A new patent has surfaced on the net showing the potential for PS2 emulation via the Playstation 3’s cell processor. This could mean that before we know it, every PS3 owner might have access to the entire PS2 library, instead of just the early adopters who purchased the console in it’s infancy. Sony is still behind in sales and could use as much help as possible to overtake Microsoft’s current lead. Unfortunately, there’s no news on if this is only going to provide emulation through retail discs, or if it’ll pave the way for digital distribution of the library via the Playstation Network.

We’re also left in the dark regarding when this might be implemented. While it’d be nice to see digital distribution become an option, I’d hate to have to repurchase my library should Sony decide to lock out the emotion chip emulation in previous consoles. I doubt that’d happen, but greed has led to terrible decisions in the past. This leaves me wondering, will anyone consider picking up a PS3 should this feature be made available in the near future? The original details of the patent as reported by The Mirror are listed below.

The patent describes a means of directly emulating the PS2’s Emotion Engine chipset using the PS3’s Cell Processor. Those with a keen memory for PS3 hardware models will recall that when the console first launched in the US, the original 60GB came with full PS2 backwards compatibility via an Emotion Engine chip.

In the UK we weren’t blessed with the same hardware backwards compatibility support, but in those early days there was a software solution that at least makes most games run to some degree. More recent PS3 models, including the 40GB and 80GB versions, have dropped backwards compatibility altogether, after the Graphics Synthesizer was removed to lower production costs.

[Image Source: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan]