Microsoft's Xbox Series X appears to offer comprehensive backward compatibility across multiple generations, while the PS5's support for older games appears to be more limited. However, Sony's patents suggest that PS1, PS2, and PS3 support may be offered on the PS5 through cloud power.

The patent, discovered by Twitter user Renka_schedule and flagged by IGN, effectively puts older PlayStation hardware into a server and uses it to support a "cloud gaming library" of older games It suggests that it can be done. This would mean emulating old console virtual machines that "mimic the operating system associated with each console."

By taking a cloud-based approach, Sony can bring comprehensive backward compatibility to the PS5 without having to build in backward compatibility at the hardware level. While backward compatibility would be nice, it is expected that many people will focus on newer titles on the upcoming console.

Note that Sony already offers a similar cloud-based streaming service in the form of PlayStation Now, which can stream PS2, PS3, and PS4 games to PC and PS4. So while Sony's expansion of this for PS5 means adding support for PS1 games to the mix, it is certainly not a major step forward.

Renka_schedule also flagged another patent with information related to how users of the backwards compatible streaming feature will be able to record their gameplay and share such clips with friends via the cloud. One can easily imagine how such a feature would work with the "Create" button on the PS5's dual-sense controller.

Whether this cloud service will be offered for free as a native PS5 feature or bundled with PlayStation Now as an add-on to the subscription service remains to be seen. Also, since this is only a patent, it is likely not something Sony will pursue, but it would be an attractive service to compete with Microsoft's xCloud game streaming, which is expected to be officially released later this year.