PS2 Emulation Confirmed For PS4

Sony is working on emulation technology that will allow PlayStation 2 games to be played on its latest home console, the PlayStation 4. The news was revealed in an email statement sent to Wired.

"We are working on utilizing PS2 emulation technology to bring PS2 games forward to the current generation," said an unnamed Sony representative. "We have nothing further to comment at this point in time."

In January 2014, an anonymous source working on Sony's PlayStation Now streaming technology said an emulator was in the works for PS4 that would run PS2 games in native HD resolutions. As a result, this would offer a visual advantage over previously existing PS1/PS2 upscaling methods, and open up other visual options seen in emulators like PCSX2.

It appears that PS2 emulation has recently been the subject of technical tests. On November 19, alongside the release of EA and DICE's Star Wars Battlefront, the publisher also released Star Wars: Racer Revenge, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter--all classic PS2 titles..

In addition to various visual improvements and remapped controls, the re-releases also include Trophy support. It's possible these were added through a method outlined in a patent that Sony applied for in 2013. Sony has also previously patented technology for adding content to emulated games.

On October 26, Sony sent out a survey asking PlayStation 4 users what they think are the most important features that should be added to the console. Among the options was "PS1 classics" and "PS2 classics" support, indicating the platform holder may be gauging the demand for more re-releases.