PlayStation on Xbox backwards compatibility: It’s good we’re doing different things

PlayStation Europe boss Jim Ryan says the backwards compatibility of Xbox One is a legitimate strategy in trying to upgrade 360 players.

But he says that Sony will not be following the same tactic, as the firm is investing in other software updates to PS4. He also adds that – based on their experience – few gamers actually make use of such functionality.

It was quite a complicated announcement and I’m not sure I fully understand it yet. And I suspect there might be a few twists in that particular tale. But we will see,” he told MCV when discussing the Xbox One announcement.

It is an entirely legitimate approach, and if you are seeking to upgrade 360 owners to Xbox One, it is a very logical approach to take.

We are just taking a different path. To the extent that you are investing in software technology – which is what this is, it’s delivered through software not through hardware – we are trying to commit our resources and put our emphasis on delivering on the promises we made right at the start of this whole PS4 thing, to be the forward-looking, socially-connected console. We are placing our bets on things like SharePlay, on things like Play as you Download, and things like Suspend/Resume.

We are just taking two different approaches. Unfortunately there are just not sufficent enough software engineers in the world for everyone to do everything. Each platform holder has to make their choices, we made one and they made another. Their choice is entirely legitimate, and I think our choice is legitimate, too. In some ways it is quite nice to have points of difference between the two platforms, and people will decide which approach suits them best.

We have experience of backwards compatibility. The earliest PS3 model was backwards compatible with PS2, and it is a much requested feature… but actually it’s not so greatly used.

On balance, we are happy with our approach and we don’t wish to be defensive about it at all. But as I say, both approaches are legitimate.”