It is considered fairly certain that the next generation of PS5 & Co. will be defined by backward compatibility, among other things. Both Sony and Microsoft have already confirmed that this feature will be available in their new consoles.
While Microsoft has always developed their consoles with regard to the compatibility of the different generations, it is a little tricky at Sony, because for example the PS3 uses a completely different architecture than the PS4 or the PS2 before. How Sony wants to enable backward compatibility, a currently published patent provides a little information.
In essence, it says that you will lower the CPU's operating frequency to match the level of the previous hardware.
“An application runs at a first operating frequency if the application is designed for a current version of a system and with a second operating frequency if the application is designed for an earlier version of the system that operates at a lower frequency than the first operating frequency , The second operating frequency may be higher than the operating frequency of the previous version of the system to account for differences in latency, throughput, or other processing characteristics between the two systems. ”
Developers also have the opportunity to further optimize their older games and take advantage of the additional computing power of the PS5. Further details on backward compatibility are expected from Sony in the next few weeks, as soon as the PS5 is officially launched.
