This generation of consoles was somewhat interesting, in that it began with almost a clear break from the previous generation. Both the PS4 and Xbox One had their own ecosystems and services that felt disconnected from the PS3 and Xbox 360 in a lot of ways. By and large, Microsoft corrected course there, and have made backwards compatibility a key part of their system’s life cycle. Sony, however, never did, and the PS4 still exists in its own bubble with a few key exceptions. It seems the company aims to do things just a little differently the next go around.
At the last financial conference call, Sony Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki said one of the key goals for Sony was to have a “smooth” transition this time for PlayStation users. He pointed to the far more sophisticated networks and subscription services that will hopefully ease those in the PlayStation ecosystem into the next system.
Sony seems to be gearing up for the PlayStation 5’s big reveal. While the lack of things like backwards compatibility didn’t seem to hinder them this generation, it wold be nice to have a more unified library going forward. Here’s to hoping.