New Sony patent seems to hint at the PlayStation 5 having backwards compatibility

The application could be for something else entirely, but everything at this time seems to point toward backwards compatibility on a new system.

Backwards compatibility could be coming to Sony’s next home console, based on the discovery of a recent patent.

As reported by Gearnuke, the patent in question was published on Oct. 2 by Sony Interactive Entertainment America. It details the remastering of textures from old games to newer ones better suited to the new resolution. The application was initially made on Nov. 22, 2016, however. So if backward compatibility is coming to the next Sony system, it’s been a few years in the making.

Companies are known for working on consoles way ahead of their official reveals. It’s a common business practice to always be looking ahead, researching and developing consoles and items way before they’re revealed to consumers. So the 2016 application would make sense because it’d need to be for something that Sony can implement into the system while they’re making it.

The application could be for something else entirely, though. But everything at this time seems to point toward backwards compatibility on a new Sony system.

Backwards compatibility used to be a standard in the video game industry a decade ago. The PS2 and even the first models of the PS3 allowed you to play older games on the system. This practice, however, was snuffed out in recent generations. Microsoft, on the other hand, did announce that the Xbox One was getting a patch that would allow you to play Xbox 360 games on the system a few years ago.

That’s not to say that the practice of playing older games is dead on PS4, however. Sony does offer a PS Now service that streams a bunch of current and older games to your PS4 or TV sets. The service is available for a subscription charge.