PS5 and Xbox Scarlet Game Porting Compared to This Generation

There's been a lot of talk about the next generation of gaming made even more prominent by so many games being announced specifically for the updated hardware. But one thing that has players worried is what happens to their old games. Clearly new consoles offer new experiences, but with so many wonderful tales still on this gen - is this gen where they will stay?

The topic of porting games is a common one made even more common by Xbox One's incredible Backwards Compatibility feature. But just because it's popular doesn't mean it's easy and Silver Dollar Games' Jon Flook recently spoke to the team over at Gaming Bolt about the process of porting and what it would mean for the PlayStation 5 and dubbed Xbox Scarlet:

"Porting games to consoles is always a difficult process with little documentation to help," Flook told the site. "I'm hoping the next generation of consoles makes it easier for indies. We spend hours sifting through forum posts looking for help with often little results. A comprehensive porting document at launch would be great for developers like us."

With this generation, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles were left in the dust until the Backwards Compatibility feature finally began to gain steam. PlayStation 4 also has a way to play older titles, but unlike Xbox One - players would have to repay for games they already owned.

Anytime the next gen is brought up, the most common theme in the comments sections is "what about my games?" Xbox has already mentioned that they wanted to make gaming more accessible than ever before and Sony has proven that they are looking into evolving their business model as well. We're hoping this means that game porting will be a focus for the next generation, especially with so many games yet to come straddling that generational line.

What do you hope to see in the next wave of consoles? Is porting important to you or are you just ready to see what else technology has to offer? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below and tell us what you think!