There are still a few questions that need to be answered before the PlayStation 5 release. The leak of a patent gives players hope for backwards compatibility up to PlayStation 1.
While the design of the console and hardware as well as the upcoming games for the PS5 are known since the Sony Reveal event, important key data are still unclear.
These include price, release date and also downward compatibility. There is a patent leak on the latter point, which gives hope for positive news.
According to the Twitter post, the console should be able to play games of all past PlayStation generations via cloud service. However, some of the comments still make you wonder.
SIEのPS5？特許情報をメモします。
・PS1/PS2/PS3、様々な世代のゲーム機にわたる大量のゲームタイトルが、クラウドゲーミングライブラリを介して蓄積され利用可能。
・これらのゲームは、それぞれのゲーム機に関連したオペレーティングシステムを模倣した仮想マシンの上で実行可能。 pic.twitter.com/TsWV859OLd
— れんか (@Renka_schedule) July 4, 2020
Patent only for streaming service?
According to the patent, games would be made to run on the next-gen console using a virtual console. It is therefore practically an emulator. It is also suspicious that the games are only supposed to be available via a cloud service.
In the comments on the tweet, many users suspect that it is only a patent for Sony’s PlayStation Now service. This is based on monthly fees, for which various games can be streamed to the console and other devices.
This service could be used for PlayStation 5 in the future. PS Now is also currently not streaming PS1 games, but this could change in the future.
However, it is now certain that most PS4 games will be compatible with the new console. This feature should also work without the cloud service.
