PlayStation 6 Backwards Compatibility Quietly Confirmed

The PlayStation 6 isn’t just going to be a home console, it’ll apparently have a handheld version to go with it.

Now that’s all fine and dandy but there are a few features fans want for the new system and a few that they absolutely need, and one of those is backwards compatibility.

Fortunately the latest insider reporting suggests Sony is aware of fan desire to replay their old games on newer hardware, and not just through some cheeky re-releases… (looking at you The Last Of Us…)

Leaked specs from a 2023 presentation, shared by YouTuber Moore’s Law Is Dead, regarding the next batch of PlayStation hardware suggests they won’t just be able to run PlayStation 5 games, as you’d expect, they’ll also be able to run PlayStation 4 games as well.

I’d imagine the console itself won’t have an issue with any game loaded onto it but the handheld will probably be a bit more restrictive in what it can and can’t run efficiently, though that’s just speculation on my part.

Disappointingly though there was no mention of the PlayStation 3 anywhere in the leaked specs. At the time of writing the only way to play PS3 games on the PS5 is through PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud-streaming function.

PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games can be bought and downloaded differently, but for whatever reason the PS3 games remain intangible.

It sounds like the same will be said for the new PS6 and its handheld version, which I’m sure many fans won’t take well.

Nevertheless the next generation of PlayStation hardware sounds interesting, and it’s oddly nice to see handhelds making a comeback with Xbox releasing one later this year and Sony holding off until its next major hardware launch.

It’s especially nice to see Sony release another handheld given its history with the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita.