Following Sony‘s announcement that DualShock 4 controllers will not be compatible with PlayStation 5 software, Xbox UK marketing lead Samuel Bateman seemed to poke some fun at the other company’s expense. In a series of Tweets, Bateman heaped praise on the Xbox Series X‘s ability to use Xbox One controllers for “backwards *and* forwards compatibility.” This phrasing is particularly important, as the PS4 games that are playable on PS5 will be able to use the original controllers while the new ones will not. It’s a strange choice on Sony’s part, and Microsoft seemed all too eager to take advantage! Bateman’s Tweets can be found below.
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Not a lot of people know this, but you can actually use the new Xbox Series X controller on your Xbox One if you wanted to. Pretty neat backwards *and* forwards compatibility with devices.
— Samuel Bateman (@samuelofc) August 3, 2020
Backwards compatibility seems to be a major focus for the Xbox brand in the coming console generation. In addition to compatibility with the existing Xbox One controllers, all existing Xbox One software will be playable on Xbox Series X, as well. The system’s first-party games will even see release on Xbox One, as well, though that could lead to Xbox Series X games that look less impressive technically.
As far as Sony is concerned, compatibility with previous software and peripherals seems to be of far less concern. The PS5 will be compatible with some PS4 software, but Sony has not revealed a full list of titles fans can expect to play on the platform. Sony announced its plans for backwards compatibility back in March, but fans have been left waiting for more information.
With both next-gen consoles slated to arrive in just a few short months, it seems that exchanges such as these will become increasingly common. While Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all seem to have some respect for one another, this type of banter between gaming companies has been common since the days of the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. In those days, Nintendo was the market leader, and Sega was the smaller company competing for market share. Sega’s advertising campaign against Nintendo made the console race significantly closer than it would have been, otherwise. Perhaps Xbox is looking to make a similar play!
Are you disappointed in the PlayStation 5’s controller compatibility? What do you think of Bateman’s Tweets? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!
