PS4 backwards-compatibility difficult to achieve, says UK developer - PS3 games via the cloud?
- Posted November 16th, 2012 at 09:50 EDT by PSU Staff
- 17 Comments
In an exclusive interview with PSU.com, U.K. developer Clever Beans has suggested that the likelihood of the PlayStation 4 being backwards-compatible with PS3 games is slim.
When questioned on the subject of backwards-compatibility on Sony’s next-generation console, Clever Bean’s directors Martin Turton and Andrew Newton said that they think “it is something that would be very difficult to achieve”, though they do go on to say that it could potentially be “handled using cloud-based streaming.”
With Sony acquiring the cloud-based streaming service Gaikai earlier this year, it’s extremely likely that it has plans to make use of the technology with the PlayStation 4, and though we still don’t know for sure exactly how it intends to implement streaming, it does look likely to be a viable solution to solve the backwards-compatibility dilemma.
With such a great range of titles available on PS3, users will certainly want to be able to play PS3 games on the next PlayStation console - and Sony will surely want to keep selling some of its triple-A titles to PS4 adopters. However, because of the radically different architecture of the new console, which is said to include the AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU, a PS3 Blu-ray disc is rumoured to be unlikely to work and the option of making PS3 games available via PSN to download too expensive to emulate.
Streaming PS3 games would still be a huge task for Sony to get right; after all, the major problems with cloud-based streaming are latency and bandwidth issues, which we’ve experienced personally while gaming via streaming service OnLive. It’s an issue that Clever Beans also flags up:
“Internet bandwidth and latency across the world generally are still patchy at best, whilst the technology required for (non cloud-based) gaming is all the time becoming cheaper, more mobile and more ubiquitous. So there doesn’t seem to be a lot of point in streaming games from the cloud,” say the directors.
“It could be a good delivery mechanism for demos, which, as a lot of people have speculated, may be why Sony decided to invest in Gaikai.”
In 2009, Sony trademarked the name ‘PS Cloud’ and the filing revealed that the company was looking at “providing an online videogame that users may access through the internet". Streaming technology is still in development and there’s a long way to go before it performs competently worldwide, but PS Cloud and streaming technology definitely has potential with the PS4 for the likes of streaming music, magazines, demos and, quite possibly, the streaming of a back-catalogue of PS3 games. Of course, until Sony reveals its plans we can only speculate.
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TheTenth666
- 10:42am EST - November 16th, 2012
- 1
Backwards compatibility won't be a decisive element for me.
I bought the 60 gb PS3 and only played DoA 2 and Splashdown a few times, and my 60 Gb got the YLOD twice. I guess early adopters of the new gen will be high hardcore gamers who already finished the PS3 games they have and thus don't need the retro compatibility (and still have their PS3 working anyway). The people who will buy the PS4 after a few years will have been able to play all the PS3 games they'd like before moving on to the PS4.
Playhing current gen games on the cloud is totally impossible in France. The bandwidth you pay is 10 Mb but it is most often 1-3 MB (maybe 512k upload) and is very fluctuating Optic fiber is present in maybe 5 towns in France. When fiber is in 80% homes we'll talk about it but now it's not even close to reality.
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StevenW
- 11:12am EST - November 16th, 2012
- 2
I agree. I'm not one who plays a game and goes back to it. I'll keep my PS3 anyway when PS4 launches and there's still a few titles I want to play.
In the UK there are many areas that struggle with streaming. Any game I play on OnLive is a waste of time. I can see Sony testing the water with demos via Gaikai and waiting for the technology to get better.
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darkprince650
- 11:29am EST - November 16th, 2012
- 3
I'll just do then what I do now. I'll keep my PS3 hooked up along with my PS4. I have my PS2 hooked up to play some old PS2 games I like to go back to once and a while.
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mcav
- 1:04pm EST - November 16th, 2012
- 4
As with every next gen console I buy, the LAST thing on my mind is "AWESOME! A next gen console, now, can I play my old games on it??"
Whiny morons who crave for backwards compatibility are part of the reason that the console industry doesn't move forward as fast as it should. If you want to play your 'retro classics' get the right machine to do it with, don't pressure console makers into using time and rescourses so you can go "COOL! I CAN PLAY MGS1 ON MY PS4!! LETS BOOT IT UP" then realise it is the same game you played ages ago, and stop.
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Jack Rudrum
- 1:37pm EST - November 16th, 2012
- 5
Well tbh with online multiplayer, adn the psn downloads fo full games you cang et, adn PS plus i would actually have quite liked ps3 backwards compatibility, I expected it would be very hard to do assuming these rumours of a total change in architecture are true
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Gameoholic007 |
Demented007- 2:28pm EST - November 16th, 2012
- 6
I could have told anyone that the next Playstation most likely wouldn't be BC, since Sony really showed their support for it through out the PS3s life cycle so far. =) Imo, I could care less for BC for the next machine.
Get a hint people, it's not going to happen.
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BlackRisk |
Blackrisk- 5:46pm EST - November 16th, 2012
- 8
The only way i see them taking full advantage and benefiting from cloud base and streaming service from gaikai is if sony ties them both in with one subscription like ps plus. If they do implement gaikai into sony next gen console sony would b crazy to make you pay for both plus and gaikai so unless they tie them both in with one subscription just pay for plus and get the best of both worlds sony will be swimming in cash. also they could even implement gaikai onto the ps3. As for backwards compatibility i dont see it happening with the ps4 due to high cost of the bluray games but sony could just put in hardware emulation basically like put in ps3 Built into the ps4 like what they did with the ps3 60gb not the software emulation and have full blown bc thats why i got the ps3 60gb cechAO1 model. on another matter if sony makes use of the technology gaikai has sony could start making alot more profit from just here in america since Bandwith isnt a big of a problem that other countries have.
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DarkVincent07
- 6:18pm EST - November 16th, 2012
- 9
I agree with StevenW as well as mcav, I keep my old consoles and being the kind of gamer I am I already own the vast majority of PS3 games I want to own, sure there will be a few I go back to/buy once the PS4 is out but most of my PS3 gaming is already done/collected.
The only reason PS4 b/c would be good for me is because I don't have a lot of room for another console on my current set up :lol: -
Nick Vasquez |
LitchAzazel- 8:40pm EST - November 16th, 2012
- 10
That doesn't sound good to me, sure people may say keep the PS3 hooked up and the PS4 at the same time, but the PS3 is too huge and takes too much room on my shelf to share with another console :/ I'll probably just wait till they release the PS4 Slim, and unlike others here, I replay my games all the time. Sounds to me like these guys are either picking the wrong games or are only playing for trophies.
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princevegeta1980
- 7:30am EST - November 17th, 2012
- 12
For me this isn't good news, I'll just hang on to my PS3 instead and wait for the PS4 toon cost less, I still have lots of great games on PS3 too play and as usual all new consoles have little games on launch day. But I guess if this could make the console less expensive than why not exclude BC even if this was a main feature of all playstations ( since PS2), anayway we still have plenty of time before the console comes out and I'm always excited about a new sony console, sorry but I only buy their consoles, don't care about MS or Nintendo!
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- 13
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Alpha2
- 4:49am EST - November 19th, 2012
- 17
@ the "I don't need BC" comments Sure no one needs it just go back to BUYING all of your games AGAIN when they inevitably release newer HD remakes of these stuff you re-bought THIS gen. It's not like people were angry when Sony dropped BC in the PS3... OH WAIT they WERE! Idiots, the whole purpose of BC is to EXPAND the titles you can play. Every console in existence started with like a half dozen decent games worth playing for the first 6 months to a year, BC allows you to sell you old system and save space while playing the games you havent finished or still enjoy going back to on the new system.
Lack of Backwards compatibility would be a fail for sure. Not that the system would be bad but this limits the potential number of compatible products and weakens it's position. This idiotic cloud garbage is just not a fully viable solution for everyone as evidenced by how easily Sony gobbled up Gaikai and the failure of Onlive. They may still exist but as mass media tools they just plain SUCK. Sony has suggested they'd make adapters to play non supported games at least with their patents so I hope at the very least that is possible. I don't want to have to buy an adapter any more than I want to keep a fleet of old systems around to play the games I own but it's better than not having that ability or letting someone charge me to do it.
This will permanently ban this user and delete all associated comments. This action is irreversible, are you SURE you want to do this?!
