Backward compatibility has oftentimes been a massive selling point for console buyers. Typically, a person upgrading to a newly released console wants to ensure that they still have access to their old game library without needing to keep their old system around. For better or worse, most console developers have moved away from hardware-based solutions for backward compatibility, leaning instead towards types of emulations to get the job done. Now, it appears that Sony is looking to get back to its roots with some new, hardware-based technology for the PS5.

The news comes by way of a Spanish website that recently discovered a newly released Japanese patent that suggests that the PS5 will put a large focus on backward compatibility. According to the breakdown provided by Reddit, Sony plans to implement a special type of processor that makes it easier for a current-gen console to handle playing older games. The breakdown can be seen below:

Sony patents a new system of backward compatibility of PS5 with PS4, PS3, PS2 and PSX from r/Games

As mentioned above, the newly patented design would be implemented into a processor that will help a console keep pace with the needs of older video games, thus allowing for backward compatibility. “PS5 would be able to imitate the behavior of the previous consoles, so that the information that arrives at the different processors is returned in response to the “calls” of the games,” the above report reads. “The processor is able to detect the needs of each application and behave as if it were the original “brain” of each machine, cheating the software. This technology does not prevent PS5 could also have additional processors to have compatibility with machines whose architecture is difficult to replicate, as in the case of PS2.”

This isn’t the first time backward compatibility has been mentioned for the PS5, as a different with a similar goal in mind was revealed in Fall 2018. Whether or not the Remastering by emulation patent would work with the one mentioned above remains to be seen, though at the very least we know that Sony is committed to offering a better selection of backward compatibility options moving forward.

So, thoughts on the new patent? How far back do you think Sony is trying to go with backward compatibility? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!