Sony made some waves earlier this week by announcing more details about the upcoming PS5 console. The gaming rig will indeed be called PlayStation 5, just as everyone and their grandmother suspected, and it’ll launch holiday season 2020. On top of that, Sony revealed the successor of the DualShock 4 controller, which will feature improved haptic feedback, and could deliver a feature that’s not available on any other gaming console. Sony also talked about the PS5 performance, and we learned (again) that leaked PS5 dev kit design was the real deal. But Sony apparently made some comments that might not please all PlayStation fans, and, specifically, the ones who expect full backward compatibility from the console, at least with the PS4.
Several months ago, when Sony detailed some of the PS5’s main features, we learned the new console will be fully backward compatible with the PS4.
But Sony’s newest statements suggest that might not be the case.
Speaking to Famitsu (via MobileSyrup), Sony wasn’t able to confirm full compatibility at this time
More statement on PlayStation 5's PS4 Backwards Compatibility
"Currently, the dev team is putting all power on verifying whether they can secure a complete compatibility. Please wait for more information."https://t.co/g8OWIbrri3 pic.twitter.com/bkS2TYTjOI— 黒凧 BlackKite (@bk2128) October 8, 2019
A translation from Sony’s remarks (see tweet above) indicates that the dev team is working on complete backward compatibility, and that future announcements will clear the matter.
Backward compatibility is a huge feature for any console, as gamers will certainly want to be able to play games they purchased for the previous version on the newest one. And it’s likely the PS5 will support several of the popular PS4 titles out there. But there may always be some limitations, especially at launch.
Sony is expected to show the design of the PS5 and announce its price at some point next year, maybe as soon as February, when Sony is rumored to host a special PlayStation Meeting event.
