Sony: We Haven't Forgotten Why the PS4 Was Successful

Make sure it's backwards compatible and all the existing users will follow.

I still believe PS4 isn't as good as it's predessors. PS3 is my favourite because of the exclusives and the backwards capabilities. I have a backlog of games and I'm still finding gems to this day for it.

But sales and interest prove that not many people feel the same way.

A combination of factors contributed to Sony's success - the most powerful console, the cheaper (helped by separating the camera from the console) and of course the mistakes that MS made with theirs. The first year or so, you could argue that Exclusives were not a major factor - after all Knack and Killzone weren't exactly 'big' titles and MS had more. However with all the multi-plat releases looking better, 900-1080p on PS4 compared to 720-900p on Xbox (BF4 was 720p on XB1 and 900p on PS4, CoD 900p on XB1, 1080p on PS4), for a lot of people, game performance mattered a LOT.

Sony clearly learned from its PS3 too, making the PS4 much simpler to programme for and better than the Xbox - better RAM and GPU anyway knowing they not only had to have great exclusives but also have the best place to play multi-platform games too.

I know quite a few go on about BC but as the Xbox proves, even with BC its losing out every month to PS4 in sales. If it was that important, MS would be selling more, closing the gap. Yes its a great feature but the console that delivers the best NEW games at the 'best' level and decent price point will be successful. If they have to build in BC which either adds to the price or reduces the specs for new games, I would rather keep my PS4 and have a much more powerful or cheaper PS5.

backwards compatibility is a must indeed.
but cross play can stay away for all i care.

@get2sammyb good luck to the English team today.

@Shepherd_Tallon
Indeed, that transition period where lots of games from previous gen available (and all highly optimised for that gen) and a few from new gen would attract new owners, plus current PS4 owners bringing their collections along means a high PS5 userbase from the start.
I remember when Xbone was announced and I was very disappointed that BC wasn't included then, even derided by Don Matrick as "backwards' thinking", so I couldn't take my 360 collection with me, so I immediately lost interest and any loyalty in Xbox, 360 was good but why stick with them. May well be available now but too late for me and many others who jumped back to Sony for the PS4.

This is the lesson I pray Sony have learnt from.

If PS5 can play PS4 games out of the box, it's a buy for me. I know I'm skipping the PS4 Pro upgrade for the remainder of this generation unless something goes awry with my standard PS4, or someone gifts me a Pro.

Also, I think the emphasis that Sony has put on digital sales on the PlayStation store is a surefire sign that the next console will be backward compatible on day 1. They would be crazy to abandon 80+ million (may be closer to 100m by that time) gamers that had invested 7+ years in the PS4.

@get2sammyb You should have put croatian coach Zlatko Dalić there

BC to the PS4 this time around shouldn't be a problem as the architecture will remain similar. BC to older consoles could still be difficult to the PS3 but a PS5 (or PS4 for that matter) should be more than capable of running a full on PS1/2 emulator.
Circa 80m PS4 users buying the new PS5 console because they can bring their games with them would give Sony another immense lead.

If PS5 is BC then I'm all in. If not, probs just stick with PS4 for a few years yet. I'm the kind of gamer who buys games 2-3 years after release in the sale for £9.99, so not in any huge rush to buy a new console yet.

#itscominghome

i hope.

@Turismo4GT That’s a good point. If it offered the Pro upgrade to games, it would have even more day one value to me since I’m never getting a Pro.

Ps5 is day one for me if it's BC with ps4.

Man 1st party games on ps5 will be amazing, god of war sequel, horizon sequel, new tlou/uncharted/naughty dog new ip, ghost of tsushima sequel, spider-man sequel, and of course, sony new ip, it will be super great

@sanderson72 This seems like a no brainer to me.

If you raised a following for PS4 that you are proud of - why not reward those folks by saying - "Hey consolidate by buying this new shiny box. It plays those games and so much more!"

