The well-publicized outbreak of Coronavirus has caused many events postponed or otherwise cancelled, including the likes of such developer-centric conventions as GDC 2020. As Sony was expected to make a reveal at the event regarding the PlayStation 5, it appears that safety concerns have recently pushed these plans online in the form of a publically-accessible livestream. Heading a live presentation earlier today, lead architect for the next-gen console Mark Cerny unpacked a wealth of technical details regarding the upcoming hardware, including a few interesting tidbits about backwards compatibility.

Acknowledging the complicated and costly history of the feature, Cerny explained that backwards compatibility is one that needed simplification if it were going to be part of the PS5. Rather than attempt to create a hybrid piece of hardware as with the infamously expensive first run of PS3s, the chip designers at AMD instead decided to “incorporate any differences in the previous console’s logic,” allowing more comfortable backwards compatibility that can easily stay with the console through different iterations (Pro, Slim, etc.).

This boost in functionality is described by Cerny as “truly massive,” so much so that he suggests certain games may not be able to run properly due to such an increase in power. As such, current-gen games are being tested one at a time to gauge their compatibility with the new hardware, with the top 100 most-played titles for the PS4 planned to be implemented at launch. The results of this endeavor have so-far been hailed as “excellent,” with almost all of these 100 games expected to be fully playable when PlayStation 5 eventually sees release.

As of now, it’s not known what games could be part of the PS5 Backward Compatibility lineup but it’s presumed that popular titles like God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, and Fortnite will all undoubtedly make the cut. The PlayStation Blog provided a bit more insight on the subject, suggesting that while over 4000 games are currently on the PS4, Sony will still “continue the testing process and expand backwards compatibility coverage over time.” Lastly, more information was teased for a later date, saying fans should “keep an eye out for more PlayStation 5 updates down the road.”

Welcome to the next-gen party! ?

— Xbox (@Xbox) March 18, 2020

What do you think? Are you excited about the possibilities of PS4 titles on the next-gen PS5, or do you feel that Microsoft’s Xbox Series X has much more to offer players? Do you think PlayStation 1-3 might be added to backwards compatibility? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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