PS5 could be backwards compatible with PS1, PS2 and PS3

PlayStation 1, 2, 3
(Image credit: Sony)

Backwards compatibility is one of the most frequently requested features for the PS5, and although Sony has revealed that the console will be backwards compatible with a handful of PlayStation 4 games, many of us have lost hope regarding the first three PlayStation consoles.

However, according to a new Sony patent discovered by Twitter user Renka_schedule, there might still be some hope in playing PS3, PS2 and PS1 games on our PlayStation 5.

Sony Patent PS5 Backwards compatibility

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

This patent suggests that Sony can use a virtual machine to emulate these consoles through the cloud. Specifically, it talks about how "a large number of game titles across PS1/PS2/PS3 and various generations of game consoles can be stored and used via the cloud gaming library." It goes on saying that "these games can be run on a virtual machine that mimics the operating system associated with each game console."

As this is still only just a patent, it's nowhere near official or confirmed. However, emulators have been popular for decades, and they've allowed users to create virtual machines resembling nearly every console. It's not far fetched to imagine that Sony could pull this off, but try not to get too excited.

Momo Tabari
Contributing Writer

Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Momo finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Momo is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.