PlayStation recently revealed a whole bevy of information regarding the upcoming PS5, taking a "deep dive" into the technical specifications of the console, the development of the next-generation console, and some of the features incoming for the new system. One major flaw for the PS4 last generation was its lack of backwards compatibility support. Both Xbox and PlayStation rolled out backwards compatibility last generation, Xbox having their dedicated backwards compatibility program, but Sony had limited support through including a few old games on their PlayStation Now game streaming platform.
With the PS5, Mark Cerny has confirmed backwards compatibility will be coming at launch. So far, backwards compatibility will be covering a selection of PS4 (PS4 Pro) games at launch, with more presumably coming later on. What the presentation didn't cover was whether or not backwards compatibility would include anything older than the PS4, meaning anything from PS3 or lower. Many are wondering how far back backwards compatibility could go for the next PlayStation, and whether games would just be simply emulated or full on remasters with performance boosts.
The Road to PS5
Initially, a rumor leading up to the technical reveal stated that the PS5 would have full backwards compatibility. Players expected to be able to play their favorite PS3/PS2/PS1 titles at launch, but PlayStation lead system architect Mark Cerny seemed to indirectly de-confirm that fact. According to Wednesday's presentation, the PlayStation 5 will support the most of the "top 100" PS4 games at launch, with more to come later on. The graphic and Cerny's presentation made no mention of any other consoles other than PS4.
Understandably this PS5 reveal may be disappointing for any fans that expected a full design reveal, or who heard the rumor previously. It's likely this presentation was something originally intended for GDC, full of developer-focused information about the PS5's technology specifically. Likely due to circumstances with the Coronavirus and in response to Xbox's video showing everything inside the upcoming Xbox Series X, PlayStation probably felt the pressure to put out more information ahead of their original marketing pipeline.
Potential for Retro PlayStation Compatibility
Interestingly enough, it may be a while before we see any true retro backwards compatibility possible for the PS5. It's easy to take PlayStation's presentation as an official confirmation, but it was never explicitly stated that older console generations may not see their games on the PS5. The presentation only directly address the fact that the PS5's programming logic in its chipset has been inherently designed to support games at the PS4/PS4 Pro level. Mark Cerny outlines in the presentation that the main issue with backwards compatibility in the PS5's format is optimization and boosting, stating that "the [performance] boost is truly massive... and some game code just can't handle it. Testing has to be done on a title-by-title basis."
Cerny's statement is just in reference to PlayStation 4 games on PS5, not even taking into account anything older than that. That doesn't necessarily bust any potential backwards compatibility for the future, just not at launch. There's still potential for older PlayStation games to come to PS5, but if possible, it's likely a ways away. The one thing the most recent rumor about PS5 backwards compatibility did get right was the fact that any backwards-compatible games would be enhanced/boosted and optimized for play on PS5. Since the PS5 was inherently designed with programming logic from the PS4, there's the potential for retro backwards compatibility being implemented in firmware updates later on.
Benefits and Limitations
Backwards compatibility is a tough undertaking, especially for older third-party titles. Licensing issues come to mind, but there's definitely plenty of nuance to what many consider to be a simple porting process. Assuming these obstacles can be navigated, there's lots of pros and cons to backwards compatibility for retro games. Many games could benefit from the superior power of the PS5, seeing increased framerates, greater graphical performance, and possibly take advantage of those SSD load speeds in the PS5. Mark Cerny confirming that each individual backwards compatible PS4 game has received testing for optimization means that any retro game would receive the added benefit of performance optimization on the new hardware.
There's also the conceptual benefits, such as games getting a second wind of appreciation from players who never experienced the games previously. As evidenced by games like Resident Evil 2 Remake and the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake, nostalgia is a strong influencer on consumers with the best game remakes and remasters. Backwards compatibility for retro PlayStation games could be possible for the future, but it'll likely take time assuming each new compatible title undergoes optimization testing like the PS4 games have.
It's not a far cry to think older PlayStation games could be playable on the PS5, but it just may be a while before players can actually play them.