PS5 May Have Backwards Compatibility With PS4 Games via PS Now: Analyst

The PS5 will probably play PS4 games. Following the PS3's release, backwards compatibility has never been high on Sony's list of priorities with its executives going as far as to wonder who the target audience for such an endeavour would be. Previous reports based on Sony patent filings suggest that the PS5 may not have the glut of remasters the PS4 did, pointing at emulation to play PS4 games on the PS5. However this may happen on the PS5 thanks to the PlayStation Now (PS Now) game streaming service. According to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, Sony would probably make the PS5 backwards compatible with PS4 games via PS Now.

"I'd be surprised if the PS5 were not backwards compatible with PS4 content, and Sony already has a streaming solution in market with PlayStation Now," Piscatella told GamingBolt. "It wouldn't surprise me if both PlayStation 5 and the next Xbox took this type of approach, although I'm sure they'd do so in slightly different ways with different messaging."

This isn't the only inkling of what to expect from the PS5, Wedbush Securities Michael Pachter claimed that Sony may not follow the two Xbox strategy Microsoft could be pursuing, focussing on a single system alone. While Microsoft may have a dedicated Xbox streaming console as well as a fully-fledged Xbox One successor, Pachter isn't sure that Sony would follow the same strategy. His statements follow reports of the PS5 possibly using cartridges and that Final Fantasy XV studio Luminous Productions is working on a PS5 title.

"Whether Sony does it [follows a multiple console strategy], I think they will probably have that 4K and 240 FPS device that'll support PSVR," he said. "Whether they have a PlayStation Now device that is streaming only, I don't know. Maybe there will be two each for PlayStation and Xbox, but I would be surprised if there were more than two, and I'm not sure whether Sony is committed to doing that."

While the Sony PlayStation E3 2018 showcase focussed squarely on the games, it seems that the company is quietly prepping for next-gen, going to the extent of skipping E3 2019. The PS5 is slated for a 2020 release date and it will be using AMD's Navi GPU.

Earlier, it was suggested that the PS5 would also be using AMD's Ryzen CPU tech and it seems that AMD will have a hand in the PS5's GPU as well. This is according to a report from WCCFtech citing "sources intimately familiar with the entire situation". In addition to letting slip when we could expect the PS5, it delves deeper into the reasoning for AMD not announcing a new GPU at Computex 2018 - it has found the custom-applications space more lucrative. Considering how cash-strapped AMD has been, it makes sense.

"The margins are low, but the volume is high and the net income is consistent. Catering to gamers was not part of the win-condition; making AMD a viable, financially robust company was. Here is a fun fact: Vega was designed primarily for Apple and Navi is being designed for Sony – the PS5 to be precise," the report claims before explaining that AMD's roadmap for Navi is dependent on Sony.

If you're a fan of video games, check out Transition, Gadgets 360's gaming podcast. You can listen to it via Apple Podcasts or RSS, or just listen to this week's episode by hitting the play button below.