Speaking during a recent Q&A with fans on PlayStation France’s Twitter account, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that PlayStation 4 will not at any point see backwards compatibility with PS3 software.
Yoshida-san simply replied "no" when asked if the feature would ever be introduced for PS4, reiterating previous comments from Sony regarding the possibility of backwards compatibility for the system. This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the fact Sony has its cloud-based streaming service, PlayStation Now, which allows players to stream a number of PS3 games to devices included PS4 and PS Vita.
Elsewhere, the executive was asked, rather curiously, when the PS5 would be released. In response, Yoshida-san said simply the console does not exist; whether or not Sony is quietly planning its next-generation system is another topic entirely, although frankly, they wouldn’t admit it at this stage even if it was in development anyway.
Sony is currently promoting a number of new PS4 titles at Paris Games Week, and took to the stage Tuesday evening to unveil a slew of new games including Quantic Dream’s Detroit, DriveClub Bikes, and Tekken 7. In addition, it also provided some new footage of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Star Wars Battlefront, and No Man’s Sky, alongside some PlayStation VR software including Robinson: The Journey. Sadly, we still don’t know exactly when we can get our hands on the virtual reality headset, although hopefully we’ll hear something more at the PlayStation Experience in December.
PS4 is currently enjoying a bumper year, with sales having eclipsed 25 million worldwide according to Sony’s Michael Denny. Sony recently slashed the price of its flagship home console in the U.S. and Europe, and saw record sales across the PlayStation Store in the U.S. during the month of September 2015. Indeed, there’s never been a better time to invest in Sony’s current-generation system, so be sure to check out our PS4 deals guide to save some cash on the latest console bundles.