Despite what you may have heard, backwards compatibility isn't as simple as flicking a switch and having all of your old games work on your new console. Extensive testing needs to be carried out in order to ensure that current-gen software runs correctly on next-gen hardware, and Sony is still in the process of setting up "over 4000" PS4 titles for use on PS5.
"We said that the PS5 has been designed to play PS4 games. We're going through the process with the publishers and developers testing that rather exhaustive library of over 4,000 games. We're happy with the progress that's been made," Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan tells CNET.
It's not exactly new information, but it's reassuring to see Ryan reiterate Sony's stance on backwards compatibility. The topic wasn't brought up at all during the PS5 reveal event, but we assume that Sony will, at some point, go into greater detail about its plans for backwards compatibility on PS5.
Previously, the company stated that PS4 games will benefit from increased frame rates and higher resolutions on the next-gen console, but we haven't actually seen any examples of this yet. Again, the hope is that we get some crystal clear information soon.
Are there any PS4 games you're eager to try on PS5? Jump over to next-gen in the comments section below.
[source cnet.com]
Comments 33
Bit misleading that. They're not testing 4000 titles at all
Persona 5, Ff7 Remake, LoU 2, Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon i guess. I'd still like confirmation one way or the other on PS1-3 however
I be happy getting rid of my day one loud PS4 Pro so day one for me as long as basic BC is in place. Some games a designed around a fixed frame rate or resolution and I do not expect that to change, just for performance to be rock solid. I'm hoping the chatter around a PC release of Bloodbourne means we will get a PS5 patch that will run at 60 FPS though
Looks like I'll be getting the one with a disc drive then. I want to be able to play all my discs still.
@roe how is it misleading? What do you mean by “they’re not testing 4000 titles”. That’s what it says in the direct quote
@ztpayne7 it talks about the library of over 4000 games, not that they're testing every single one of them
I still think it's good news overall though. They're clearly at least trying a bit this time
@ztpayne7 Do you think they are telling us the truth that they are testing over 4000 tiles ? It is hard to tell and I do not care about what they says In the direct quote. I will believe it when it is actually a proof and a fact. Right now, it is just a quote and doubtful.
I have 4TB of HDD space in my PS4 and it is FULL. So I will only play PS4 games on the PS5 if they have higher framerates or s.th. like that. I hope you can connect an external HDD to the PS5 for PS4 games because I don't want to use precious SSD memory for PS4 games. At least not for all games.
Glad to hear so many games are going through testing. That means a lot of the games that I either finished or haven't started yet have a good chance of being playable.
@ztpayne7 they said:
“We're going through the process with the publishers and developers testing that rather exhaustive library of over 4,000 games. “
They are not testing all the games, just saying they are working with publishers and developers so they test their games, and more that their game library is over 4k titles.
It’s likely they will only bother testing their top selling games, and it’s also unlikely that any very small indie studio will be getting lots to test against. A huge chunk of those 4K titles are indie games.
@roe @tharsman @azoreseuropa
Okay, so I read the actual quote in the article and I can see where that appears to be misleading. I still think they know what Microsoft has to offer and understands the blowback it would be if there are a lot of compatibility issues. I’m gonna wait for more info before passing judgement.
I want to understand why we are getting current gen remasters if they are backwards compatible
it sounds like there's no hope for backwards compatibility beyond ps4
@ztpayne7 I’m sure they are trying their best. To be fair: MS has also made statements about MS employees using the Series X at home as if it was an One X to test for compatibility, so they themselves feel their approach needs testing.
The reason I guess most of us are more confident on MS approach at BC is based on their experience with Windows, Direct X, and every single XBox game actually always running on a siloed VM that can kinda ignore hardware.
But there is a chance that some MS titles won’t work. In fact: we know that any Kinect game won’t work, since Series X can’t even hook up a Kinect (unless they sell us some USB adapter.)
@DualWielding They can easily emulate them, especially PS1 and 2. My PC can play PS1-3 games off discs, there's no reason Sony can't get the PS5 to. I mean, damn, my hacked Switch can play PSP, PS1, SNES and so on - and that's down to the work of random guys on the internet not a massive international corporation. It's just a case of if Sony think it's worth bothering with.
Good to hear it said again. Probably going to keep our Slim for a bit and sell the Pro just in case there's a bump in the road with a game here or there.
If it has broad compatibility it’s day 1. And I will be playing AC: Odyssey hopping all over Ancient Greece. (And R&C, if we are lucky)
I'm more interested in hearing about their version of Xbox's smart delivery, if it's even a thing.
Yeah, clever use of words there!
Wonder if they mean digital and physical?
@Robinsad Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently the only PS4 remastered game announced for PS5 is Observer.
@Sanctanox Yeah you can use your current external drive to play PS4 games, but not PS5 games.
@JohnnyShoulder GTA5 is isn’t it? A remaster of a remaster. And that’s what they led with.
@Robinsad Oh and we had Control announced today too. 🤔 Does seem a bit pointless if most last gen games are supposed to be playable, and be compatible with boost mode.
I guess our dreams of BC for PS3 and prior systems is not looking too promising 😔
I could live with BC for psone and ps2 at least. That alone would be awesome! ☺️
“Play has no limits, unless what you want to play is final fantasy 13 because we won’t do ps3 b/c”
No quite as catchy a slogan though.
If they can't get ps3 games working on ps5 they really should utilize ps now for bc. Scan our ps3 purchase history or in-drive discs over the psn and give us access to our games! I bought a digital licence for catherine on ps3, why can't I play it through ps now on my ps4/ps5? Oh yeah... Sony wants you to double / triple dip your entire library
@TooBarFoo not only that but we haven't heard anything about psvr support either so we have to hold out for that info too.
As long as life of black tiger works...
Personally I don't see much reason for a lack of backwards compatibility for PS1 + 2 games considering any computer can load them up no problem with an emulator. PS3 obviously would not be too feasible considering the Cell architecture.
@Cloud7794 Well, there are licensing agreements that have to be made. Games released for PS1/PS2 were not made with future platforms in mind. So to re-release them digitally (even if they were already available digitally on PS3) needs a new license agreement.
SONY probably didn't see many sales on PS3 for PS1/PS2 games, so they stopped. I still think it would be neat to support discs and/or renew those classic games' licenses from the PS3 gen, but it's not very likely to happen...at least not at launch or for free
As long as I get to play the majority of my PS4 backlog on the PS5, I'll be happy!
Though also having backwards compatibility for older systems would be nice!
@drd7of14 Well I meant specifically the ability to run PS1/ps2 discs. I know they have licensing issues when it comes to digital content, but I can't see how you'd need to get licencing rights for every individual game discs just to support the physical format - and at this point including it would be at practically no cost to Sony.
The only reason I see them not doing it is for security reasons. Emulators may open up new avenues for "modding" the PS5 and Sony's probably not exactly thrilled at the prospect.
The misleading part of "testing 4000+ games" is that I could only find 2656 titles released for PS4
@OscarHTX I don't think they're guaranteeing backwards compatibilty at launch.
To be completely honest, it sound like it'll be flaky like the software Emulated PS3's were. won't be holding my breath
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