Ever since the reveal of the PlayStation 5 last year, its ability to be backward compatible with games from previous generations of PlayStation consoles has been a hot topic in the gaming community. At the moment, the PS5 is confirmed to be backward compatible with most PS4 games, which means that its capability to run games from previous generations won't be as extensive as the Xbox Series X.
Now, in a recent interview with CNET, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan revealed that Sony is happy with the development of the backward compatibility feature on the PS5. Those who are hoping for any confirmation that the PS5 will be able to play games from the PS1, PS2, and PS3, will be disappointed given that Jim Ryan only talked about the progress of the PS5's backward compatibility to most of the PS4's library during the interview. According to Ryan, the team is still working with the developers and publishers of the thousands of games in the PS4's library, and the testing of each of these games has been smooth so far.
Although Ryan did not share specific details about the development of the PS5's backward compatibility, it appears that at the very least, players will be able to play most games from the PS4 with no issues, unless of course, Sony encounters a problem at some point during the PS5's development. As to whether the next-generation PlayStation console will be backward compatible with systems older than the PS4 is still a mystery, but the fact that Sony has been silent about this is already an indicator that it may not be happening.
Earlier last May, Marc-Andre Jutras, who is the technical director of Cradle Games, chimed in on the conversation and explained why it is unlikely for the PS5 to be backward compatible with the PS1, PS2, and PS3. According to Jutras, one of the major reasons why the PS5 won't have an extensive backward compatibility feature is due to licensing and legal issues. The older the games are, the harder it is to license them for the PS5, especially since some of the developers and publishers behind old games don't exist anymore.
The rumor was also refuted by former Kotaku editor Jason Schrier. During the height of the rumor that the PS5 will have full backward compatibility, Schrier asked "a few folks in the know" on whether it is true. Although none of Schrier's sources guaranteed that the rumor is false, he mentioned that all of them laughed at the idea. Of course, Sony itself still hasn't explicitly shot down the idea of full backward compatibility, so the company may still be finding ways to make this happen. But, given that the PS5 is expected to launch late this year, chances of the next-gen console having extensive backward compatibility remain slim.
The PlayStation 5 releases Holiday 2020.
Source: CNET