Sony Jim Ryan: PS5 will be 99% backwards compatible with PS4

[SaysWho?]

 Gonna make this its own thread since people were asking: PS5 will be "99 percent" backwards compatible with PS4 games

 

Quote

Ryan also said that of the thousands of games tested for PS4 backwards compatibility, “99 percent” can be played on the next console. Sony also announced a new service called PS Plus Collection, which will offer 18 PS4 first-party titles for download to subscribers to the PlayStation online service. It’s a tremendous freebie for anyone who plays their PlayStation online, and a good entry point for anyone new to Sony properties like “The Last of Us.”

 

Seems identical to PS2, which played just about everything, but some games didn't make the cut for whatever reason.

 

@Paperclyp

[Pikachu]

I assume P.T. won't work.

[Paperclyp]

2 hours ago, SaysWho? said:

 Gonna make this its own thread since people were asking: PS5 will be "99 percent" backwards compatible with PS4 games

 

 

Seems identical to PS2, which played just about everything, but some games didn't make the cut for whatever reason.

 

@Paperclyp

Apologies for still being suspicious they have some bullshit up their sleeve. 
 

Most of my PS4 games are digital. They certainly say the machine can play PS4 games, but until they say outright that the PS5 storefront will allow you to download those PS4 games and play them, I’m going to remain suspicious. 
 

This is a feature they know people want and they’ve had 2-3 presentations about the machine so far. It is baffling to me that they haven’t been more clear about it. Even in the one when they unveiled PS4 back compat, they confused people with their wording with the “top 100 games” or whatever. 
 

I’ve had enough of the cat and mouse game. Tell me wtf I’m buying. 

[SaysWho?]

49 minutes ago, Paperclyp said:

Apologies for still being suspicious they have some bullshit up their sleeve. 
 

Most of my PS4 games are digital. They certainly say the machine can play PS4 games, but until they say outright that the PS5 storefront will allow you to download those PS4 games and play them, I’m going to remain suspicious. 
 

This is a feature they know people want and they’ve had 2-3 presentations about the machine so far. It is baffling to me that they haven’t been more clear about it. Even in the one when they unveiled PS4 back compat, they confused people with their wording with the “top 100 games” or whatever. 
 

I’ve had enough of the cat and mouse game. Tell me wtf I’m buying. 

 

Out of curiosity, when he says that 99% of games will be BC out of the thousands they tested, what do you think he could mean other than nearly every game is playable on the PS5? You think it's possible that you won't be able to download games even after their PS Plus Collection allows you to d/l games and start playing them immediately?

[Paperclyp]

13 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

Out of curiosity, when he says that 99% of games will be BC out of the thousands they tested, what do you think he could mean other than nearly every game is playable on the PS5? You think it's possible that you won't be able to download games even after their PS Plus Collection allows you to d/l games and start playing them immediately?

Yes. 

[SaysWho?]

7 minutes ago, Paperclyp said:

Yes. 

 

And so when they say, "We’ve devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5," in relation to BC, you think that means something different than what it says?

[Paperclyp]

2 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

And so when they say, "We’ve devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5," in relation to BC, you think that means something different than what it says?

You asked me if I think it's possible it might mean we can't download our entire digital PS4 library. I said yes. Do I think it's likely? I honestly have no idea. 

 

"We've devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5" sure sounds good, but it's certainly vague enough that I don't trust it. Perhaps those significant efforts was this absurd PS+ package of PS4 games. 

 

Like, why are they promoting that instead of saying, outright, "Download your entire PS4 library to your PS5." 

 

The fact that they are using this vague language when they have to know it would be just an easy tick mark marketing thing to promote makes me uncomfortable. 

[Kal-El814]

7 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

And so when they say, "We’ve devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5," in relation to BC, you think that means something different than what it says?

 

I think it is completely reasonable to wonder whether or not the PS5 will allow you to download PS4 games other than the ones they specifically called out as being available as part of the new PS+ thing on PS5, given that Sony has not said that you can and given that reselling last gen games and/or access to them has been something they've done all throughout this gen. Compatibility is not the same thing as access.

[crispy4000]

Considering that they have structures in place to access your PS4 licenses on PS5 for next-gen patches, it'd be very surprising if general BC only applied to physical discs.

Stranger things have happened, but this isn't probable.

[SaysWho?]

1 minute ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

I think it is completely reasonable 

 

Then we know it's unreasonable now.

[Kal-El814]

Great

[chakoo]

TBH, Nothing sony says is going to convince you when you're not willing to be convinced in the first place. 

 

If there is a case of a digital ps4 title not being downloadable on the PS5 it's not sony and just the publisher being an ass. 

[JPDunks4]

I don't know, Jim Ryan hasn't been the most credible person thus far on messaging.

 

When talking about Microsofts approach to having cross gen games, didn't he say they believe in generations and aren't going to hold back their new games by making them playable on PS4.  When Spiderman Miles Morales was announced they made no mention of PS4, and when pressed about it kept saying it was a next gen experience. 

 

Now that, along with Horizon Zero Dawn 2, which may not even be a 2021 release for all we know, is also on PS4.

 

 

I will believe if they are offering BC for 99% of games, they will allow them to be downloaded, or hopefully, allow you to just plug in an external HD with those games already installed and play right off that.  I find it very hard to believe it'd be for disks only.

 

I see the PS+ Catalog as something that could make the transition to an all digital future more acceptable to someone that might have had a lot of disks last gen.  Or if someone didnt own a PS4, can easily jump into PS5 with a nice little library of games to play without a huge upfront cost, and as a small scale answer to Game Pass.

