Image credit: GT writer Ross Vernon
In light of the recent announcement from Microsoft to soon acquire behemoth publisher Activision Blizzard, there is an underlying spotlight on Sony right now. This is a gargantuan win for Microsoft giving them ownership of heavy hitters like Call of Duty, StarCraft, and Overwatch. Call of Duty is currently the elephant in the room since PlayStation has been its flagship console since PS4, which surely helped Sony considerably last gen.
Now, although Xbox’s Phil Spencer has tweeted that their relationship with Sony is a friendly one and we can probably expect to see Call of Duty on the console, for the time being, there is still a much-needed response from PlayStation to offset the inevitable. What can PlayStation do to rival a product like Xbox Game Pass? The answer is backwards compatibility for all previous console generations, offering a whopping catalog of games and exclusives.
Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022
PlayStation has a plethora of loved titles throughout its vast library of multiple generations of consoles. The PS1, PS2, and PS3 are littered with golden-era gems and exclusives. Offering an extended library of games will only give players more options and rival Game Pass offerings. PlayStation has an edge when it comes to the library size of older classic titles. This advantage was never properly explored by Sony and they are paying for it now.
Gamers buy PlayStation consoles to play PlayStation games, exclusives that can not be experienced on any other console. It only makes sense to increase that library to your newly acquired millions of paying gamers by offering them the opportunity to play ALL of your exclusive titles throughout the years.
We are well aware of the rumored Project Spartacus that has been floating around the internet and considering its source, could very well be true. However, we do not like to speculate on rumors and would rather wait for an announcement from the official source. What we will take into consideration are actual patents that have been filed by none other than Sony’s Mark Cerny titled “Backward Compatibility Through Use Of Spoof Clock And Fine Grain Frequency Control.” This was discovered earlier this month by Shaun Mcilroy and tweeted the patents for the world to see.
New @cerny patent sure@sounds like he’s nailed BC for older #PlayStation consoles pic.twitter.com/7n8zyzjcic
— Shaun (@shaunmcilroy) January 12, 2022
This sounds like PlayStation has cracked the code for some type of backward compatibility integration on their current console. Not only that, but in March of last year there was another patent that was discovered and posted on reddit by Bartman013 titled “Method And Apparatus For Awarding Trophies.” This patent describes the ability to earn trophies via emulated games. This would be a major win for PlayStation fans which would not only allow them to play their favorite classic titles dating back to PS1, but also integrate them into PlayStation’s current gaming ecosystem by implementing trophies.
We also have to consider the method in which backward compatibility is presented. PlayStation can implement a cloud-based emulator for their back-catalog of games via their current game streaming tech. Although this would be a great move In the right direction, it is not a finite solution. As we all know, streaming games are definitely not the preferred way to play, input lag and deterioration of quality are well-known issues, regardless of your internet speed and connection. The technology isn’t there yet for this to be a preferred way to play for gamers.
PlayStation needs something much more substantial. They need to give us a console-based emulator for these classic titles. This is a sure way to please gamers by not needing to rely on a high-speed internet connection and also allowing gamers to enjoy their classic titles without the frustration of input lag and an “always online” terms of service.
The infamous infographic displaying backwards compatibility taken at Sony’s PS5 presentation.
These are all promising and point to a possible announcement soon, but let’s cut to the chase, this is a necessity at this point. If PlayStation doesn’t announce a backward compatibility feature, then they are only expanding the distance between themselves and Xbox.
Xbox Game Pass is a product that brings great value and offers gamers select new titles on launch day. This is not a stance to have PlayStation invent a Game Pass killer, but an invitation to create a product, or feature, that can coincide with Game Pass and offer PlayStation fans what they have been asking for since mid-gen PS3. Let us play our classic PlayStation games on current hardware!
Whether this is implemented via a hybrid of PS Plus and PS Now services or by simply implementing the feature via a software update and allowing downloads from the PS Store, this is a necessity for PlayStation to keep its footing in this industry. PlayStation needs to become a central hub for its own products, past and present. It is becoming clear that whoever controls the software, will soon control the industry. Sony has a head start dating back to 1994, let’s hope they realize it.
