Backward compatibility will be one of the main selling points for the upcoming PlayStation 5 console, something that Sony addressed a few times in the past year without revealing any specifics. Being able to play the titles gamers already own would make it a lot easier to upgrade from the PS4 to the PS5, and Sony already confirmed it’s planning to make that transition as seamless and fast as possible. A recent leak that included a supposed release date, pricing details, as well as a date for the PlayStation 5 launch event also contained some interesting information about the PS5’s backward compatibility features. As it turns out, Sony’s backward compatibility features might end up being even better than we thought.
The anonymous leaker said on 4chan a few days ago that backward compatibility will be a “big” PS5 feature:
Backwards compatibility with all PS4 games is also a big feature. Through a new transferring features, users will easily transfer their PS4 games to the PS5 if those games are downloaded. Save data/backups for PS4 games will also be transferable.
In a second comment, he said the feature is even more impressive than that, allowing PS5 owners to load a lot more games than just PS4 releases:
Backwards compatibility is such a major feature that games from all 5 PlayStation platforms (PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3, and PS4) will be compatible with PS5, making it an “ultimate PlayStation console,” putting an emphasis on past and present gaming. More details about backwards compatibility will be discussed at a later date, especially at E3.
In addition to playing old PlayStation games, this “ultimate” console would also support existing PS4 accessories, including DualShock 4 controllers, PSVR, as well as other devices, the leaker said. That’s also a factor that might play a huge role in convincing PS4 owners to upgrade to the PS5. Already having a bunch of compatible DualShock controllers would definitely help, especially if you playing a lot of games with friends.
Come to think of it, Sony’s recent launch of a DualShock 4 accessory that adds rear buttons to the controller makes even more sense in light of this new information. If the DualShock 4 controllers will work on the PS5, then Sony would probably want them to be able to offer almost the same overall experience as the newer DualShock 5 controller, but needing an accessory to add those extra buttons means Sony will still make some money.
As a reminder, this is all just a rumor from an unverified source. No matter how exciting it all sounds, we’re still going to need Sony to confirm everything. And Sony has yet to announce the PS5 launch event. If true though, this could be huge for the PS5. We will point out that Sony has announced it’s not attending E3 2020 this year, which means it’ll need to pack a whole lot of info into next month’s expected announcement event.
