PlayStation 6 backward compatibility may be linked to PS5 Pro hardware

The previously leaked PlayStation 5 Pro hardware specification may just give a clue as to whether Sony will decide to add backward compatibility to its next-generation console.

A well-known leaker that goes by the name Kepler has commented on a recent X thread discussing the recent PS5 Pro hardware leak, specifically the 10% CPU speed increase. Kepler explained that they have a "theory" as to why the CPU speed increase is so little. The leaker speculated that the backward compatibility is more complicated than you might think and that the way Sony handles it is "very complex".

Notably, Kepler writes that backward compatibility requires new hardware to "run at the same or higher clock speed, even if the new HW is faster at lower clock speeds." Kepler goes on to explain that if Sony decides to use Zen 6 dense cores for the PS6, they won't be able to target 4GHz and above for the PS5 Pro as that could "break backward compatibility".

It should be noted that Sony is still very far away releasing anything official about the PlayStation 6 as the PS5 Pro isn't even out yet. But, rumors suggest that Sony could drop PS5 Pro later this year, or move the launch date to later into next year.