Dreamcast (and PS2 games) on the PS3?

Could your PS3 also be your Dreamcast?

(Credit: CNET)

A whopper of a leak shot across the Internet Tuesday, reporting of a Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) meeting that discussed the possibilities of rereleasing classic Sega games as compilation Blu-ray Discs and downloads of PS2 games on the PS3. While we discussed this trend--and even suggested a few great franchises to pursue--when the God of War Collection was announced, an even more surprising and exciting bomb was dropped in these purported meeting minutes:

Dreamcast on the PS3.

Top 10 Dreamcast games we'd love to see on the PlayStation Network--photos

From the wording of supposedly leaked August 6 SCEA meeting notes found on several forums including NeoGAF, it sounds like both PS2 and Dreamcast games will soon be available over PSN, much like PS1 games are already. That is big news. With PS2, PS1, and Dreamcast titles under their belts, it could be argued that the PS3 would have a Virtual Console that, while not as retro as Nintendo's, would be nearly unbeatable in offering the best of the late '90s and early '00s. After all, back then, the Dreamcast and PS2 were the biggest, bitterest rivals in town. It hasn't been confirmed that these notes are real, but they certainly seem too detailed and logical to not be.

The cynics might roll their eyes. Hardware backwards-compatibility was killed off on the PS3, and it seems like reselling these titles on the PSN could smack of double-dipping. Offering cheaper (and possibly even HD-upscaled) versions of last-gen classics would be a welcome idea, except for those who have been patiently holding onto their dusty discs of yesteryear.

Still, our hearts are racing. We just got through teary reminiscences on the Dreamcast's 10th anniversary, and now it seems like we might have a DC revolution on our hands sooner rather than later. Jet Grind Radio? Crazy Taxi? And dare we say it--Seaman? For our complete wish list on the Dreamcast games we'd like to see make it over to downloadable format, check out the gallery.

Of course, DC games could also be on their way to the 360, for all we know (and some, like Ikaruga, already are). But Sony's already on a roll with its cheaper, slimmer PS3. Would PS2 and DC games on the PS3 help turn Sony back into a superpower?

(Source: NeoGAF via Joystiq)

[NervClaX]

I, for one, will not be repurchasing PS2 games I already paid for to play them on my PS3. In fact, I'd rather hunt down a physical copy of Ico than buy it off PSN. I would prefer to see a software solution to backwards compatibility.

As for Sega, bring on Shenmune!

[grizzled82]

The main reason i haven't baught a PS3 is because of the price and no Backwards Compatibilty (BC), But now if I'm able to down load the game and play on the PS3 that would be great. My main question is what if i already own the game, i dont want to have to purchase it again, that would be redundant. Now if i can go into a store and give them the physical disc and the in turn give me a code or something to download that would be great. But i doubt that would happen because these big companies would rather sell the game back to you, than trade in for the same product.

[mikusthegreat]

I would KILL for Shenmue on the PS3. I have been debating on buying an old Dreamcast just so I could get Shenmue and a few other titles to play for old times sake. Shenmue is by far one of the greatest games ever made. I would pay 50 bucks for it on PSN if they have the full game upscaled. Bring on DC games!!!!

[Evan360]

If this is real, it has sold me on the PS3. The only thing that was holding me back before was the lack of PS2 support. Now I get my favorite system of all time too! I own a Dreamcast, but not any games for it; so this is awesome.

[Jawknee1]

Thats a stupid reason not to buy a PS3. You buy a PS3 to play PS3 games. This is just a bonus.

[killa08]

Whats all this talk about not being able to play PS2 games on the PS3??? Mine does...oh thats right, you were all complaining that it was too expensive when it came out. So they reduced the price and took out some features and now it doesnt have enough. C'MON SON!

[coheeed2113]

killa08=win

[Shinobi2099]

@Killa08

LOL I got the 80Gig BC PS3 top that dawg! lol

[jonathan_a]

All I have to say to Sega and Sony is: DO IT!!!!!!!!

So many people (maybe even including myself) consider the Dreamcast one of the greatest consoles ever made because there's at least 20 epic titles worth playing, owning and not missing out! If those 20 titles alone could be released on the PSN, they could make so much money!

What are those 20 titles? Come on... do I really have to name them all? Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, Powerstone, Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi, Phantasy Star Online, etc.... you get the idea!

[Gdl_kinG]

This is pretty cool, specially being able to buy Dreamcast games.

