Is Sony interested in bringing back PS3 games in 2024? The real question here is to see if that's possible natively in current systems. Technically you can play a selection of titles from two generations ago through PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra subscriptions, including Fallout New Vegas or the fifth installment of Ratchet & Clank. However, in this case it is not about backward compatibility, but about streaming gaming. At least, until now.
Rumors about the possibility of being able to play PS3 games natively are not new, but for some time now they have gained special strength. Almost a week ago Shpeshal Nick stated on the XboxEra podcast that Sony was making a move. Now we have come across another much clearer signal: a patent published on June 27 in the name of Mark Cerny, the architect of PS5, and in which they confirm that Backwards compatibility testing is underway.
According to the patent, titled “Induced Software Backward Compatibility Testing,” it would basically address a way to trick software, in this case games, into running on new systems as it would from PS3 hardware, while at the same time It tries to anticipate possible errors during the process and corrects them.
Hardware is the biggest barrier to recovering PS3 games, but not the only one: there are countless games whose licenses have expired or can no longer be exploited by developers or publishers, so it would not only be necessary to test each title and how they work individually, but also if there is a possibility of recovering them, either for the digital store or from the disc format. In any case, even being very optimistic we do not count on all PS3 games being back, the most logical thing being that a fully tested selection is announced.
A series of added factors tied to what is achieved with the results of the tests and that not only applies to third parties, for the record: in the case of PlayStation Studios we come across the case of the closure of Gran Turismo Sport servers. Partly due to agreements with manufacturers.
A patent is neither a commitment nor a guarantee, but it is a start
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The existence of a patent does not imply or commit to taking the step, but rather It is an indication of Sony's intentions. From there, and unless PlayStation says otherwise – and it is announced that it is possible to take the step -, everything is more or less well-founded speculation. In fact, and to be fair, we are not even clear if this move will be made for PS5 or that work and tests are aimed at the future PS6.
Picking up papers: So far, all we know is that they are exploring ways to offer backwards compatibility, and Mark Cerny seems to have hit the nail on the head. However, we have not forgotten that the first PS3s were backwards compatible with PS2, but Sony removed them because they were too expensive.
Backwards compatibility with PS4 has been and is a real breath of fresh air for PlayStation. Both for Sony's studios and for DualSense players. The PS5 catalogue would be very different without it, opening the door for Bloodborne, Shadow of the Colossus or the first Horizon: Zero Dawn to continue being played today. Which doesn't mean there won't be new remakes, by the way: Silent Hill 2 and Until Dawn will be back this year, and we're kicking off 2024 with a remaster of The Last of Us 2.
In any case, these are steps in the right direction for an even bigger problem than not being able to play Metal Gear Solid 4 again: video game preservation.
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