The PlayStation 5 has been a smash hit. At least, it has for those who have managed to get their hands on one since the console's November 2020 launch. However, aside from the PS5's well-documented supply chain issues, some PS5 owners have another gripe: backward compatibility.While the PS5 supports games from the previous generation, the PlayStation 4, you cannot play titles from further back in PlayStation's considerable back catalog.But, all that could be set to change after an eagle-eyed Twitter user spotted what could be the holy grail: a PS5 patent covering backward compatibility.

Is Backward Compatability Coming to the PS5?

Right now, the PlayStation 5 is backward compatible with PlayStation 4 games. But those who have dialed into PlayStation since the beginning may have hundreds of games now gathering dust as the PlayStation 5 lacks support for PS1, PS2, and PS3 games. Which, in short, sucks.

Now, a new patent, filed by PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny titled "Backward Compatibility Through Use Of Spoof Clock And Fine Grain Frequency Control," has set tongues wagging. Could this indicate that Sony has mastered the technology to bring your old PlayStation games to the PS5?

The explanation of the technology in the patent certainly alludes to such a situation. The technology would allow "an application designed for the current version of a system" to run at its core clock frequency while allowing applications for different versions to run at their native clock speed. So, in this case, the PS5 could run its games at the correct speed, while the PS3, PS2, or PS1 games could run at their correct clock speed, negating issues between the massively powerful current-gen console and its older, slower predecessors.

An application designed for the current version of a system runs at a standard clock frequency of a current version of the system. Running the application at the standard clock frequency includes synchronizing operation of a processor of the current version of the system with the standard clock frequency. An application designed for a different version of the system characterized by a different standard clock frequency runs at a second clock frequency that is different than the standard clock frequency. Running the application at the second clock frequency includes synchronizing operation of the processor of the current version of the system with the second clock frequency.

The patent would introduce a secondary clock functionality (which some are terming as a "spoof clock" of sorts) that would allow the older games to run without disturbing the PS5 hardware.

Which Old Games Will You Play on Your PS5?

Of course, a patent doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen. Patents are filed all the time for technology that may or may not work. That doesn't mean we cannot dream of dusting off the PlayStation collection and reaching for some classic titles.

The only question is, what will you play first?