New Sony Patent May Further Hint at PS3 Backwards Compatibility on PS5

Highlights

A recent Sony patent hints at PS3 emulation for PS5.
PS3 backwards compatibility could be added via a skew-inducing compatibility layer.
Sony’s recent preservation efforts suggest a focus on making older games available on modern hardware, making this patent promising. Still, fans should not expect anything until there is a proper announcement.

A newly filed Sony patent might lend further credence to the recent rumors about PlayStation 3 backwards compatibility being in the works for PlayStation 5. When it launched in 2020, the PS5 was only backwards compatible with its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, while select PS1, PS2, and PSP games were made available through the PlayStation Plus rebrand in 2022.

However, PS3 backwards compatibility has been conspicuously absent from PS5, primarily due to the complexities around emulating the former’s infamous CELL chipset. PS Plus Premium subscribers can stream PS3 games over the cloud, but many consider the experience far from ideal due to lengthy loading times and latency hiccups. The lack of a dedicated PS3 emulation layer on PS5 has been disappointing for a lot of PlayStation users who want to experience the iconic library of the PS3 generation.

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It appears that could change in the future, though, as a recent rumor suggested that Sony is working on native PS3 backwards compatibility for PS5, but with no official evidence or hints to substantiate it. However, a new patent filed by Mark Cerny, the architect of the PS5’s hardware, might allude to PS3 emulation being in development. Filed on 27 June 2024 and titled “Backward Compatibility Testing of Software in a Mode That Attempts to Induce Skew,” the patent describes a mechanism that allows a device (presumably the PS5) to run in a “timing testing mode” that purposefully induces skew.

Newly Discovered Sony Patent Possibly Hints at Native PS3 Emulation on PS5

newly discovered sony patent that might be hinting to ps3 backward compatibility on ps5

Skew basically creates processor timing variations that can affect the way any software would run on it, which is intriguing considering the PS3’s notoriously asymmetrical CELL processor which assigned separate tasks to the CPU cores, rather than all of them working collectively like in modern x86 architectures. Using a skew-inducing compatibility layer for PS5 could be Sony’s way of getting PS3 games to run natively on the current-gen console, and finally allow PS5 owners to delve into must-play PS3 titles.

This information should be taken with a grain of salt, though, since numerous patents don’t end up bearing fruit as consumer-facing features. That said, Sony has lately been ramping up its preservation efforts internally, as it introduced new PS2 games for PS Plus Premium in June. These games run on a brand-new emulator, so the company is clearly looking into methods to make its older games available on modern hardware. Many remain skeptical of native PS3 backwards compatibility, but it’s logical that Sony would have to prepare a dedicated solution in the future, since the current PS3 server blades have been in operation for over a decade and won’t last forever.