# Playstation novice question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [June 17, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238 "2008-06-17T18:44:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/1 "2008-06-17T18:44:40Z")
My wife was given a playstation. We need to know whether a playstation 2 game will work on it. Thanks
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### Author:  [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/2 "2008-06-17T18:48:28Z")
Do you mean she just got a Playstation 3? If so. The answer is … maybe.
There are a few different versions of the PS3. Some emulate PS2 games using hardware, other use a combination of hardware and software to emulate. And the 40 gig version doesn’t emulate at all.
Here’s a writeup from [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS3#Retail_configurations) that gives a good summation.
pat
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### Author:  [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/3 "2008-06-17T19:07:10Z")
[QUOTE=pricciar]
Do you mean she just got a Playstation 3? If so. The answer is .. maybe.
There are a few different versions of the PS3. Some emulate PS2 games using hardware, other use a combination of hardware and software to emulate. And the 40 gig version doesn’t emulate at all.
Here’s a writeup from [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS3#Retail_configurations) that gives a good summation.
pat
[/QUOTE]
No. Playstation one.
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### Author:  [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/4 "2008-06-17T19:15:28Z")
Nope…won’t work. Some gameconsoles are backwards compatible but never forward compatible - that’s be like having a 20yr old vcr being able to play dvds 😃
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### Author:  [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/5 "2008-06-17T20:46:12Z")
If they were forward compatible, we’d already be able to play Playstation 5 games, which would be awesome!
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### Author:  [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/6 "2008-06-17T21:43:25Z")
You won’t find new games for sale anymore but try a used game store like ReplayGames to find PS1 games.
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### Author:  [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/7 "2008-06-17T21:48:37Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger]
If they were forward compatible, we’d already be able to play Playstation 5 games, which would be awesome!
[/QUOTE]
I hear Grand Theft Auto XVIII is just _mind-blowing_. 😃
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### Author:  [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/8 "2008-06-17T21:50:02Z")
For all its lack of backwards-compatibility, the original Playstation is still a great thing to have your hands on. There are tons of games for it, most of which are extremely cheap these days. Everything from RPGs to sports to platformers to fighters, you can find it. And some of the later games did have some really nice graphics, that still hold up rather well despite their age.
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### Author:  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playstation-novice-question/453238/9 "2008-06-17T22:27:06Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger]
If they were forward compatible, we’d already be able to play Playstation 5 games, which would be awesome!
[/QUOTE]
I’m holding out for a [Playstation 9](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcmtDAVM-3A).