The difference in architecture between PlayStation 3’s CPU and PlayStation 4’s means that the only way to make Sony’s upcoming console backward compatible with its predecessor is fitting it with a unit containing the whole PS3 Cell CPU with its 9 processing units. Practically, this means that Orbis won’t be able to play PlayStation 3’s games without a hefty increase in its price.
But it seems that Sony has found a clever solution that would allow all previous PlayStation games to play on Orbis without adding a single dime to its hardware cost.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Sony will solve this problem by using its game-streaming service, Gaikai.
Gaikai offloads all processing and rendering to its servers in the cloud and sends the rendered frames directly to its PC or console client to be displayed. The client also captures user input and sends it the server in real time.
Gaikai was acquired by Sony in July 2012 for $380 million.