Sony confirming the PlayStation 5 earlier this year made people even more excited for the next-generation console. The company has been slowly drip-feeding new info about it and so far, we know that the PS5 is backwards compatible, has an "appealing" price tag", and will feature some of the best graphics in kthe business.
The gameplay reveal showcased the PS5's impressive hardware processing power, but the latest update from the PlayStation team brings good news for anyone who plans to stick around with their PS4 for the foreseeable future.
In an interview with CNET, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan explained the company's plans for the transition from the PS4 to the PS5 over the next few years, emphasizing the need for it to feel as seamless as possible for the splintered user base.
Among them, Ryan said his company plans to offer "cross-generational play," effectively offering players the ability to play a game on their PS4, switch to a new console and continue, and then switch back. Effectively, it won't matter to Sony's servers which device they're playing on. As a result, they'll have all the same friends while they do that.
"Whether it's backwards compatibility or the possibility of cross-generational play, we'll be able to transition that community to next-gen," he said. "It won't be a binary choice about whether you have to be ether on PlayStation 4 or next-gen to continue your friendship."
Ryan also dropped some hints about an upgrade for Sony's long-running game-streaming service PlayStation Now that made headlines a few weeks ago when Sony and Microsoft announced a groundbreaking collaboration that would allow Sony to use Microsoft's Azure technology.
"We have a cloud gaming service right now, and we've added on it for a number of years ... We've actually achieved a lot, and probably a lot more than people realize," Ryan said. "And our intent is to build on those learnings and really look to try to take PlayStation Now to the next level later this year and then in the years to come."
Admittedly, this is a cryptic clue rather than an outright promise, but considering how little we know about Sony's upcoming system, we'll take any morsel of information we can get.
Our thoughts aside, we're excited to see what the finished version of the PS5 will look and feel like -- what do you think of the information we've learned so far?
