I was wondering, is it the same result to have it done with the 20GB, 60GB on hardware as it is in emulation for the 80GB model in terms of scaling?

People with hardware bc claim that the software bc is crippled as it dosent play 100% of ps2 games [in fairness it does play like 98%], but personally I never had a problem with it, I even played burnout3 online with it. without the hardware the ps3 runs cooler anyway.

some very interesting information:

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe spokesperson Nick Sharples has given word that the 40 GB PlayStation 3 slated for an October 9 launch will still be compatible with PlayStation 1 titles. While that will make most players very happy, some have been asking for the reasons behind the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility in the new console.

Sharples stressed that Sony has always focused on " developing innovative new features and services for the PS3 and not backward compatibility." If that' s the case, where does this leave players who do want backward compatibility to play their legacy games? The SCEE representative answered that question in his following statement:

For those who consider backwards compatibility important, the 60GB Starter Pack with extra SIXAXIS controller, two first party titles and extensive backwards compatibility remains available until stocks run out. With a 100 Euro price reduction from 10th October, this model is a real bargain.

While it' s understandable that Sony has chosen not to include backward compatibility, it should be remembered that one of the biggest factors of the PlayStation 2' s dominance in the console market was the fact that users could also play their PS1 games on it. Let' s all wait and see how this move pans out for Sony.

Source

Just out of curiosity, does it take alot of time and/or money to give a console BC?

When the 80GB model was made they removed the Emotion Engine but kept the RDRAM and possibly the Graphic Sythesizer. I' m not sure which it is, maybe both. With the 40GB model they' ve decided to further cut back and streamline manufacturing by removing the RDRAM and/or GS. PS1 gamers were done entirely by emulation so they won' t be affected.

If you don' t need PS2 BC, memory card readers, and two more USB slots or 40GB more space then the 40GB model is a good deal. Otherwise the 80GB with PS2 BC is still there and it' s cheaper than it used to be. There' s no reason to complain.

Just out of curiosity, does it take alot of time and/or money to give a console BC?

Well, in a case like PS2 to PS1 BC, they actually had a physical chipset inside the PS2 that was essentially identical to the PS1. In the case of the Xbox 360 to Xbox BC, it' s running entirely on software emulation. So, the costs in the former case are based on physical components that they have to include in the box. In the latter, they are spending money for programmers to reverse engineer a bunch of games and emulate them. I think in the case of the Playstation, it' s taking money but not much time. In the case of the Xbox it' s costing them both time and money.

Don' t forget that MS still has to pay small royalities to Nvidia to support backwards compatibility with the original Xbox. It' s because they have to emulate a Nvidia design on an ATI GPU.