Game Related Questions, Backwards Compability

Q: Will my username be the same in all games?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I backup my game saves, and how? Can I use them on my friend's PS3?
A: Yes. The PS3 has an option in the XMB to backup your games saves. (Under Games, Saved Game Data Utility) You decide the destination (USB HDD, memory stick). You can transfer the saves onto your friend's PS3.

Q: Can I play music off of my PS3 HDD while playing a game?
A: If the game supports it yes.

Q: Can I use my USB mouse and keyboard to play games?
A: See the "PS3 Controller, Bluetooth, and External Devices" section.

Q: Will the PS3 make PS2 load times faster?
A: No.

Q: Can I play multi-disc PS1 and PS2 games on my PS3?
A: Yes. As long as the game is backwards compatible with the PS3, the game will work fine. It being multi-disc is no different on the PS3 than the PS1 or PS2.

Q: Will PS1/PS2 games have the option of saving to the PS3 HDD?
A: Yes. You make a virtual memory card on your PS3 HDD.

Q: How do I get my PS1 or PS2 games to work on my PS3?
A: Go to the PlayStation Store, and download the PS2 System Software. You will also need to create a virtual PS2 Memory Card on your PS3. Finally, to use saves on a PS2 Memory Card, you'll need a PS3 Memory Card Adapter.

Q: Will the PS3 make my PS1 and PS2 game run better?
A: No, they'll run the same. The PS3 has the ability to smoothen and upsacle the picture. Do this by selecting the options in Settings -> Game Settings.

Q: Being the PS3 games are not region coded, does this mean PS3 can play PS1 and PS2 games from anywhere in the world?
A: No. PS1 and PS2 games are still subject to the same region codes as found on the original PS1 and PS2 systems.

Q: Will the PS3 be compatible with ALL PS1/PS2 games?
A: No. If you live in the US, you can check out individual titles here: http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/CompatibleStatus European and Australian users can check them out here: http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc/

Q: I heard that the European PS3, and the new US/Japan models won't play PS1/PS2 games at all! Is this true?
A: No. What happened is that Sony announced, that they're redesigning the PS3, removing some PS2 components. Instead of using hardware emulation to play PS1 and PS2 games, the PS3 will now use software emulation. In the announcement, Sony mentioned that this might affect the number of compatible games, and that Sony didn't put as much focus on backwards compability. Some parts of the internet community read this as Sony gave up on supporting PS1 and PS2 games on the PS3, which isn't true.

Q: Can I play online with people all over the world or is it locked to my region (USA, Japan, Europe, etc.)?
A: This varies from game to game.

Q: Will PS1 & PS2 games be upscaled & presented in HD for gameplay?
A: No.

Q: Can I copy PS2 saves from my hard drive onto a PS2 memory stick?
A: No.

Q: Can I turn off the motion sensor on the Sixaxis, if I want to control my game by using the sticks instead?
A: This varies from game to game. Most games support this.

Q: Why does games install stuff on my HDD, and what happens if I deny this?
A: They do this to speed up the loading process, reducing the load times. Some games allows you to choose to install or not. If you choose not to install, the game will work just as well, but it just takes a bit longer to load.

Q: I have some games that installed considerable amounts of data on my PS3 HDD. I don't own/play them anymore. Can I erase the data?
A: Yes. in the XMB, go to Game -> Game Data Utility. Select the game data you'd like to uninstall, press Triangle and delete it. This does not delete your game saves. You can always reinstall the game data.

Q: I have some games that I no longer own/play. I have several saves that I no longer need. Can I erase the data?
A: Yes. in the XMB, go to Game -> Saved Data Utility. Select the game save you'd like to delete, press Triangle and delete it.

All infos from PSU

You may want to update this one about how the new slimmer PS3 does not support backward gameplay. Almost the whole thing talks about playing PS2 games on the PS3 so just thought Id add that.