Will the Sony PlayStation 5 be backward compatible?

Sony’s PlayStation line of gaming consoles is among the best ever made, and the company’s latest entry is just around the corner. The PlayStation 5 is expected to land this coming holiday season, and it promises to introduce some of the biggest, most beautiful games ever made.

Though nearly everyone is looking forward to playing the next generation of games, another thing people are most interested in is whether the PS5 is backward compatible with games on older Sony consoles or not. Thankfully, Sony has already let everyone in on some of the details.

The PS5 will be backward compatible with the PS4

In Sony’s recent system architecture deep-dive, Mark Cerny — the console’s lead System architect  — revealed the PS5 will be backward compatible with last generation’s PS4 library. During the presentation, Cerny claimed that it would work with nearly all top 100 titles from the previous generation console. Then, in a later blog post, the company revealed the console will support “the overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 titles.” This includes the older console’s VR library.

Read also: Xbox Series X: Everything you need to know

That means the PS5 will tout one of the best games libraries in history right out of the gate. On top of that, Sony claims most of these backward compatible PS4 titles will likely benefit from higher, more stable frame rates and higher resolutions on the PS5. Unfortunately, the company can’t guarantee every game will work, though it has already tested hundreds of titles with thousands more to come.

Will the PS5 be backward compatible with the PS3, PS2, and PS1?

Though Sony has verified the PS5 will support nearly the entire PS4 library, the company has not clarified if it will be backward compatible with older consoles or not. That hasn’t stopped rumors from floating around the internet in recent months.

A couple of months ago, HipHopGamer reported that Sony is working on what’s called a “remastering engine” for the PlayStation 5. Apparently, this new development would allow the PS5 to be backward compatible with PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 titles as well. Just like with the PS4’s library, this could bring noticeable visual improvements to these older titles, including 4K upscaling and improved frame rates.

Read also:PlayStation 5 games: What’s expected, what’s been confirmed

Unfortunately, this is just a rumor at this point, and we can’t speak to HipHopGamer’s credibility regarding leaks. But, if the PS5 does end up being backward compatible with every previous console in the lineup, then Sony’s next-gen console will be a must-buy for PlayStation fans around the world. Not only that, but it may even help the console win over some Xbox fans since the PS5 will be competing directly against the line’s upcoming Series X gaming console.