For those who understood the technical language revolving around the PS5 today, everything from audio to HRTF was discussed. Perhaps the most laymen thing revealed today was, ironically, the PS5 specs, but what many expected (perhaps not rightfully so) such as the PS5 console design, games, or whatnot was not shown. There's another detail missing that could spell bad news for one of the biggest rumors so far: backward compatibility beyond the PS4.
For context, there have been rumors floating around for months that the PS5 would support PS4, PS2, PS3, and PS1 backward compatibility via a "remastering engine." However, during PS5 architect Mark Cerny's 53-minute presentation today, backward compatibility was only name dropped with one functionality in mind: the PS4. It was stated that all almost all top PS4 games would be playable on the next-gen console at launch in the midst of explaining how backward compatibility works.
As such, based on Mark Cerny's language, it is, at best, completely indiscernible right now whether that PS5 functionality will extend to the prior generations of games. At worst, it's clear by the omission that the technology to support extensive backward compatibility won't be there for the console. To reiterate, Cerny never outright dismissed it, but if there were ever a time to drop that it would support PS3-PS1 games, it would be during this incredibly thorough discussion of the PS5's support for PS4 games.
It's worth mentioning that this is in direct contrast to the Xbox Series X, which has backward compatibility confirmed to support original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games, with thousands of games being available on day one as opposed to the top 100 or so on PS4. On the other hand, the PS5 seems to be putting its eggs into the PSVR basket, as a little bit of that peripheral was discussed today too. As such, it seems the dichotomy between Xbox's backard compatibility and PlayStation's investing in VR technology will remain the same next-gen.
Admist the talk of GPUs, SSDs, and Teraflops, it becomes clear that this was more or less not for the typical gamer, but hopefully, there will be a presentation that shows off more of the PS5 in the future. Fans are still left wondering what the console will look like, what features it will contain, and not just what the road of the PS5 had in store, but what it has in store.
The PS5 is slated to release in Fall 2020.
