Backwards Compatibility For PS5 Will Be Limited, According To Sony CEO

With the PlayStation 5 finally on the horizon, Sony is kicking its marketing campaign up a gear as we approach the next-gen console's November 19 release. Rumours of a £600 price tag were quickly thrown out the window, meaning the PS5 will now clock in at a respectable £450/£359.99 for the full and digital versions. The tech giant has already hyped plenty of bang for your buck, but apart from all the usual improvements, gamers are demanding to know more about the console's backwards compatibility.

While rival Microsoft has cornered the market on backwards compatibility, Sony has always come under fire for its lack of the feature. We've already seen this controversy rear its head with the fact you'll only be able to use your classic DualShock controller when playing PS4 games. As we prepare to usher in a new era, just how backwards compatible will the PS5 really be? Thankfully, Sony's CEO has the answer.

• Read More: PS5 Pre-Orders Are Officially Live

Speaking to Famitsu, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan explained the PS5 will not support backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 3 or earlier. Discussing the fan-favorite feature, Ryan said, "We keep in mind the engineering specialised for the PS5, as we produced the device. In the midst of that, the PS4 already has 100 million players; we thought they ought to want to play PS4 titles on the PS5 as well indeed, so we included compatibility with the PS4". 

Sadly, the news stops there, with older consoles being left out in the cold. Ryan continued, "While implementing that (PS4 compatibility), we also focused our efforts on taking in the high-speed SSD and the new controller DualSense at the same time. So, unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the implementation of such compatibilities". 

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It was previously confirmed the PS5 would be able to play around 99% of PS4 games. Despite criticisms of backwards compatibility, the fact the PS4 is rolling over into the PS5 is no real surprise. With the PS2 arguably being Sony's biggest console to date, it received support for 13 years - which was well into the PS3's cycle.

Even though the PS4 will continue to live on and merge into the PS5, it's a blow for those who wanted to spend their evenings reminiscing about the consoles of Christmas past. Sorry gang, Ryan has confirmed there'll be no enjoying the retro nostalgia of Grand Theft Auto IV, the original LittleBigPlanet, and Silent Hill 2. It also means Lara Croft won't be that triangular icon that defined her early days. 

There's a glimmer of hope that some older titles could be remastered like The Last of Us made the move from PS3 to PS4 and PaRappa the Rapper leapt from PS One to PS4. We'll have to accept that not every beloved game will be moving to the PS5. Still, with major titles like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Resident Evil Village, and God of War: Ragnarok, there are plenty of next-gen titles vying for our time when the PlayStation 5 finally bursts onto the scene. 

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