Sony is about to make the jump to a new generation of gaming hardware, and it's not willing to look back, at least not very far. Anyone hoping for backwards compatibility beyond the PS4 is set to be dissapointed when the PS5 launches in November.
As Siliconera reports, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan gave an interview to Japanese gaming publication Famitsu. One of the questions asked concerned backwards compatibility as it had already been stated the PS5 would play 99 percent of PS4 games, but would the console also play PS1, PS2, and PS3 titles?
Ryan answered, "We keep in mind the engineering specialized for the PS5, as we produced the device. In the midst of that, the PS4 already has 100 million players; we thought they ought to want to play PS4 titles on the PS5 as well indeed, so we included compatibility with the PS4. While implementing that, we also focused our efforts on taking in the high-speed SSD and the new controller DualSense at the same time. So, unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the implementation of such compatibilities."
It's the first confirmation we have that you won't be able to insert a PS1, PS2, or PS3 disc into a PS5 and expect it to play. Sony used the development time it had to ensure PS4 compatibility, but it's a very similar platform. Doing the same for the PS3 and older consoles would be a much bigger task. Will it happen in future? It's possible, but Sony's focus is clearly on new games for a new system for now.
Further Reading
- Xbox Series X vs. PlayStation 5: What We Know So Far
- Sony PlayStation 5: Release Date, Price, News, and More
- Nintendo Quietly Discontinues All 3DS Models
- Sony Says There Are No PlayStation 5 Production Problems
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