Sony has previously promised that the upcoming PlayStation 5 will be backward compatible with most of the PS4’s library of games, and now the company has just decreed that all titles being made for the current PlayStation console must be ready to run on the next one. While Sony has taken the slow road to releasing details regarding their next-gen system in comparison to Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, they have now shifted into high gear as the PS5’s holiday 2020 street date looms on the horizon.
One of the many topics frequently brought up while discussing the PlayStation 5 (or any next-gen console for that matter), is backward compatibility, which would allow the system to play games from past PlayStation consoles in addition to its own. This is naturally appealing to some players since it would mean that they wouldn’t have to keep their older hardware out and plugged in whenever they felt like dusting off a title from a past generation, as well as allow them to possibly sell their old systems in order to buy newer games and accessories. So far, it’s been confirmed that the PlayStation 5 will be able to play at least 4000 PS4 titles right out of the box, and a recent development confirms that this list will include every game released from July onward.
According to a report by Eurogamer earlier today, Sony has mandated that all PlayStation 4 titles in development must be forward-compatible with the PS5 effective July 13. Responsibility for ensuring this will fall to the developers in charge of these games, although Sony will provide them with details on how to test their product for PS5 compatibility – the criteria of which consists of the game in question being able to run its submission code on the next-gen machine without issue and allowing all of the same features that would be available on the PS4.
The official unveiling of the PlayStation 5 console itself has been set for June 4, in a show that Sony promises will avoid the pitfalls made by Microsoft during its divisive series of Xbox Series X reveals. This would include featuring actual gameplay footage from the multitude of new games being developed for the system, such as the often-rumored Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 that many believe might be a PS5 launch title.
With this new PlayStation 5 reveal in the cards for next week, it only makes sense for Sony to want its developers to look to the future while crafting new games, especially when it comes to ensuring that those games will be able to carry over into their next console generation. This is an exciting-yet-transitional time for players, and it will be reassuring to know that the titles they buy for the PS4 in the next few months will work just as well on the PlayStation 5 when it is released this holiday season.
Source: Eurogamer