[chrkeller]

That would be great. However given I have 30 Dreamcast games already along with 80 ps2 games, there needs to be some kind of trade in program or at the very least a discount program.

[Jawknee1]

i can only see this benefiting those who missed out on a lot of the PS2 and Dreamcast titles. Now if Sony can some how make these titles PSP compatible. then they will have struck gold. Being able to play FFX on my PSP would be awesome.

[PvtPockets]

Don't get your hopes up, I was pretty excited about the Wii's virtual console only to be extremely disappointed with the selection, Maybe Sony will do it right and actually put out games people have heard of and want to play.

[NervClaX]

I think the trickle of great Nintendo titles is due to rights issues more than a lack of interest. It probably takes a long time to clear those issues up after so many years of sitting on a shelf. That's especially true for licensed games.

[PvtPockets]

True but it does appear that since the Wiiware came out, they basically stopped working on VC releases, except for NeoGeo games, like to see more SNES games.

[Jawknee1]

Nintendo still releases at least one or two new Virtual Console games a week. They will continue to grow.

[mjw149]

There's no downside. I'd love to see the Dreamcast games, and I'm sure we'd immediately get some good ones because Sega has an incentive to sell something.

As for ps2 games, I'm afraid Sony wouldn't ever get around to the classics that are out of print/too expensive, i.e. Ico, Sky Gunner, etc. They haven't exactly set the world on fire with their selection of downloadable games so far.

[sav1981]

Sony's Playstation network is so underated. It beats the Xbox Live service hands down when it comes to downloadable games. Soon you will see the whole catalog of PS1 games, PS2, DreamCast, possibly even the Saturn and TurboDuo games. Also there's rumors circulating the web that Sony may even put out remakes of NeoGeo games. As with rumors we know not to put too much butter on it but with the vast majority of rumors turning out to be true for the PS3 it can't be help but to be excited.

Now I understand how some people feel about repurchasing games through an online service like the PSN or through Xbox Live, but as the cost of developing newer games increase what better way to make a profit than to offer older titles for download? These profit will help fund newer projects. Besides some people like to have all of their games on the hard drive. No more worries about scratched discs, shelf space, or changing disc. The only downside is that you can't make money off your collection anymore.

[Jawknee1]

My only beef with the PSN is that since its not a paid service like LIVE. Its easy for Sony to give you the finger when the PSN fails to deliver. There have been serveral times when i paid for the content and was not able to download it. Even after all of Sony's trouble shooting tips and being on the phone with them for a week, they still couldnt fix the problem and laid the blame on my internet. I dont see how thats possible because i have been using the same internet connection and same modem for 2 years and never had an issue as of late. They did eventually refund the money back to my PSN wallet, twice this happened and they said if it happens again they will not refund the money a 3rd time. Seems to me they need to change that policy. Either way, even if giving the money back to our wallets, they are still getting our money. if we choose to close that account with PSN money still in our wallet is gone. Sony keeps it.

[xmaster_dosx]

i agree with jawknee. xbox live has to fix problems because its a paid service, sony really doesnt have to. And
its just MY OPINION that XBL is an overall better product than PSN, but with downloadable games the ps3 has the 360 beat by alot. i downloaded MGS1 the other day and its epic playing that game again. and like you said you really cant trade a downloaded game in to a gamestop for anything (as i found out from downloading socom confrontation, i though it was a full game, buts its only online with 4 maps? that was a well spent 40$)
but i really dont care for dreamcast games but its a great way to help sell the ps3.

[planblove]

For the resurrection of the Dreamcast games alone it'd be worth it to get a PS3. (already have one so BRING IT NOW) If Sony was smart they made this an exslusive thing, otherwise this is a moot point if it pops up on XBOX live arcade too.

[jkyak16]

Alright!! I really hope they get Shenmue and crazy taxi, for some reason I have more fun with older games that's weird but yeah.

[pepperpup]

I still have our old DC, controllers, memory modules, and about 20+ games. The graphics were well ahead of their time...even more polished that the more "powerful" PS at the time. Rayman, ECCO, and Sonic were two of my favs. If they do something on the order of the iPhone store, where they can deliver DC games on PSN for about $3 to $5 each, they'd make a killing! Better, maybe a subscription-based model where for, say, $10 a month, you can play as many DC and PS1 and PS2 games as you can fit on your HDD for as long as you want (a la Zune), including a try-before-buy (say 15-30 mins) before the game's license locks? Talk about an XBLA killer!

