Backwards compatability may come to PS3 with Gaikai deal

Sony's rumored cloud gaming deal with Gaikai could allow the PlayStation 3, and possibly the Vita, to play old PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 games.

According to GamesIndustry International sources, the service will be for first-party Sony games, but will also be open to third-party publishers who want to sell back catalogue to players.

Sony's deal with Gaikai is expected to be announced at the E3 press conference on Monday of next week. The press conference will begin at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Gaikai's list of publisher partners on PC is already strong, and Sony obviously believes there's an appetite for PS2 games on the PlayStation 3.  HD Collection re-master releases of games like God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet and Clank have all been re-mastered for the PS3.

At this point, the exact details of the rumored partnership are vague, but hopefully we hear more at E3 next week.  As GamesIndustry points out, this could be a tester for a backwards compatibility streaming service on the future PlayStation 4.

[GamesIndustry International]