Sony's PlayStation 5 appears to be addressing one of the biggest issues that plagued the PS4 — backwards compatibility. By all accounts, the PlayStation 4 was a riveting success, rivaling some of the best-selling consoles in gaming history and pumping out some of the highest quality games Sony has ever made like God of War and The Last of Us: Part II. It's no surprise that the console has sold over 100 million units, and will likely continue to sell for at least another year or so. However, the lack of backwards compatibility prevented the system from reaching its full potential.
Although Microsoft has been trailing far behind this console generation, the Xbox One managed to pull some of the most consumer-friendly practices in the industry. Making nearly every Xbox 360 and original Xbox game playable on the Xbox One, even enhancing several titles to play at a higher resolution and frame rate, is one of the top-selling points of the console. Coupling that with Xbox Games Pass, and Microsoft is once again becoming a big contender for many players.
The PS5 is looking to change this dynamic. Sony has already confirmed that thousands of PS4 games will be playable on the PS5 on day one. Although a price point and release date have not been announced, backwards compatibility is enough justification for several fans to move on to the next generation and pre-order a PS5. One of the biggest issues with the PS4 was a lackluster launch lineup, and while Sony is looking to remedy that for the PS5, being able to play thousands of games right out the box is definitely a great selling point.
Playing Older Games on PS5
Sony has a confusing history with backwards compatibility. The PS2 played most PS1 games flawlessly and was a welcome addition to the second console in Sony's lineup. The PS3 was a powerhouse on release, but its unique architecture made it difficult for developers to make games on, especially near launch. Originally backwards compatible, the PS3's infamous cell-processor was so different from previous architecture, Sony essentially had to fit a whole PS2 inside the original PS3. This led to an incredibly high price at release, and eventually, Sony had to make a slim version of the console removing backwards compatibility in order to lower the price.
The PS4 sports a more traditional, PC-based architecture. While this meant that the system was pretty close to the Xbox One in terms of hardware, it made developing for multiple systems much easier for third-parties. However, the sharp turn meant that the PlayStation 4 would not be able to play any PS3 games unless they were remade or remastered for the system. Sony has tried to resolve that with its streaming service PlayStation Now, allowing PS2 and PS3 games to be streamed on PS4 and PC, but it doesn't quite reach the same level of quality as backwards compatibility on the Xbox One.
Backwards compatibility on the PS5 is truly a blessing for the console. In an age where high-quality games are rapidly releasing, it's a relief to know that the backlog library so many players have will be playable on the PlayStation 5. Sony has also confirmed that PS4 games will be enhanced for PS5, potentially displaying at a higher resolution and taking advantage of the SSD for faster load times and better frame rate. Unfortunately, it's unconfirmed if the PS5 will play any games from the PS1-PS3 generations unless they are streamed on PS Now. It's possible that Sony is hiding this as a feature closer to launch, but it's unlikely the system will contain an emulator powerful enough to play the older systems' games.
Sony's confirmed that third-party developers have the option to provide smart delivery for any PS4 games that will also release on PS5. Whether that's the case for recent PS4 exclusives like The Last of Us: Part II or Ghosts of Tsushima is yet to be announced, but the fact that gamers can play those titles day one on the PlayStation 5 is reassuring enough.