Nov 30, 2017 Unlock Backwards Compatibility with PlayStation Now. Playing your favourite past-time titles is actually increasingly easy. If you have not heard of PlayStation Now, look into it. It is a backwards streaming subscription that allows you to play select titles on your PS4.
Sony is hoping the transition to PS5 will be smoother now that players know they won’t have to build an entirely new library from scratch.
Sony, having changed its tune on backwards compatibility, now considers the feature a core part of its strategy going into the next generation of consoles.
At Sony’s investor day event held last week, the one where the company demoed the massive leap in asset loading thanks to the console’s custom SSD, we also got a glimpse of the company’s plans for the next generation of PlayStation beyond just the hardware itself.
More specifically, how Sony is working to maintain its leadership position in the upcoming generation. One way this can be ensured is through backwards compatibility on PS5, which is going to make the prospect of buying the console much more enticing for existing PS4 owners.
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“Our critical success factor for next-gen will be our ability to transition our community from PS4 to next-gen faster than we’ve ever done before, before then broadening out to new audiences,” said Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan, as reported by Games Industry
Backwards compatibility will be “absolutely key to that happening,” Ryan stressed.
The specifics of backwards compatibility on PS5 have yet to be publicly confirmed, likely because details are still in flux. At the very least, Sony is working to make the transition as smooth as possible for PS4 players, which leads me to believe the feature will be all-encompassing.
We’ll see.
News of the next PlayStation console gets more enticing the more we hear about it. This time, in talking about backward compatibility--a key feature absent from the PS4--Sony says it's looking to bridge the gap between the PS4 and the PS5. That could possibly mean that owners of each system are able to play certain PlayStation 4 titles online together through cross-play that spans console generations.
As part of a recent investors meeting (where the PS5's impressive load times were showcased), Sony discussed both backwards compatibility and the prospect of PS4 and PS5 players being able to play certain games together. 'Backwards compatibility, in a networked era, becomes something that is incredibly powerful,' newly appointed Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Jim Ryan said (via GamesRadar). 'Because the gaming community is somewhat tribal in its nature, backwards compatibility gives us the opportunity to migrate that community from PlayStation 4 to next-gen using the ability to play the PS4 games they have on their next-generation console. We think it's incredibly important.'
As for cross-platform multiplayer between the two consoles, SIE deputy president John Kodera noted: 'Cross-generation the community can enjoy the games together.' Given the vagueness of the quote, it remains to be seen exactly how this will function.
Sony wants you to buy a PS5, sure, but the company seems to be taking steps to ensure the PS5 isn't just another PlayStation console. Instead, Sony's assuring that at least some of your PS4 games will play without a hitch and that you'll be able to play with your friends who have yet to upgrade, all while supplying faster load times.
There have been numerous rumors circulating since Sony first unveiled details about the PS5. There's no word on a release date, but if former SIE boss John Kodera's 'three years away' quote from 2018 is to be believed, we may not see the next-gen PlayStation console until 2021. As of right now, though, we do know the PS5 will use solid-state drives and will support PSVR. As far as price goes, Sony's lead architect Mark Cerny told Wired writer Peter Rubin that the PS5 will have an 'appealing' price point: 'I believe that we will be able to release it at an SRP [suggested retail price] that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set.'