Did PlayStation Tease PS1, PS2, and PS3 Backward Compatibility on PS5?

By Tyler Fischer

A new tweet from PlayStation has ignited speculation that PS1, PS2, and PS3 backward compatibility is finally happening, presumably via the PS5, but possibly the PS4 as well. The tweet comes from the official PlayStation Japan Twitter account, and it's a somewhat cryptic tweet. And the tweet comes amidst speculation that PS1, PS2, and PS3 backward compatibility is finally coming, and possibly imminent. Most of this speculation is the result of a recent PlayStation patent, however, some of it has also been generated by reports that PlayStation Spartacus -- a rumored PlayStation subscription service that will combine PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus -- will come with full PlayStation legacy backward compatibility. 

Amidst this speculation, PlayStation Japan issued a tweet for an ad featuring a new song from Kenshi Yonezu, and some PlayStation fans think it's teasing backward compatibility news. Why do they think this? Well, the core of the speculation is based on the usage of "123" in the tease, which could refer to PS1, PS2, and PS3. The problem with this is "123" is also apparently a callback to a Japanese PlayStation promotion. The other problem is that the ad has since been revealed, and it has nothing to do with backward compatibility. So, unless there's going to be a follow-up, it seems the speculation has been a bust.

Despite the fact that there's nothing to seemingly see here, the first tweet has been making the rounds in isolation without context, and many PlayStation fans are under the illusion that tomorrow, on January 23, the ad will be revealed and it will either tease or reveal backward compatibility news. 

Now, I know what you're thinking, if the ad is supposed to release on January 23, why is it already out? Well, because it's already January 23 in Japan. 

Currently, there doesn't appear to be anything to any of this but lots of hoopla. Yet, many PlayStation fans are under the impression backward compatibility support is about to be announced. And maybe it is, but this new ad campaign in Japan doesn't seem to have anything to do with this possibility.

H/T, DualShockers.

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