PS4: Gaikai rumoured to stream PS3 games

Sony is reportedly planning to use cloud gaming service Gaikai to stream PS3 games to PS4.

The backwards compatibility solution is expected to be announced at a PS4 reveal event taking place this Wednesday February 20, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to sources supposedly familiar with Sony’s plans, the platform holder has been investing heavily in Gaikai's capabilities since acquiring the cloud gaming platform for $380 million last August. PS4 games are expected to be released both digitally and at retail on Blu-ray discs.

Gaikai says on its website: “We're working hard with Sony Computer Entertainment to advance our cloud gaming platform, and we can't wait to unveil the next generation of it to you.”

Earlier this month, publisher EA said it doesn’t expect next-gen consoles to be backwards compatible, while hinting at pre-Christmas launches for new systems from Sony and Microsoft.

We recently debated what PS4 is likely to be called, analysed the form of the console’s controller based on recent leaks, and speculated on the system’s potential software launch lineup. Check out our PlayStation 4 rumor roundup for all the latest leaks and speculation.

Latest in PlayStation
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
Minecraft Diamond Armor
Minecraft Pocket Edition got its name because one of its devs was a big "Nintendo nerd" who wanted to pay homage to the Game Boy Pocket
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding's themes of connection came about because "I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago"
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Monster Hunter Wilds' infamously confusing menus spare no player, not even Gemma's voice actor herself: "This is honestly what I’m struggling with the most"
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog