Topic: PlayStation 5 --OT--

I really do not care about the technical mumbo jumbo. Just give me a good system with good games. The devs will work with whatever sony gives them as long as the platform will be viable. Its their job.

If PS5 has no BC at all it will be a long time till I get one if ever.

@WebHead I'd presume people buy a console to play the new games coming to that system, instead of the old games they already own, but I could be wrong

@Octane that is not the point. A lot of people have bought digitaly this gen including me. We are in an age where all your past stuff carries over in other devices. Its nice to have BC to fall back on in regards to personal droughts like when money is tight. There will be no arch excuse this time either. I consider no BC not only stupid but outright disrespectful to those that have poured hundreds of dollars into their ecosystem.

indeed - especially as I can already play ALL the games I own on the Consoles they were made for. I don't want to be spending 'extra' to play some 'old' games that I can play ANYTIME on the Console they were made and licenced to work on.

Is it spending extra if the architecture is similar enough for emulation? Sony fans and their attitudes lately.

You paid 'hundreds of Dollars' to play them on a PS4 and the games were licenced and released for PS4 - it says so on the box, in the Digital Store etc. It NEVER once said that the games you were buying were for PS4 & any subsequent console thereafter. Sony and MS are under NO Obligation to offer Backwards Compatibility regardless of whether you bought digitally or physical releases. The games you bought were advertised for PS4, licensed and rated for PS4 and as such, they will work on PS4.

Its entirely up to Sony as to whether they look to add any form of Backwards Compatibility - whether that's Full or Partial or not at all. Just because you (and others) have opted to go more digital this generation is absolutely irrelevant. There were a LOT of people who purchased or acquired Digital games, DLC etc on last generation too yet Sony opted not to build in any form of BC - whether that was Physical (as in a PS3 chip set) or software (as in PS3 Emulator). People could and did spend 'hundreds of Dollars' or equivalent in their currency on Digital content - let alone Physical content and still upgraded to a PS4 with the ONLY way to play PS3 games is on a PS3.

Buying Digital was your choice - no different from others spending a fortune on Physical games. You can still access EVERY game on your PS4 - even when the PS5 launches. You can download every games, save it on an external HDD and play long after the PS4 is 'turned off'. Your choice to buy digital is NO different from those who choose o buy Physical. There is NO more obligation from Sony (or any other Console manufacturer) to offer Backwards Compatibility regardless of whether you opted to buy Digital or physical - you purchased them to play on your PS4 as they were advertised to work on.

If Sony do add some form of BC, bonus - if not, then you will have to stick with playing the games on the console they were built to run on - exactly the same as those who purchased their games Physically - inc ANY additional Digital content they may of bought too...

Well thats a pretty good way to lose customers especially ps plus subs. There is NO obligation for me to support them if they do not have the decency to allow me to play my games on future hardware.

However I feel like i am talking to a brick wall here.

@BAMozzy also I would appreciate if you would stop talking to me like I am an idiot.

@Th3solution Neither. Have zero interest in both. I would rather they would concentrate on frame rate and resolution. Not that any of that matters to me too much, I just think that will be the next logical evolution for consoles. I be very surprised big we get 4k 60fps for 400 quid or under. But if VR is part of the package for PS5, I won't be getting it. If BC then sure that will be an added bonus, I just personally would use it that much.

@JohnnyShoulder idk why someone would suggest it. Idea did not work for xbox with kinect. It would not work here. Do not force it down my throat.

@Frigate Can't be more than a tenner I think.

@Frigate No, but seriously, the manufacturing costs of a disc drive aren't enough to worry about having it in or not.

@Frigate Of course, they want to push digital sales and drive out the middle man. Cheaper for them, more expensive for us.

Disc or no disc will depend on how codename Maverick(disc less xbox one) does.

I didn’t intend to stir a ruckus here with the question and it was more of a hypothetical thought experiment. Sorry for any waves I’ve created. 😅
But what it does highlight is the somewhat of the quandary Sony finds itself in. There is a growing demand for BC. Due to Xbox’s roll out this gen I think there is an expectation. Like I said earlier, I would welcome BC because, well... I’m lazy. I don’t want multiple consoles to keep up with. It’s just a preference. Sue me.
That said, most people who desire BC don’t really use it much, so I am willing to accept the fact that I pine for something that I won’t use much. For that reason, it’s not a deal breaker for me if PS5 has no BC.
I do think there is a certain obligation Sony has to keep the playerbase in the ecosystem, as @WebHead has pointed out. Hypothetically, What if Sony states that they are going to wipe clean all our profiles for PS5? None of our progress carries over. Your PSN name, your trophies, your purchases, your PSN level, your communities, — it’s all considered last gen and there are no promises to keep those things. Are they within their rights to do so? Of course. Will gamers want to abandon time and money invested? Of course not. It is a show of good will to keep gamers in the system. And they need to sell PS5’s to push software sales next gen.
I’m not saying BC is absolute, but it’s just like cross-play — that is in today’s internet community where people can start virtual riots, I think they know that direction that the wind is blowing.
And as for what Sony wants to do - it’s clear they want to grow VR. It’s the wave of the future, I suppose. So it’s an interesting dichotomy of what the company wants and feels will be best in the long run, versus what the gamers think they want.

Again, this is a thought experiment. In actuality they can simply have multiple SKUs for the PS5 at different price points. Those with no interest in BC or VR may not have to pay for it. But I anticipate some form of BC to be enabled in a higher price point unit.

@Th3solution A device is either backwards compatible, or it isn't. I can't see how they could offer a more expensive version that is BC, and a cheaper version that isn't, unless you're talking about BC with ALL PlayStation system, and not just the PS4. BC with PS4 is very likely I think, almost a given.

I don't think PSVR will be mandatory either. No way. I think it will be made with VR in mind, so all the PSVR needs is a single cable.

@Frigate I can see MS making a console without a disc drive - one that is focussed on Game Pass and MS store gaming - maybe even streaming gaming using their cloud to run games - but I do think that will also be the 'entry' level console. I still think they will have a fully featured multi-media console shaped device. I still think having a 4k HDR Bluray player will be important for MS and for their purchasers. Its not just for gaming either and still serves as the Multi-media hub for playing games as well as watching TV/movies. Whilst Netflix (for example) may have 4k HDR content and Dolby Atmos audio, its certainly not at the same quality you will get from a 4k HDR Bluray - you get a compressed image and a lossy compressed audio version of Atmos with Netflix or other streaming service.

A lot of their customers will have DVD's, Blurays and maybe even 4k HDR Blurays now too since the Xbox has offered 4k HDR Bluray playback since Q4 2016.

Cutting out a Disc drive too would be a 'risky' move as its removing a feature and reducing the functionality of the device. Without it, people would be forced to buy a separate Disk Drive, and if there is any BC, even if its just Partial, they would need to add a disc drive for owners to show they have a valid licence to play their games. I also think it will be important for Publishers too - even if they want total control of your games like they do with Digital purchases. They want to offer those special/limited edition physical release sets as these are worth a lot of money to the Publisher. If you wanted to buy the Days Gone statue edition that's ONLY available at Game (so obviously benefit from Game paying for exclusivity rights to sell), you are out of luck because its Sold Out before the game is even out. These are worth a lot of money to the Publisher and the fact they often sell out month's before a game even releases show how important Physical releases are. I know Digital is worth more money (with all the extra digital only content) but in terms of games that are available in both Physical and Digital, Physical outsells Digital by quite some margin - its around 70:30 with some games being 80:20 although a few may be 60:40 but either way, most AAA games (as these are the only Physical releases) are bought on a physical format and I can't see MS or Sony abandoning Physical anytime soon.

Even if the ratio was reversed in Digital's favour, there would still be significant numbers buying Physical to warrant its inclusion - let alone the other uses it offers. If physical games drop to just 5% of all purchases, it still merits its inclusion.

@BAMozzy If your PS4 Pro irreparably died a few months after the PS5 came out would you replace it?
This is assuming a PS5 it’s not backwards compatible.