I don't care one way or the other but, if keeps the cost of the console down, get rid of it.

Backwards compatibility is a great feature. PS2 was the greatest console of all time, and though I have a PS2 myself that gets more of a workout than my PS3 ever does, I hope that everyone else gets the luxury of all the great games from Playstation's vast library available at their fingertips, without the expense and data storage of a virtual library.

Can we just focus on console quality demands? Backwards compatibility isn't doing me any good when it bricks too soon. Standing in line with a busted console wondering if I should get the warranty this time... Sick of that ish.

Thing is backward compatibility next gen is quite different. It got to the point this gen that people accepted PS2 wasn't part of PS3 any more for example but that's because we were only talking about games at that point. We now have identities which carry over and much like Ipad, people absolutely will expect things to work. We're just a minority audience of sites like this with MS and Sony for example not playing to us

And with all that said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we're charged for the pleasure of playing this stuff again. Probably a licence that allows for older arcade play and another for disc with a slightly reduced licence for both. People pay for this stuff so it's probably a given

I could careless about b/w compatibility

If I'm buying a next gen console I'm gonna play next gen games... Just look at the ps2 they just stopped production. If I really wanted the play old games I can still buy the old system

First
BC=your old games playable on new machine,no extra fee,no streaming shenanigans.Digital/Retail game and you click/insert...it works

Second
This gen is quite different from the previous one,lots of us have large digital collections,making them not transfer= unacceptable

Imagine if some new PC comes out and it makes your large Steam library unplayable.
Would you buy that PC?
Me certainly not.

I would still get new consoles at some point but I would drastically reduce digital purchases($5-$10 max).

No it's not.

Why not just keep your old console. That what I did I still have my ps1 and ps2.

definitely not a must for me! If i can buy the PS4 for 150€ less than what it was supposed to cost with backward compatibility i'll sign in from now!

PS3 owners who intend to buy PS4 dont need a second "PS3"

No it's not. What's the point of backwards compatibility if I can hardly get previous-gen games retail anymore?

The next Xbox will most likely play everything the 360 can. I think the transition between 360 to next Xbox will feel more like an upgrade.

They all will be 100% backwards compatible, maybe even take advantage of the new hardware(360 games build onto X-Engine will have upscalable engines with a little update). This is totally different from last transition, because now we have Achievements/Trophies & DLC that most definitely will carry over to the new systems and when we pop-in a 360/PS3 game in the nextgen systems, we will still be able to play it & get achievements/Trophies for it. The Achievements/Trophies indicate continuity, so they have to be 100% BC with back catalogue. I hope it will be hardware BC...otherwise a damn good software emulation. Anyways, Microsoft almost garanteed that the Next Xbox will be 100% BC at the beginning of this Gen, they said that they will give the 360 much better support & continuity than they gave the Original Xbox.

It would be a nice 20th anniversary thank you to the fans to make ps4 backwards compatible with any game from ps1 on. Also if you own the game sony could take a hint from nintendo and allow gamers who already own the game to download a digital hd version of it with trophy support for 5 or 10 dollars

Simple, keep your old console, theres your backwards compatability. All this is very silly thinking that sony/micorsoft should include that function with the next gen. There is no reason they should include it, keep your old systems, no reason to get rid of them.

It whud be nice of course but It's not a necessity

for me is a must. i want to be able to play my ps3 games but i dont want to keep my ps3 once the next console is out.

You might want that - but it isn't going to happen. Proof? Look at Sony and Microsoft's online stores. They now have the ability to put any of their old games up onto that, so why allow people to play their old games for free? There is none. Plus now both companies own media streaming services where they can stream their entire back catalog to you...for a price.

Sadly, the days of backwards compatibility is long over.

for me it is a must have feature, keep you old consoles if you want it hen people say, well i dont keep my old iphone, i use the stuff on my new iphone. also i got something like 400 playstation games and the all work on my 60GB ps3, hell at 1st i only bought the ps3 cause it had BC, i already had the 360, got the ps3 cause my ps2 crapped out. my friends are the same way, if you want me to upgrade my system i better be able to play my old games or i just keep my 360 and ps3

I want BC. I think it's a nice feature to have. I Often go back and play games like RE4 and MGS3. Sure those games have had rereleases, but that requires new purchase. Plus, there are many games that have not gotten that kind of treatment.

Some of this was solved by having PS2 games downloadable in the PSN store. But the download sizes aren't that big. If we continue to do it with the PS3 games, HD's will fill up in no time. As we can already see, and we're still on this generation.

The thing I like about BC on newer consoles is the potential for enhancements. With the BC ps3 you can upscale ps2 and ps1 games to 1080p through HDMI with the smoothing feature. You can't do that on native hardware.

Just imagine playing ps3 games on your ps4 upscaled to 1080p/4k(with a way better scaler than what ps3 has) with features like post process AA.

This is why backwards compatibility is an awesome feature to have.

Backwards compatibility generally hurts sales revenue. With the increasing availability of downloadable platforms and online distribution, companies can make a lot more through releasing games online at a price, rather than allowing old, usually second hand versions playable.

It's a revenue thing.

I agree there should be. In the transition period it is especially important. I sell off my old console when I upgrade to make it slightly cheaper, but still want to play my catalogue of games

Its a must for me no bc no buy.

Sony needs BC. They actualy have Games!

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.