[crispy4000]

Just now, JPDunks4 said:

I see the PS+ Catalog as something that could make the transition to an all digital future more acceptable to someone that might have had a lot of disks last gen.  Or if someone didnt own a PS4, can easily jump into PS5 with a nice little library of games to play without a huge upfront cost, and as a small scale answer to Game Pass.

Yup that's exactly as I see it too.  Sony's not willing to go full on Games Pass, but they can increase PS Plus' value as a cheaper subscription.  Still wish they'd drop the online paywall.

[XxEvil AshxX]

So here's the thing... the PS2 played PS1 games, but the emulator was shit.

 

The PS3 played PS2 games, but only until they removed the actual PS2 hardware from inside the PS3.

 

The PS4 didn't do any of it.

 

The PS5 now has "99%" compatibility. Which is great and all, but I can't help but wonder if there won't be any quirks.

 

Sony could've had me scrambling on the internet like everyone else if they would've made the committment to emulate older systems (which I'm 100% sure they could do, even with the PS3's janky architecture.) In the very least they could've brute forced the PS2 and PS1, but as it stands I still have a binder full of old Playstation games still languishing away on a shelf because Sony is either too stuck up or too lazy to support them.

 

They don't even owe it to us gamers, they owe it to their own classic library that they've chosen to forget about.

[chakoo]

1 minute ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

So here's the thing... the PS2 played PS1 games, but the emulator was shit.

 

The PS3 played PS2 games, but only until they removed the actual PS2 hardware from inside the PS3.

 

The PS4 didn't do any of it.

 

The PS5 now has "99%" compatibility. Which is great and all, but I can't help but wonder if there won't be any quirks.

PS2 has PS1 hardware, It wasn't emulator till slim models. There was some issues at launch for older games because there was actually 2 GPU variants in the ps1 but after launch all PS1 games had to be compatible with the PS2 (I know this because I had to do this on titles I worked on).

PS5 has PS4 BC build into it's hardware (See Cerny's video) but I agree there is always the chance for quirks. That's just normal (even XB has quirks in it's BC).

[SaysWho?]

5 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

So here's the thing... the PS2 played PS1 games, but the emulator was shit.

 

The PS3 played PS2 games, but only until they removed the actual PS2 hardware from inside the PS3.

 

The PS4 didn't do any of it.

 

The PS5 now has "99%" compatibility. Which is great and all, but I can't help but wonder if there won't be any quirks.

 

Sony could've had me scrambling on the internet like everyone else if they would've made the committment to emulate older systems (which I'm 100% sure they could do, even with the PS3's janky architecture.) In the very least they could've brute forced the PS2 and PS1, but as it stands I still have a binder full of old Playstation games still languishing away on a shelf because Sony is either too stuck up or too lazy to support them.

 

They don't even owe it to us gamers, they owe it to their own classic library that they've chosen to forget about.

 

God, BC with all PS systems would be unbelievable. I still have PS1/PS2 games. It's my hope that they come around to that because they have one of the deepest libraries for it besides Nintendo but benefit from starting with CDs in the video game business (Nintendo would be hard-pressed to make a system that played all cartridges though the FC Twin stuff third parties make are a nice workaround).

[XxEvil AshxX]

6 minutes ago, chakoo said:

PS2 has PS1 hardware, It wasn't emulator till slim models. There was some issues at launch for older games because there was actually 2 GPU variants in the ps1 but after launch all PS1 games had to be compatible with the PS2 (I know this because I had to do this on titles I worked on).

PS5 has PS4 BC build into it's hardware (See Cerny's video) but I agree there is always the chance for quirks. That's just normal (even XB has quirks in it's BC).

 

Yeah, I don't know the technical side of it. All I remember was being amazed by it back in the day so I put the PS2 and PS1 side by side and put the same games in, and they looked noticeably worse on the PS2. Choppier frame rate, things like alpha transparencies (a dust cloud on the PS1 would just be a square on PS2) and the overall look was just "grainy." Again I don't know the technical side of it, and I was only about 19 at the time so I didn't put too much time into it. I just shrugged it off as kinda shitty and continued to use my PS1. (My PS2 wasn't a launch unit, but not a slim either, bought the GT3 bundle the following summer).

[JPDunks4]

PS5 is a surefire hit, but Sony's broken promises are eroding trust

WWW.EUROGAMER.NET

 

Only real reason I still have reservations about just about anything Sony is saying.

 

They have been extremely weird in a lot of their messaging, and not really transparent at all regarding a lot of PS5 things.

[crispy4000]

42 minutes ago, JPDunks4 said:

PS5 is a surefire hit, but Sony's broken promises are eroding trust

WWW.EUROGAMER.NET

 

Only real reason I still have reservations about just about anything Sony is saying.

 

They have been extremely weird in a lot of their messaging, and not really transparent at all regarding a lot of PS5 things.

I see it more as the way the industry has worked ever since 'timed exclusive DLC' and 'timed console exclusive' became a common thing.  You can literally check twitter as showcases happen to find out the actual terms of those deals.  Because they never give it to you straight in the presentation.

Everyone tries to be cagey to present the message that they think we want to hear before we get the truth.  It was the same deal with Microsoft saying that all their games would be cross-gen for the foreseeable future, then rescinding that in their first 1st party blowout.  Not to mention the tight lips on Series S, in spite of announcing it casually on stage at E3 more than 2 years ago.

If Sony (and Microsoft) wished to be fully transparent, they would have had journalists previewing builds of their next-gen games by now on genuine hardware.  We're two months out.  I don't think they value it.