When the news broke in the Spring of 2019 that the PlayStation 5 is already in development, pundits and fans bombarded Sony with questions. However, the company announced in October 2019 that the new console would be far more powerful than its predecessor.
A brand-new controller with a plethora of upgrades was confirmed as well, and there are already hints of exclusive titles. But one question still lingers in Sony’s customers’ minds. Will PS5 be fully backward compatible?
Looking Forward to Backward Compatibility
What is BC? It is a term used in the gaming industry, predominantly when it comes to the most popular consoles – Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox. It denotes whether the newest consoles will be able to run games made for the previous generations, or not.
Sony, in particular, ran into heavy criticism during their announcement of the PS4 years ago. That was because the then-new console wouldn’t allow owners to play PS3, PS2, or PS1 games on it.
Pictured above is the PS logo confirmed by Sony.
It would seem that Sony learned from their mistakes and have claimed that cross-gen and backward compatibility have received more focus and care this time around. As it stands, Sony confirmed that the newest console would support at least PlayStation 4 games. That would allow players who aren’t able to upgrade right away to keep playing with their friends who are. It will come as great news to those who may be intimidated by the price tag.
As for the console’s potential ability to run PS3 games or even older titles, there have been no official mentions so far. If the console launches with support only for PS4 games, then Sony’s PS Now service will remain the only option to play titles from the pre-PS4 times. As for what the future will reveal, we must stay patient.
A New Era
Still, gamers have reasons to be hopeful. The console is not coming out any time soon, with most sources claiming a late 2020 release is most likely. That gives Sony even more time to work on it and perfect the formula they’ve spent the past few decades polishing.
Technology has advanced at a staggering rate and continues to evolve. It has allowed consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox to flourish. The PS5 is confirmed to not just be a mere upgrade of the previous gen, but rather a whole new experience. Luckily, the same is claimed for Xbox One’s successor.
Advances in both hardware and software will allow these consoles to give their players an unprecedented quality when it comes to visuals, as well as audio. Sony confirmed that PS5 would have full support for 3D audio. The graphics card will support powerful new tech, such as raytracing. Additionally, the console will be SSD-driven, as opposed to using a regular hard drive like the previous incarnations. That means substantially shorter loading times.
If you’d like to get a closer look at the PS5 reveal and the information from the last year, feel free to check out this article.
All of these improvements signal that Sony has worked hard to bring its audience the best experience possible. And, with the relentless march of technology, backward compatibility with even earlier titles may yet become a real thing.
Even if it remains a rumor, the idea of actual BC is not entirely off the table, as there have been no official confirmations from Sony so far. And even if it doesn’t come right away, gamers will surely have their hands full with the new exclusives and old crowd favorites.
A Potentially Bright Outcome
PlayStation fans still have many games to choose from, as several AAA titles are coming to the PS4 throughout 2020. These include highly anticipated titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 of CDPR fame, the remake of Final Fantasy VII, the viscerally fun Doom Eternal. Indie fans can look forward to gems such as Two Point Hospital.
Finally, all that’s left to do is wait for Sony to reveal more news about BC. If you know more on the subject, feel free to share it with the rest of the TechJunkie community.
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