[atgrammer]

You're dreaming if you think they will be $3 or $5 each. I'm going to guess at $9.99 - $14.99 each (so they get to keep an extra penny on all of your purchases) and no-way-Jose on that subscription idea.

[nworb225]

I'm sorry but I agree with NervCIAX on the re-buying of PS2 games. they do have software to play both PS1 and PS2 games on the PC, why can't Sony have a download for the PS3 online. Granted, they might charge a one time fee on it, but why should I have to re-purchase games that I already own? C'mon Sony, I paid 400 bucks for my new PS system, and the only thing I get from you is we can't tell you right now... without customers your company would be nothing, and purchasing equipment in any company is like investing, if your investors can't get answers why should they stick with you? XBOX360 has I believe downloads so you can play the older XBOX games, not the games themselves, just, I am figuring drivers, so they can be played.
Just my humble opinion, I could be wrong, but seeing the amount of people writing here, seems like I'm on the right track

[ifuwereahotdog]

The 360's catalog of downloadable original Xbox games is pathetic. They may have like 10 games. Just be patient, Sony will eventually come through. You can play all PSone games on the PS3. And there was an option for PS2 BC, an expensive option, but it was there for a year and a half.

[Jawknee1]

you dont have to rebuy the games if you dont want to. Sonys not making you do it.

[viper396]

@ifuwereahotdog. No, there are actually 31 downloadable original Xbox title available from Xbox Live. Whether that number grows or whether PSN will have more titles or not is a circular argument. Regardless of whether you're a 360 or a PS3 owner, most didn't buy their consoles just to download yesterday's games.

That being said, Sony screwed themselves but removing built-in PS2 backwards compatability. PS2 backwards compatability was a selling feature back when the PS3 first launched. But then Sony removed it without dropping the system price significantly and charged people to download a software based PS2 emulator. At least the 360 was consistent with it's story and promises about backwards compatibility. Out of the box the 360 still plays over 450 original xbox titles and they don't charge anyone.

[celticbrewer]

As I've said elsewhere, why would you have PS2 games unless you have a PS2? Mine's still hooked up to my TV if I wanted to play my old discs.

If your PS2 is broken/lost, then it'd be prob be cheaper to re-buy the few games you actually want to replay from PSN for a couple bucks than to buy a PS2. Though I'm sure you could find a cheap PS2 somewhere.

[dee9tj]

I feel you guys as far as rebuying ps2 games, but I would love to play my favorite Dreamcast games without buying a new one.

[valdukey]

Never been a real fan of the Dreamcast, since no one really had it. I would definitely download some Dreamcast games however, since I hear great things about them. I prefer retro gaming possibly with HD updates (SF HD remix etc) over current gen games.

[kingrah1]

i just want to play metal gear solid 2 and 3

[xmaster_dosx]

i dont wnat mgs2 and mgs 3

I NEED MGS2 AND MGS3 ON PSN NOW!!!!!!!

[spuckunites]

I think that powerstone 2 and the sonic adventure games have to go in there. They were amazing games.

[toddybody]

All I can say is YES YES YES!!! I agree with others that BackComp, is a much needed golden ticket for SONY, but having a great catalog of PS2 and even more importantly DREAMCAST games will be a great move. One last note, SONY, PLEASE BRING US SHENMUE 3!!! Call me crazy, but I'd pay $200 for that game alone. It truly is the best game ever created

[xmaster_dosx]

your crazy lol

[Shinobi2099]

I own an original copy of Shenmue and a dreamcast. lol I think I'll play it tonight...

[atgrammer]

I'll buy a DC and shenme on ebay and turn around and sell it to you for $200. Let me know if you're interested.

[punkrocker1985]

I think this would be an amazing option for consumers! I think having one machine to access a numerous amount of games from Dreamcast, PS1 and PS2 would be kool as heck, and I for one would def give into buying some, especially Shenmue ! I don't even have any of my PS2 games anymore let alone the system, since I traded that in years ago towards the purchase of another system, and I think more people would like the fact they can use their PS3 to play all PS games, not to mention if they choose to remaster most of them in HIGH DEF, and don't charge too much. I HOPE THEY DO THIS, AND SOON!

[Kendokill]

This would be such an awesome idea! I for one will be buying EA's last baseball offering: MVP 2005 since it is no longer playable on my HD tv due to lag issues playing it on disc. Unfortuantely that is an issue with some PS2 games on newer tv's.