Sony reportedly working on PS3 compatibility for PS5

While the PlayStation 3 might not quite live up to the legacy of the PlayStation 2, it had some truly epic games in its wheelhouse. Delivering us the likes of The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid 4, let's not forget it was also the way many of us first experienced GTA V.

The PS3 has long since been put out to pasture, but according to a new rumour, Sony could be getting ready to resurrect the console in a big way via backward compatibility. Microsoft arguably has the market cornered in terms of backward compatibility, and as Sony and Nintendo try to catch up, the Blue Team is making solid progress.

PS5 tipped to get PS3 compatibility

According to the XboxEra podcast's Nick "Shpeshal_Nick" Baker, "Sony is working on select PlayStation 3 backwards compatibility for the PS5." We're rightly worried about the mention of 'select,' suggesting it won't be the whole catalogue.

When someone in the chat asked whether these games will get a framerate and resolution boost, Shpeshal_Nick explained, "I didn't get any more details than that. Will it have an FPS boost? I've got no idea...All I heard was that Sony's working on selective PlayStation 3 backwards compatibility."

Baker speculates it would mainly be first-party Sony games, which makes the most sense, considering a slew of other games are likely locked behind licensing issues. He doesn't list any individual games, so it's up to you to speculate. 

The PS5 has been repeatedly criticised for its lack of backward compatibility options. For a start, the few PS3 games available can only be played digitally, and even then, you need a constant internet connection as they're shackled to the cloud. 

Sony is reportedly taking a leaf out of Microsoft books in terms of backwards compatibility, but it's unclear whether that includes being able to play your physical PS3 games. As the aforementioned Metal Gear Solid 4 is still trapped on the PS3, being able to load in a disc and play Kopnami's 2008 icon on the PS5 would be quite the coup.  

Then again, considering your PS Plus subscription allows you to play some PS3 games, we're not sure Sony would throw money away and simply give you access to all those older games without some sort of catch. Baker has a reasonably solid track record with this kind of thing, but until the Blue Team gives us the nod, we'll have to wait and see.