This is purely a rumor at this point and should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s looking like Sony is interested in bringing some type of backward capability to their next generation console. In a recent patent discovery, Mark Cerny noted about a potential backward capable system which may reveal that the next PlayStation console will be able to provide support for at least the PlayStation 4 line of video games. However, perhaps this could go further back with the previously released line of PlayStation consoles.
As mentioned, this is just a rumor and it may not be directly attached to the PlayStation 5. Instead, we just have a few keynotes that could direct us to believe that this patent is for the next generation PlayStation console. For instance, Mark Cerny, the man behind the patent is actually the lead architect for the PlayStation 4 console. He managed to deliver a fantastic unit which helped move a number of units right from the start and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him leading the next generation console as well. Within the patent, it appears that this console would be able to check the authenticity of a piece of software in which case the system would be able to mimic the older device.
Again, there is nothing in the patent to say if this is a PlayStation 5 functionality or what previous platforms this patent would cover but seeing how this current generation lacked the backward capability, perhaps Sony is rethinking its future release. Already Sony had to deliver fans a service which would allow access to previous PlayStation 3 video game titles that would be capable of running on a PlayStation 4 virtually. This could eliminate the need for that service and offer a more seamless process for gamers who wish to enjoy their collection of video game titles or going back and picking up previous releases without the need of old hardware to run them.
[Source: Hokanko, Twinfinite]