Sony Does Not Have Plans For Backwards Compatibility on PlayStation 4

One of Microsoft’s biggest announcements for the Xbox One at E3 2015 was backwards compatibility.  The ability to access a library of games from the Xbox 360 was certainly welcomed with open arms, but will this move prompt Sony to try something similar with the PlayStation 4?

Not likely, according to a recent issue of Edge Magazine, who spoke with Shuhei Yoshida about the feature.  Yoshida explains that Sony’s focus is creating new games for the PlayStation 4 and adding new services to the console.

If it was easy, we’d have done that

“I totally understand people asking for it, and if it was easy, we’d have done that,” explains Yoshida. “But our focus is creating PS4 games and adding new services. Remaking games on PS4 makes the games even better – with The Last Of  Us, you can play at 60 frames per second, and the same goes for Dark Souls 2.”

Microsoft’s backwards compatibility initiative is fairly new, and very few games have hit the console thus far.  Yoshida revealed his curiosity about the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility, “I’m very curious,” says Yoshida.  “They showed a very short list of titles that work, and doing software emulation means you have to work title by title.  So I’m curious to see what kind of games will be included in those 100 games that they say will be compatible by the end of the year.”

Sony does have an alternative for those who do want to access PlayStation 3 games on the PlayStation 4.   Their PlayStation Now service allows users to subscribe to the service and access a catalog of streaming titles, or rent specific titles for time periods that range from hours to months.