PS5 backwards compatibility is definitely one of the most highly anticipated aspects of Sony’s next-generation PlayStation strategy. Well, that aspect of the PS5 just got a massive boost as PlayStation vice-president John Kodera confirmed that PS5 backwards compatibility will let PS5 gamers play with PS4 gamers in online multiplayer on the same game. PS5 Crossplay with PS4 it seems, is just around the corner.
PS5 Crossplay With PS4 Is Just Over The Horizon
PS5 crossplay with PS4 makes total sense obviously. Sony has stated that it expects the PS4 to be at peak profitability for the next three years at a minimum. This means that the current install base of nearly 100 million units will only get bigger, creating a supermassive audience to not just migrate to PS5 potentially, but to also allow early adopters of Sony’s new console to have a ready-made library of games to play and audience to play them with.
While certainly a boon, this development does certainly pose some interesting questions though.
First off, I’m curious as to how Sony might go about mitigating technical advantages that PS5 owners will have when playing the same game against PS4 owners. Take a game like Anthem, for example. With a frame rate that occasionally touches 30fps but often drops lower than that, PS5 owners could potentially have a much larger advantage if the PS5 boosts the framerate of the game above and beyond what PS4 owners can currently enjoy – something that seems easily doable considering how powerful PS5 is purported to be.
This would result in more responsive controls which in turn would/should make the game’s hyperkinetic fly and blast action not only much more enjoyable, but easier to play too.
The same advantage could manifest in other games too where framerate is key, such as fighting games and muscle-twitch FPS titles – how will Sony even the playing field between PS5 and PS4 owners? Or, will they simply not bother and use the uneven playing field as a way of enticing PS4 owners to upgrade perhaps?
What do you guys think? What problems do you see with cross-gen play between PS4 and PS5? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Sony Net