If there’s been one feature that gamers have clamouring for from PlayStation it’s backwards compatibility. For some, the desire to re-live past experiences on a new machine is huge, and with Xbox happily allowing games of all ages to run on their systems, people have been hoping that PlayStation would follow suit with the PS5. Sadly however, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, has confirmed that the PS5 will not be compatible with PS1, PS3 and PS3 games.
Speaking to Famitsu, Ryan said the following in regards to backwards compatibility:
We have been building devices with PS5 specific engineering in mind. Among them, PS4 already has 100 million players, so I thought that I would like to play PS4 titles on PS5 as well, so I introduced PS4 compatibility. While achieving that, we focused on incorporating high-speed SSDs and the new controller “DualSense” in parallel. So, unfortunately, compatibility with them has not been achieved.
For many people, this will be a disappointing outcome, however the confirmation that 99% of PS4 games will work on the PS5 is sure to lift the spirits somewhat. There is still a smidgen of hope though, as Ryan doesn’t clarify whether he means all PS1, PS2 and PS3 games, inclding those that have been purchased digitally for the PS4 or just those that involve inserting a disc into the console. We assume he is referring to all games given he mentions new PS5 hardware such as the SSD and DualSense controller.
Are you disappointed with the news that the PS5 won’t be compatible with PS1, PS2 or PS3 games? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts
