Sony has acknowledged that backwards compatibility was a unique and much-welcomed feature before it was dropped in the PS4 generation. It has long been assumed that a shift in console architectures is the reason Sony didn’t bring the feature to PS4, but an infamous remark made by former executive Jim Ryan back in 2015 suggested that Sony didn’t see any value in backwards compatibility.
‘Why would anybody play this?’ – Jim Ryan on PS4 backwards compatibility
In a webpage launched to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, Sony wrote that the introduction of backwards compatibility in the PS2 era was a rare feature at the time, and one that was praised by players.
“PlayStation’s consumer-friendly decision was unexpected but welcomed by players with game collections from the previous generation,” a section dedicated to backwards compatibility reads.
In 2015, Ryan was quizzed about PS4’s lack of backwards compatibility, to which he said that it’s a highly requested feature that players don’t actually use much. “I was at a Gran Turismo event recently where they had PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 games, and the PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?” Ryan told TIME. The comments drew sharp criticism.
To this day, re-releases of older PlayStation games are highly demanded and continue to be popular additions to PS Plus Premium. Unfortunately, PS3 games are limited to streaming, and are only available in select countries.