My ps3 won't play ps3 games, but will play ps2 games

Only the first version of the PS3 had PS2 backwards compatibility, They did make a special edition Metal Gear Solid version with it included but other than that no other PS3 will play PS2 discs... No matter what Add-On you install.

It's dying. Buy another one off ebay for cheap.

I assume you bought a PS2 game that works on your PS2 system but not on your PS3 system since a PS3 game will never work on a PS2.

Since not all PS3 systems can play PS2 games, you need to first check the model number of your PS3 system. If you look at the back of your PS3, there should be a serial number somewhere that starts with "CECH", followed by one more letter and a couple numbers (e.g. "CECHC02"). Unless the model number starts with "CECHA", "CECHB", "CECHC", or "CECHE", you won't be able to play PS2 games on your PS3.

If your PS3 can play PS2 games, then you need to make sure that the region of the PS2 game matches the region of your PS3. The region of the PS2 game can be found in the upper-right corner of the front of the box the game came in. The four regions are: "NTSC U/C", "NTSC J", "NTSC C", and "PAL".

Once you know the model number of the PS3 and the region of the PS2 game, you can tell if the PS2 game should work on the PS3. Use the following chart to determine if your game and system are compatible:

Last two digits of your PS3 model number: Playable PS2 game region
00: NTSC J
01: NTSC U/C
02: PAL
03: PAL
04: PAL
05: NTSC J
06: NTSC J
07: NTSC J
08: PAL
09: NTSC C
11: NTSC U/C
12: NTSC J

I believe you're asking about backwards compatibility. While I agree a PS3 should be able to play PS2 games, it's sadly not always the case. While they all can play PS1 games, not every PS3 can play PS2 games. PS2 compatibility depends on the model.

Backwards compatibility with PS2 games has slowly been phased out. The original PS3's had hardware emulation (quite literally there is a PS2 inside of your PS3). The later revisions had software emulation only (PS3 processor pretends to be the PS2 processor), and then none at all. No slim PS3 has backwards compatibility.

Hardware emulation:
20 GB PS3 Fat/Original - Model CECHB01
60 GB PS3 Fat/Original - Model CECHA01

Software emulation:
80 GB PS3 Fat/Original - Model CECHE01

In my personal experience, there's no real difference between software and hardware emulation in terms of actual game play. Software emulation has a few hang-ups on some older games, but overall it works pretty well. And it's infinitely better than not having any ability to play PS2 games at all.

Links!
Wikipedia
Hardcoreware.net - Comparison Table
Sony - check compatibility of games with PS3

Hope that helps!

One Surefire WayThe only way how to play PS2 games on PS3 is to have the correct version of the console. Either your Playstation 3 can play PS and PS2 games or it can’t, and there’s not much to do about it. Most of the PS3 models simply cannot play older titles as they lack the necessary hardware and firmware. However, a few models do have backwards compatibility. The 20 Gb, 60 Gb, and original 80 Gb models all have backwards compatibility, either through hardware or software emulation. The other models lack backwards compatibility, so even knowing how to play PS2 games on PS3 won’t help you out much here.
However, if you do have the correct console model, then there isn’t much to know for learning how to play PS2 games on PS3. Simply insert the game CD or DVD (many original Playstation games are also supported thankfully), and the game will start up. Sometimes, it will tell you that you can’t play the game, but simply hook your PS3 up via wireless or ethernet connection and update the firmware (which also provides improved compatibility with newer versions of Blu-ray discs). Often, this will fix the problems, but not all PS and PS2 games are supported (although most are).
There you have it. Learning how to play PS2 games on PS3 is easy, but if you just randomly picked a Playstation 3 model out at your local retailer, you might have a model lacking in backwards compatibility. One reason they didn’t include such compatibility with all models is an issue of cost, as it saved Sony some money to not include such a feature on all of the models. When they first started selling PS3s for $400, they were losing several hundred dollars (although they are at least breaking even now). Unfortunately, both the new 80 Gb and 160 Gb PS3 models are lacking in such compatibility, so you’ll need to find older models to support your older games.

Please rate my solutions! =)

Sincerely
Aleksandar Adzic

HI,,

PS2 DOESNT SUPPORT P3 GAMES...

LENSES DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER..

NEED PS3 GAMES TO PLAY WITH PS 3
PS2 GAMES TO PLAY WITH PS2

TNKS

RABBANEES

ps2 games are ment to be only played at ps2 and ps3 games are only ment to be played at ps3. even though you might think that ps3 is a higher version of ps2 so ps3 should play the old games but its not like that. when a ps2 game is developed, it is made to only run on a ps2 platform and nothing else. its programed in such a way, that is why it will not run in a ps3 platform. its the same thing l;ike you cannot play a XBOX360 game on a ps3 platform cause the game company has made it not to run on other consoles.
hope it solves your problem.

ps3 games are not supose 2 play ps2 games

Some models can, the 60 GB model can play all PS2 games, the 80 GB can play pretty much all PS2 games, the lower end ones (I think the 20 and 40 GB can not play PS2 games). There is a rumor however that ALL PS3's will soon be able to play PS2 games with a software update.. that will not be available until a few months into the future, if ever.

40 gig that i understand cant ply ps2 games only 60-80 can.