A new patent filed by Sony engineer Mark Cerny suggests that PS1, PS2 and PS3 backward compatibility is coming to PS5. This comes in light of PlayStation pulling PS Now retail cards in the UK, hinting that the rumoured announcement of Sony’s Game Pass competitor is on its way soon.

As reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, Cerny’s patent specifically mentions a method that changes the clock frequency of a console’s hardware, which will essentially allow the new system to run applications meant for older versions of the system by synchronizing the processor’s operations. This will make the PS5 backward compatible with PS3, PS2 and even PS1 games.

READ MORE New Gran Turismo 7 PS5 Gameplay Shows Daytona International Speedway

Interestingly, the patent doesn’t specifically mention PlayStation consoles, but most have drawn the conclusion that it’s for the PS5 (and potentially the PS4 too) being capable of playing older games. You can still play a good assortment of older titles through PS Now and Plus via emulation, but it’s still notably lacking plenty of PS2 and PS1-era games.

Previously, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke out about the importance of game preservation and using legal emulation as a way to preserve legacy games. PlayStation using emulation might be the easiest route to achieving this, and it comes amidst reports of Sony getting ready to reveal their Game Pass-like subscription service that will compete with Xbox.

Next month, PlayStation is rumoured to host a ‘big’ State of Play event. This might be where they choose to unveil the new subscription service, which will provide players access to PlayStation’s rich history of titles dating all the way back to PS1. Only time will tell if these rumours turn out be true, but with this patent now, it seems likely to happen.

NOW READ Sony Compensates PS5 Shortages by Making More PS4 Consoles

Source: PlayStation Lifestyle