Patent hints at possible PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility

A recently published patent called “remastering by emulation” has sparked rumors that Sony may include backwards compatibility with a next-generation console. The patent, spotted by Gearnuke, describes how “legacy computer game software” could be remastered for a device that sports a “higher resolution display.” It certainly sounds like a plan being put into place to make older games playable on newer devices, but it might not necessarily be the news PlayStation fans want to hear.

There has been an issue raised in regard to the timing of the patent. Although the application only came to light with a publishing date of October 2, 2018, its original filing date was back in November, 2016. The PlayStation 4 was barely a few years old by then, and is it likely that developers at Sony were already planning its successor’s features? It has also been contested that the patent simply refers to the technology behind “remastering” original PlayStation games, like PaRappa the Rapper, for subsequent release on the PS4. In this instance, the software was actually run by a PSP emulator with 4K textures included.

Of course, the chances are that a lot of the speculation surrounding this patent is incorrect, but it does show how eager people are to learn anything new, even the tiniest potential detail, about a PlayStation 5 console. Any PlayStation news is big news: The PlayStation Network has over 70 million active monthly users, and over 525 million PlayStation hardware products have been sold since the original PlayStation’s release in 1994.

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