-backwards-compatibility

Fair enough

The real reason - it saves them money without costing them enough in sales to offset the savings.

so their excuse is that because the majority of people aren't using the ps3 primarily for the PS2 that they don't need PS2 BC?

I think backwards compatibility is overrated.

Roughly translated from PR SPEAK

SONY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look, screw you all. This fricking machine is like a millstone around the companies neck and all you want is to play games from 10 years ago.

If it matters so much buy a PS2 and duct tape the sodding thing to the top of your PS3.

Christ I told Ken we should have waited till the diodes where cheaper before we launched (wipes sweaty brow).

I wouldn't even consider a PS3 without BC, that's the main reason I'm gonna buy it.  I can get rid of my PS1 and PS2.  With the PS3 i will have BC with all Sony systems, and with the wii i have BC with gamecube and VC has loads of games from older systems.  I can't possibly keep all my systems hooked up.  Too many cords/controllers/memory cards etc.

I still think SCE is working on it.

The real reason is they can't put a GS chip there because it would cost them too much and they have no workable solution for a GS emulation yet.

Me too. If u want to play ps2 games...get a ps2

After playing PS3 games like Uncharted, Killzone 2, LBP, R2, and even MGS4 its hard to go back to PS2 games because the quality just isn't there.