People from around the world are very well aware of PlayStation. It is a video gaming console that was developed by Sony way back in 1994. The video gaming industry has been able to grow tremendously over the past decade and presently millions of users can be found around the globe addicted to gaming. Presently, the eighth generation of PlayStation – PS4, is available that is the successor to PlayStation 3 and was released in 2013. Since then, Sony has been able to sell more than 80 million units all over the world. With over 80 million users playing the latest console, there are games that were compatible with the earlier versions of PlayStation.
In this article we answer a frequently asked question – can you play PS3 games on PS4?
is PS4 Backwards Compatible?
To be able to answer the above-mentioned question, we need to look a little into PS4 backwards compatibility. What exactly is backwards compatibility? Well, it’s not too difficult to understand. It’s just that an older disc can be played in latest console without any hack. A vast list of titles are available for PS4; however, the sad news is, PS4 is not backwards compatible. This means you cannot play your favorite PS3 disc in PS4. In an interview, Jim Ryan, Sony’s head PlayStation Europe mentioned that many users had requested PS4 backwards compatibility. However, the feature is actually not used by many.
But let me tell you something, the sad news is not really sad news. Although PlayStation 4 is not compatible with the disc of PlayStation 3, not even with any kind of hack, the players can play PS3 compatible disc on PlayStation Now. It is a cloud-based service offered by Sony that streams games over an internet connection. In the following part of the article, I will explain how to play PS3 games. PlayStation Now involves 2 simple steps – Setting up PlayStation Now and connecting to PlayStation Now.
How to Setup PlayStation Now Account?
To be able to play PS3 games and setting up a PlayStation Now account, one needs a strong internet connection and a DualShock 3 or DualShock 4 wireless controller. Copy https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/home/main and paste it into your web browser. Click on ‘create account’ and follow on-screen instructions to create an account. PlayStation Now offers various subscription plans for users to choose from. Choose one that perfectly fits your gaming requirements and your budget. Logging into PlayStation Now would give the players access to more than 500 games where gamers can play their most favorite PS3 game.
Other than having a PlayStation Now account, there are still options available for people with which they can play PS3 games on PS4. There are certain games that are available on both consoles. Most companies have released PS4 compatible versions of their games. Therefore, people can buy a disc that is compatible with both versions. Alternatively, they can pay for an upgrade and use the same disc on PlayStation 4.
PS3 Backwards Compatibility
On the contrary, there are people who still own PlayStation 3 or a PlayStation 2 and are good with playing classic games rather than newer ones. For those who own a PlayStation 3 and would want to play a PlayStation 2 disc, they can do so by looking at the backward compatibility of their console. Some of the PlayStation 3 models are compatible and can play PlayStation 2 disc on PlayStation 3 while others are not.
To explain it in simpler terms, the fatter versions of PlayStation 3 with four USB ports are backward compatible. Alternatively, the PS3 in 20GB and PS3 in 60GB are full compatible and can play PlayStation 2 disc without any hack. If one owns a PS3 80 GB, it would be compatible if, and only if, the model is kept in its original state and not upgraded later on. On the other hand, the PlayStation 3 that is slim is not compatible and a PS2 disc will not work on PS3.