Time to start thinking forwards

It was always going to be a challenge for Sony to offer backward compatibility on the PlayStation 4. Its previous console’s CELL architecture is more complex than a Leo Tolstoy novel, meaning that replicating it on its new machine was probably never truly on the agenda. There had been some hope, however, that the company’s acquisition of Gaikai would provide a solution – but the manufacturer has suggested that's not the case.

“For a PS4 consumer, someone who has just bought a PS4, there’s been a lot of talk about no PlayStation 3 backward compatibility,” a candid John Koller told IGN. “This is not the answer to backward compatibility, but it does allow you to have the engagement with a great line-up of titles that maybe you didn’t get to experience on the PS3.” The platform holder recently added that there’ll be no rental or subscription discounts if you happen to own a specific title on a Blu-ray disc.

It’s an alternative to backward compatibility, then – but with the expectations of legacy support slightly different to what’s on offer here, it’s no surprise that Sony’s desperate to distance itself from the oft-mentioned phrase. Of course, assuming that you're still interested, the platform holder’s cloud-based service is set to enter open beta as soon as this month, ahead of a nationwide rollout in North America this summer. We hope that you weren’t expecting a quiet year.

[source uk.ign.com]