Chances are that Sony didn’t kept their promises very well after all. Barely had the PlayStation 3 console been launched in Japan last month, the issue of backwards compatibility has already come up. The first pack of games that can’t be played on the PlayStation 3 is made up of nearly 200 titles.

Japan’s Cnet.com reports backwards compatibility problems for over 196 PlayStation 2 titles. This figure counts multiple versions of the same game (budget versions, limited editions, etc.) as a single entity and includes the full range of problems, from simple sound issues to more dramatic freezing issues. database accessible at the official Japanese PlayStation.com site, causing problems when being played on the PlayStation 3.

In response, Sony PR department announced that such problems will be fixed with future system updates. Also, certain titles may also receive special patches, should the situation require it. However, the company failed to mention any data.

So, why care about backward compatibility issues? Imagine that you get your PS3 but can’t play your favorite PS2 games on it, and the PS3 version of the game won’t come out until next year. What would you do? Play it on PS2! Buy new games, that’s what games are really for - new fresh ideas and moves that could let you have a nice time playing!