The PS4 was a hit among console gamers, selling millions of units all over the world. The console managed to beat the Xbox One when it comes to sales, but Microsoft’s offering has a clear advantage that may have prompted a large number of buyers to remain loyal to the green brand.
This edge is represented by the fact that the Xbox One and Xbox One X are backwards compatible with hundreds of titles that were released for the previous generations of consoles. Those that wish to enjoy the glory days of the Original Xbox and Xbox 360 are free to do it without the need to pray and hope that an HD port will be released for the new consoles.
It seems that Sony has learned from this mistake as a recently filled patent suggests that the PS5 could be backwards compatible with the four main consoles that were released in the past. The patent was filled earlier in January 2017 and two high-ranking names standout. One of them is Mark Cerny, the main architect of the PS4 while the other is Simon Pilgrim, leading programmer for Sony Entertainment’s European division.
The pattern notes how the newer games will be able to run on the newer platform. Upon launch the console will verify if the game is a legacy program (i.e. made for an older console). If the result is positive the console will deploy and emulation solution which is able to trick the game into believing that it is running on the older console. While the PSX. PS2 and PS4 shouldn’t pose much of a challenge the main problem is caused by the PS3. This particular console uses a custom-made processor that causes several problems when emulation is involved.
While backwards compatibility would be great it is important to keep in mind that a patent will not guarantee the release of a product or feature. Until an official announcement is made we can only hope that it will happen.
As a passionate gamer since the 1990s, Vadim has kept his passion alive since then, and he is here to cover video games news, as well as to share with you all the novelties out there regarding gadgets or games-related tech.
