Microsoft is prepped and ready to officially introduce its Project Scorpio this Sunday. The company has continuously flaunted its advanced hardware and most especially its backwards compatibility with Xbox One games. Industry analysts have revisited an often-asked question to Sony regarding the unavailability of backwards compatibility on the PS4. According to sources, the company responded to the question, but it did not seem to be in favor of the requested feature.
Sony Exec Shawn Layden recently shared the company's decision regarding backwards compatibility on the PS4. He confirmed that they have not agreed on any plans to integrate the feature in a future update for the console. Game Rant reports that the company has already "dabbled with backwards compatibility" in the past and it agrees that it is a feature usually requested. However, it also pointed out that it was unfortunately rarely used. For reference, Sony mentioned games from the PS1 and PS2, which would look outdated compared to today's games.
Instead of backwards compatibility, the PS4 does allow nostalgic players to play with older games from its previous hardware. There are some remastered games from the PS3-era that are now available for the current-gen hardware. The PlayStation Store also has PSOne and PS2 classics that are available for download. Understandably, it's not exactly like what Microsoft is offering where gamers can just swap out discs and play their games, says PlayStation Universe.
Sony's decision not to include backwards compatibility for the PS4 might be seen as a foolish decision by some critics, but it appears that it has already made up its mind. It is safe to assume that the company has discussed the feature in great detail and come up with the decision based on the numbers. If surveys indeed indicate that not a lot of consumers prefer to have the feature on board, then it is not really a feasible approach financially.
All eyes might be on Microsoft this weekend as it unveils the Project Scorpio with its backwards compatibility, but surveys indicate that gamers are excited for what Sony and the PS4 lineup has to offer this E3 2017. A lot of big-name games are expected to flaunt their features next week as the annual game expo is open to the public.
