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Sony hasn't spoken about its next-generation plans yet, but a new patent filed by the hardware giant suggests backwards compatibility will be featured in the PlayStation 5.
Published on January 31 (though initially filed on January 20, 2017) the patent lists investors including Mark Cerny, the chief architect for PS4, and Simon Pilgrim, the principal programer at Sony Europe.
While PS5 isn't mentioned by name in the filing (via Reddit), it details a process that sees a new device able to run software from legacy hardware, which sounds a lot like backwards compatibility. Apparently, the new device is able to 'interpret' the architecture of older devices, thereby allowing the platform to run legacy software to an acceptable standard.
Take this with a huge grain of salt, as nothing official has been confirmed and probably won't be until we see a Sony exec strutting their stuff on a stage in the near future, PS5 in hand.
Sony caught a lot of flak for its decision not to include backwards compatibility in the PS4, despite the fact the PS2 and initial versions of the PS3 included the feature.
While on the subject of PS5, rumours last week suggest that development kits are already out in the wild, and that Sony's first-party studios are already focussing on the new console.
