The PlayStation 5 may have been revealed, but Sony likely still has some secret features left to announce for the next-generation console. One of those PS5 features could be a unique use of cloud software, if a newly surfaced patent is to be believed. The patent shows explicitly that Sony is considering offering access to games from the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 via cloud technology. It would be one option for the PS5 to have generation-spanning backward compatibility.
Here's what the patent says specifically. It shows images of a PS1, PS2, and PS3, as well as a dotted box representing any potential game console. From these console images, each has a list of games associated with it. These games are then shown stored in a cloud gaming library, associated with their respective consoles. From here, each of the consoles can be emulated using a virtual machine designed to mimic the original PlayStation console hardware.
To be clear, the patent doesn't appear to specifically mention backward compatibility in the sense where PlayStation gamers would be able to revisit their existing collection of old games. It only mentions how to play these games. How the games are acquired isn't clear.
Also in need of clarification is that the patent doesn't mention the PS5 whatsoever. This is a platform-agnostic patent enabling Sony to utilize the idea as it sees fit going forward. That could mean it's a PS5 feature, it could be a PlayStation Now digital service feature, or it could be unrelated.
It's also unclear if the full patent has been shared, as it's sourced from a Twitter user who has taken some image captures. It's possible that there's more information regarding the technology or Sony's intention for it in the Patent that isn't known yet.
Regardless, Sony's making clear that it's aware of the demand for access to games from the PS1, PS2, and PS3 eras on the latest PlayStation hardware. A cloud version of backward compatibility definitely seems like the simplest implementation, though it wouldn't be true backward compatibility. Collectors have dozens of discs that they'd love to play again without having to rebuy digital versions of each game, after all. That may not be feasible, however, and any option is better than none.
Hopefully, Sony will share more about its plans for PS5 or PS Now backward compatibility in the next few months.
The PlayStation 5 launches this holiday season.
