Sony New Preservation Team Could Be Hinting At Backward Compatibility

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Avinash Jaisrani

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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The first PlayStation came out in 1994, and the brand has been going strong since then. Over the years, the PlayStation platform has accumulated a rich library of games, many of which are considered timeless classics. Every generation of PlayStation has had its list of masterpieces, and many have expressed interest in revisiting those games.

Despite the abundant library of games, PlayStation has had a rough time preserving many of its classics. When the PlayStation 3 was launched, backward compatibility was a massive focus for PlayStation. The PlayStation 3 was launched with hardware emulation for PlayStation 2 and software emulation for PlayStation 1. Over time, this proved to be too costly to maintain and was removed with later PS3 iterations. With the PS4, Sony introduced cloud streaming for PlayStation 3 titles via PS Now. However, streaming comes with issues like latency and limited availability across countries, which has led to increasing demand for native backward compatibility.

While Sony has always remained quiet on the matter, it seems like some form of backward compatibility for older games is in the works. Sony’s new PlayStation Plus will feature several classics from older generations, and new hiring at Sony has now revealed PlayStation’s plans for the future of game preservations.

Sony has now created an entirely new team for game preservations. This news comes from Garret Fredley’s LinkedIn profile. Garret is a recently hired Senior Build Engineer at PlayStation’s Game Preservation team.

As the image shows, Garret is one of the first hires for the new team. From the looks of things, the team will be focused on sustaining PlayStation’s existing library of classic games. Garett explains how he is highly passionate about game preservation and is looking forward to working with the team. This leads us to the question of Backwards Compatibility. While Xbox has already had Backwards Compatibility figured out, PlayStation has struggled with this subject. In the past, industry insider Jeff Grubb also reported on Sony potentially working on Ps3 Backwards Compatibility for the Ps5. This could be what he was referring to. 

Preserving older classics could also come with in-game remakes for the new consoles. Games like Shadow of the Colossus for PS4 and Demon’s Souls for PS5 can be examples of recent remakes from PlayStation. These games were made from the ground up for the new generations to introduce them to a newer audience. 

Backward Compatibility has been one of the biggest challenges for PlayStation in recent times. As the older consoles continue to age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to revisit older classics. Demand for backward compatibility is at an all-time high, and Sony has noticed. With a brand new PlayStation Plus subscription focusing on older titles, and the formation of a brand new Game Preservation team, we could soon see native backward compatibility for older PlayStation consoles coming to PS5.

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Avinash Jaisrani

[How-To Guides Expert]

Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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