Which PS3 Models Are Backwards Compatible With PS2?

Only four PS3 model families play PS2 discs: CECHA, CECHB, CECHC, and CECHE. CECHA and CECHB have real PS2 hardware built in; CECHC and CECHE use a hardware-software hybrid. Every other PS3, including every Slim and Super Slim, cannot read a PS2 disc at all.

Which PS3 models play PS2 discs

PS2 backwards compatibility on the PS3 came in two different flavours before Sony dropped it entirely, and which one you get depends entirely on the model.

Full hardware compatibility: CECHA / CECHB

The very first PS3s off the production line, the US 20GB CECHA and the US/Japan 60GB CECHB, have actual PS2 hardware sitting inside the case. That means a real Emotion Engine (the PS2's CPU, essentially its brain) and a real Graphics Synthesizer (the PS2's dedicated graphics chip). Because the PS3 is running PS2 games on genuine PS2 silicon rather than faking it, these models give you the closest thing to playing on an original PS2 console. They're also identifiable by four USB ports across the front, though checking the model number sticker on the underside of the console is the reliable way to confirm.

Hybrid compatibility: CECHC / CECHE

The 60GB PAL model sold in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand (CECHC), along with the US 80GB "Motorstorm" bundle and the South Korean 80GB (both CECHE), take a different approach. Sony pulled the physical Emotion Engine chip and replaced it with a software-emulated version running on the PS3's own Cell processor, while keeping the real Graphics Synthesizer chip in place. The result plays the large majority of the PS2 library well, though community testing generally puts it slightly below the full-hardware models (community estimates, not official Sony figures). The NTSC 80GB CECHE was the last PS3 SKU Sony ever shipped with any PS2 compatibility built in.

No compatibility: everything else, including all Slim and Super Slim models

The 40GB model, the later 2008-era 80GB (CECHL, CECHM, CECHK), the 160GB model, and every single Slim or Super Slim PS3 ever made have zero PS2 support. Sony stripped the Graphics Synthesizer out entirely on these, so there's no PS2 hardware left on the board to emulate from, software or otherwise. Owners of these models weren't left with nothing: Sony's workaround was "PS2 Classics", a small selection of PS2 titles remastered and sold individually through the PlayStation Store rather than played from the original disc. One thing does stay constant across every PS3 ever made, launch console through to the newest Super Slim: they all still play original PlayStation games via software emulation. That part of the story never changed.

How to tell if your PS3 is backwards compatible

Before you buy, or dig an old PS3 out of the garage, run through this:

• Check the model number. It's printed on a sticker on the underside of the console. CECHA, CECHB, CECHC, or CECHE means you're covered. Anything else, including any model starting with CECH-2, CECH-3, or CECH-4 (the Slim and Super Slim ranges), means no PS2 support.
• Count the front USB ports. Four ports usually signals a backwards compatible fat model, two ports usually means a later, non-compatible fat model. Treat this as a quick visual sanity check, not a substitute for reading the model number.
• Check specific titles if it matters to you. Even on a fully compatible console, PS2 compatibility was never 100 percent. Sony ran its own official compatibility list in the PS3's early years; that page is long gone, but community-run compatibility lists still exist if there's a specific game you're chasing.

Why Sony removed PS2 backwards compatibility

It came down to cost. At launch, the PS3 retailed for around US$599 but reportedly cost Sony somewhere in the region of US$850 to build, meaning every console sold at a loss. The Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer were expensive, single-purpose chips doing a job the PS3's own hardware (the Cell processor and RSX graphics chip) was never going to reuse for anything else. They sat on the board purely for legacy compatibility, so removing them was one of the more straightforward ways to cut manufacturing costs.

Sony did it in stages. First, the Emotion Engine went, replaced with software emulation on the CECHC and CECHE models: a cheaper compromise that kept most of the compatibility while trimming some of the cost. Then, from the 40GB model onward, the Graphics Synthesizer went too, removing PS2 support altogether. By the time the PS3 Slim launched in September 2009, there was no PS2 hardware left in the console at all.

Are backwards compatible PS3 consoles still around today?

Not in production, no. Sony hasn't built a backwards compatible PS3 model since around 2009, when the original "fat" line was phased out in favour of the Slim. That's well over fifteen years since the last one rolled off the line. The only place to find one now is secondhand.

That scarcity gives these particular PS3s a real premium among retro collectors: a compatible model is the only single machine that plays original PlayStation, PS2, and PS3 discs. Browsing secondhand PS3 consoles is the easiest starting point if you're after one, just check that model number sticker before you commit, since a later, visually similar fat PS3 might carry no PS2 support at all. Land one that checks out and you've got the entire PS2 games library available on a single console under the TV.

FAQ

Can any PS3 Slim play PS2 games?

No. No Slim or Super Slim model was ever backwards compatible with PS2, only the original launch-era "fat" models (CECHA, CECHB, CECHC, CECHE). Every Slim still plays original PlayStation discs, just not PS2.

Do all PS2 games work on a backwards compatible PS3?

No. Even on the fully hardware-compatible CECHA/CECHB models, a handful of PS2 titles have known glitches or don't run properly; compatibility was never quite 100 percent. It's slightly lower again on the hybrid CECHC/CECHE models, since those rely partly on software emulation.

Can a PS3 play PS1 games?

Yes. Every PS3 model ever released, launch console through to the final Super Slim, plays original PlayStation discs through software emulation. It's the one piece of backwards compatibility that never changed across the console's whole lifespan.