The PS5 Becoming Backwards Compatible?
Will the PS5 be able to played the games of previous generations?
This article is more than 2 years old
The PlayStation 3, though one year behind Microsoft’s rivaling console, the Xbox 360, really established PlayStation as the apex gaming console, mostly through its high-budget triple-A exclusives. So, when the newest iteration of Sony’s gaming hardware was released, the console fans were slightly disappointed by its limited backward compatibility. Well, that might change soon; as new rumors suggest, PlayStation 5 might become backward compatible with PS3 gaming titles.
The appearance of PS3 games on the PlayStation Store, all with clearly attached price tags, has helped fan the flames of already hot rumors suggesting that Sony’s about to launch a backward compatibility system of its own, as reported by GamesRadar+. Previously, selecting the PS3 titles in Sony’s PlayStation store would usually redirect players to trial for PlayStation Now game streaming service, which allowed gamers to experience PS2, PS3, and PS4 games on different systems. However, those titles are now clearly displayed featuring price tags, indicating some change to Sony’s business model.
For those unfamiliar with Sony’s methodology, the PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are two different services offered by PlayStation. The PS Plus features in-Store content released for Sony’s current-gen console, the PS5. However, it also features PS4 content, considering that the console is still very active on the market due to the disrupted supply of PS5s and PS5’s backward compatibility with PS4 video games. On the other hand, PlayStation Now allows gamers to experience video games from Sony’s previous consoles, like PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, which currently can’t be played on PlayStation 5. There are some notable exceptions to this rule; PS3 titles that were remastered for PS4 work well on the PS5.
Still, if anyone wanted to experience PS2, PS3, or PS4 games on PS4, PS5, or PC gaming systems, they’d have to go through PlayStation Now. However, several coinciding news indicates that the situation’s about to change. First, the PlayStation Now cards at UK and US retailers recently have been removed from sales, following the news about the mysterious project Spartacus — PlayStation’s alleged rival to Xbox Game Pass. The PlayStation Now service is already similar to Xbox Game Pass in terms of access to the games users can play immediately. However, the service doesn’t offer Game Pass’s example of publishing first-party titles on the same day they go on sale — that privilege is reserved for those dishing out for an additional PS Plus subscription.
Reportedly, Spartacus (internal codename) would unite the PS Plus and PS Now into a single service, akin to Xbox Game Pass, while providing access to an extensive library of classic PS, PS2, PS3, and PSP titles for the owners of PS5. Xbox Game Pass is already established as the ultimate gaming subscription service, and with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it will only continue to grow and expand and might even charge Sony to keep some of its titles, like Call of Duty, on the platform. Not only that, but Microsoft has been very active in expanding its game streaming service, making it possible to play Xbox titles on Smart-enabled TVs without actually owning the console.
So, considering Microsoft and Xbox’s effort to expand its dominion over the gaming market, it’s hard not to question whether Sony’s decision is worth it? Will it close the gap between Microsoft’s and Sony’s respective gaming subscription services? Of course, from the financial perspective, the consequences of their decision remain to be seen. But from the gaming community’s perspective, Sony’s decision to update its subscription service and its money-grabbing practices, as well as to bring old titles to PS5, certainly is admirable.
