The idea of backward compatibility for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles has become a very hot topic for a big group of players. Both current consoles handle this in very different ways with Sony relying on a paid streaming service like PlayStation Now while Microsoft has been slowly adding more Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles over the past few years. While most expect Microsoft to keep doing what they're doing with the Series X, most are wondering if Sony will fully embrace the idea of backward compatibility for its massive library of titles.
Rumors and silence continue to leave fans wondering if the PlayStation 5 will be able to play games from the previous eras, though the technical director at Cradle Games Marc-Andre Jutras may already have the answer. While he certainly understands the frustrations from gamers who want this feature, especially with emulators and technology being available to play older games, his outlook on this is fairly grim.
The main reason why the PS5 may not feature full backward compatibility is due to licensing and legal issues. The further back the company goes, the more of a mess the licensing becomes for these older games as the rights may have transferred to a different group or outright expired. As Jutras explains, some companies just don't exist anymore and figuring out the licensing situation for some games may not be very clear. In addition, legal issues could also arise if the ultimate goal is to sell older games in some stores.
In the end, Jutras appears to be just as hopeful as fans are regarding backward compatibility on the PlayStation 5. He finishes the conversation expressing his desire to see backward compatibility be regarded more as an expected feature covering all titles rather than just a novel addition.
Some companies don’t exist anymore and licenses of those titles might not be so easy to figure out. I also understand that older consoles might have some form of hardware DRM that could prevent newer consoles from reading older disks. To be honest, I just wish backward compatibility wasn’t a novel thing and just an expected feature, covering all titles.
The idea of backward compatibility throughout the PlayStation catalog has gone back and forth over the past few months. Initial rumors indicated that the PS5 would be able to play games from the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 era with enhanced visuals. Over time, this rumor has shifted and changed as other rumors emerged that seemingly refute these claims. Sony has not entirely been helpful in sorting out this situation either only going as far to confirm that the PlayStation 5 would support an overwhelming majority of PS4 games leaving many fans left to wonder about the rest of the back catalog.
The PS5 is planned for release during holiday 2020.
Source: GamingBolt