I could be in the minority on this but personally I don’t see BC as anything I need. A nice feature sure, but not a reason for me to buy one console over another. I remember thinking that my PS3 launch model was awesome because of BC, but used it once or twice. As new games with new experiences and better quality launched, I simply kept moving forward and never revisited old games. So when PS5 launches having an instant game catalog of PS4 titles sounds nice, I likely will be playing the new stuff instead. I’m more interested in cross play anyway. After years of trash talking, with real life friends on different consoles over this and that, it would be great to finally play them head to head.

They just said the right things at the right time and Microsoft... well... their marketing and range of games were what your parents thought you wanted... you know?
A lot of what i see today still seems to be laced with that “too old to be working in games” feel... like all the decissions are made by a comitee of Gates’ old colleagues XD

@shafedog247 BC is important because you can jump in day one on ps5 , sell or whatever your ps4, and still play all your loved games (and maybe with further benefits like hyper mega boost mode ).

@MattSilverado I guess I look at it differently. BC isn’t a console selling point for me anymore. I just don’t see anyone saying “Can’t wait to buy a PS5 so I can play my PS4 games.” Again, not saying it isn’t a nice feature, it’s just not going to sell me on one console over another.

I think one of the core reasons why the PS2 sold the huge amount it did was because Sony already had a huge install base with the PS1, and the PS2 was fully backwards compatible with it, making the generation shift almost seamless. If the PS4, with it's install base ready to jump on the PS5 with BC, it's a sure bet Sony will have a great start on the next generation. I still have my PS3 and 4 set up together and don't think I'll have room for another system.

From what I have seen over the last 6 months Microsoft is making all the right moves and Sony is just standing still.

@eltomo Castle Crashers was a fun little PS3 game if you haven't seen it yet. Simple but satisfying gameplay, with leveling and co-op. The humor is great too. Not a PS exclusive but good cheap game.

From the rumours, I'd say it's almost certain that PS5 will offer backwards compatibility with PS4. PS3 I somehow doubt.

But for me, it's an irrelevance. I don't buy new consoles to play old games.

@Turismo4GT Plus GT Sport was made for specs well above PS4 Pro. Developers said it would probably even hold up in 8K. Seems like they are in the know that their platform's future hardware will support their game. Seems like they will just unlock higher end visuals when PS5 is out.

There was one other game/developer that gave a clue just like this, but I can never effing remember.

Like others have said backwards compatible it's a must if they don't do it they will be the ones shooting themselves in the foot for the next gen

Arrogant Sony is back! /s

@hotukdeals Well the only thing i hear about is the crossplay with a few people who keep crying about. Because MS and Ninty keep it up well when they need to make a add that you play together wow. Its funny that a nongamer friend was saying to me well they must be losing badly of they need to team up with the competition. 😋

@BAMozzy I couldn't agree more. Any time I hear my friends ask for a new remaster/re-release, I just tell them to get a PC and play the superior version. Or stick to the old platform. I'm really enjoying where the PS4 is right now and I can't wait to see what's in store after all these great AAA releases are done.

Luckily, PS4 hasn't been oversaturated with these remasters and the few PS2 classics that ARE there are well chosen. Even though XB1X is "the most powerful games console", the library is lackluster compared to Sony. I wish them well all the same. But the 1st party titles so far have been gathering so much momentum and turning a lot of heads. 4 more years and all that.

@OneMan I disagree about the XB1X myself but I will agree it is struggling to deliver the quantity of 'GotY' contenders that Sony are. I wouldn't say they are 'lacklustre' and still have a few 'stand-out' games that do well in both critic reviews and awards - maybe not your taste. MS had a good few years at the start of the gen with exclusives but the delays and cancellations, especially at a time when Sony's own studios all seemed to have their games coming to fruition. Just a few years ago, there were articles on where Sony's big games were, especially around the Holiday season and you were getting 1 or 2 big games in March/May where as MS had Forza, Halo, Sunset Overdrive, Tomb Raider, Gears etc. The Library of games on the XB1 isn't lacklustre as a lot are the same as PS4 and the X plays all the new releases at higher standards. It also has ~500 BC games and a LOT of those aren't lacklustre either. They maybe 'old' but they are still part of the library of games you can play on an XB1.

Talking of BC, one thing the X does do well, which to me is better than just Backwards Compatibility, is to transform a lot of those 'older' games by at least stabilising the frame-rate performance, improving load times and of course the 'baked in' 12x Anisotropic Filtering. Some do get extra enhancements - like 4k for example and you can't play RDR on PC - one of the best games of last gen.

I have no doubt that Sony will continue to deliver a great library of first party games. I doubt we will see too much of their 'longer' term plans - which Sony have been keen to show in the past with many games being revealed 18m+ before they are released because they are likely to be coming out on 'next' gen.

I wouldn't be surprised though if we do see games like LoU2 or Ghost of Tsushima on PS5 as a 'remaster' even though I expect it was built to native 4k standards and with animations suitable for 60fps but then scaled down to PS4/Pro. Some of Sony's biggest sellers this gen are 'remasters' - LoU, Nathan Drake Collection.

Sony know what works and what can affect their sales too. People may say they want BC for example but Sony know if they put all their efforts into making the 'best' console they can for the future without wasting money on making it compatible with older tech, that, combined with their first party games will sell. Maybe those who say they won't buy without BC, will buy 'months' later when Sony show what's coming later. Its not as if their PS4 library won't be playable on their PS4 after all. All Sony have to do is announce HZD2, GoW sequel etc and people will be looking to buy a PS5 regardless of BC, Cross-play or any other things that Sony may not offer or be strong on

And now that England it's going home I'm guessing that I don't have to see more gareth southgate in every article right

@shafedog247 I get what you mean, it's of course not the real mean of a new console to play old games... but for instance, my ps4 games backlog is so huge that I already know I'll not able to play them before I got the PS5... for instance I have witcher 3 , MSGV, and many many others that I haven't even started. So be able to play them on PS5 without needing to have around a PS5 is surely a plus, because new console exclusives will be late for sure. But as you say, new all want a new console for new games, with new experiences not possible on older hardware. For instances, my hopes are really high for PSVR2.

10 min video on eurogamer article if anyone's interested

@johncalmc lol classic

I want consoles to have backward compatibility and to avoid crazy and stupid limitations in their functionality like the Switch unfortunately does (and to make things even worse Nintrendo want to use some of those limitations for greedy purposes too)
This is all I ask to a console

I don;t see backwards compatibility as being an "over rated gimmick" - in many ways it can be seen as one more reason to NOT jump platform. That's what went wrong with the PS3 as people couldn't take their PS2 games across and so people jumped to the X360. MS faced the same situation this time around as the PS4 was so much better than the launch non-BC XBox that many people jumped ship again. Whether you would use it or not, it means that the games that DON'T get remastered (where oh where are the Norrath games in the PS2 Classics?) can be retained and used by the player that wants them.

I think that besides PS5 having hardware that is capable of running games in native 4k at 60fps, it should, as mentioned in the comments, continue with great story-driven single player ips; and last but not the least, it should bring back backward compatablity, a vital feature considering that a lot of gamers purchased the remastered editions of already-purchased PS2 and PS3 era games in the current generation. Personally, I've already invested a lot in my PS4 libaray of games, so, B.C. is a highly important factor in deciding whether my future gaming machine would be a PS5 or not. I hope Sony is working on B.C. and on the release of PS5 would not pour ice water on my hands.

My PS4 has given me a lot of fun times gaming I do not think I could let it go! Even if PS5 is BC with PS4, I believe that will happen. Most of what BC is about is selling or trading in your current console for something like $100.

I would love backward compatibility. I trully do not know anyone who cares about crossplay. Myself included.

Universal accounts for F2P games I would like. But that is not up to SONY.