Technically, the PS5 already has backwards compatibility. PS5 owners have been able to play most PS4 games on their console ever since the PS5 was launched. Not to mention, the PS Now service gives PS5 (and PS4 owners) the chance to play PS2 and PS3 games. But, full legacy backwards compatibility remains out of the question. However, if the new patent is anything to go by, PS5 owners might get access to thousands of games from previous PlayStation generations soon enough.
Is Sony going to make the PS5 backwards compatible?
Before Sony released the PS5, the rumor mill was filled with intel that it would have full backward compatibility and support games from the PS1 all the way through to the PS4. Of course, we now know that this never happened, and it's one of the drawbacks of buying a PS5 over the Xbox Series S/X. Unlike Sony, Microsoft managed to make a huge chunk of Xbox 360 games as well as original Xbox games playable on its latest console.