PlayStation 5 Developer Explains Why Backwards Compatible Feature Won't Include PS3, PS2, and PS1 Games

Many rumors surrounding the PlayStation 5 include the mention of backwards compatibility with every previous generation in the console's history, but that might not be true when it comes to everything before the PlayStation 4. While Sony Interactive Entertainment confirmed the new console will play the current generation of games, there's no proof that PS3, PS2, or even PS1 games will also be playable on the system without a streaming service like PlayStation Now. And now developer and Cradle Games technical director Marc-Andre Jutras, one of the brains behind Hellpoint, has explained why the PlayStation 5 is unlikely to run games from every previous console generation in the system's history.

According to the technical director, it's easy to understand the frustration of PlayStation gamers, many of which don't understand why Sony has struggled on this front.

"As a gamer, it's hard to figure out what's the big deal with this," said Jutras. "How come PS5 isn't backward compatible with PS4, 3, 2, 1? If I can find some emulator for all those, and the new consoles are as powerful as a good gaming PC, then there's no reason for all those games to not run, even with glitches. I wish they could just find a way to deal with it and just cover everything, even if not perfectly."

Addressing this line of thinking, Jutras notes that it's a licensing nightmare the further you go back with backward compatibility.

"As a developer, however, I can see where some legal stuff could get a bit blurry, especially if the goal is to have those older gamers sold in some stores," said the technical director "Some companies don't exist anymore and licenses of those titles might not be so easy to figure out. I also understand that older consoles might have some form of hardware DRM that could prevent newer consoles from reading older disks."

Jutras continued:

"To be honest, I just wish backward compatibility wasn't a novel thing and just an expected feature, covering all titles."

Of course, for now Sony hasn't confirmed one way or another if the PS5 will play PS3, PS2, and PS1 games. At the end of the day, all of this worrying about the feature may be for nothing. However, for now, it's something many PlayStation gamers are waiting to hear about before they decide if they will upgrade their PS4 to a PS5.

The PlayStation 5 is currently scheduled to release worldwide sometime this holiday season. For more coverage on the console -- including recent news, rumors, and leaks -- be sure to take a moment and check out all of our past and all of our most recent articles covering the PS5 by clicking right here.

H/T, Gaming Bolt.