PlayStation Reportedly Working on PS3 Backward Compatibility for PS5

It looks like PlayStation may actually be working on a way to properly emulate PlayStation 3 games on the PlayStation 5 if new reports are to be believed. Doing so would take care of a grievance PlayStation users have had with the new console’s backwards compatibility capabilities for some time now and would mean that PlayStation 3 games could be played without having to stream them, an option that’s solely dependent on the quality of one’s Internet connection. This comes after PlayStation announced its new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers which did mention PlayStation 3 games in some capacity, though PlayStation did not then and has not still mentioned anything about PlayStation 3 emulation.

The latest on the possibility of PlayStation 3 games being emulated on the PlayStation 5 comes from VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb who talked about that maybe happening during the most recent GamesBeat Decides episode. Grubb said he’d asked and looked around and that there “is a potential that it sounds like Sony might be working on emulation for PS3 for PS5.”

That’s far from a certainty based on how it’s worded, but if there’s at least a possibility, that’s all PlayStation 3 fans will need to hold onto while they wait for news from Sony. Grubb’s comments afterwards saying he wishes Sony would just say if it’s working on PlayStation 3 emulation or at least acknowledge it’s a concern within the community mirror many of the comments shared after the new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers were announced.

The issue with those, in case you didn’t read the fine print within the PlayStation Blog announcement, is that the library of PlayStation 3 games included in the most expensive option are only available via cloud streaming. Regardless of if they’re in the top tier or the bottom one, those holding out for PlayStation 3 emulation news were disappointed to see the console’s games once again relegated to only streaming. The Vita being absent was a letdown too for those who hold the handheld in high regard, but the PlayStation 3 shortcoming which we talked about in greater detail this week was the more frustrating of the two based on responses.

Sony has not confirmed its plans to work on PlayStation 3 emulation for the PlayStation 5 at this time. The new PlayStation Plus + PlayStation Now subscriptions will launch in June.