PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has responded to several criticisms and questions about the forthcoming PlayStation 5 and PS5 Digital Edition consoles.

He told The Washington Post that Sony Interactive Entertainment decided on their prices months ago (not after the Xbox price reveal last week, as some claim), and that even though pre-orders are selling out faster than toilet rolls at the start of lockdown, there are will be no shortages in stock. There should be plenty available for launch.

Perhaps the biggest revelation though is that, contrary to many reports, the PS5 will eventually support backward compatibility with almost all current PlayStation 4 games.

PlayStation 5 Console

Ryan told the Post that the firm has tested thousands of PS4 games to ensure their compatibility and that "99 per cent" work on the new machine.

There's no word yet on how many of those will be available at launch or soon after, but 18 of them will be part of the PlayStation Plus Collection from day one, and therefore playable at no extra cost by PS Plus members.

PlayStation 5 Console

The CEO also said that, while the PS5 Digital Edtion is more expensive than Xbox's entry-level next-gen machine, PlayStation's messaging is more simple: "We want to give gamers clarity, we want to give them certainty,” he explained.

"We want to future proof them so that they know the console they buy will be relevant in several years time. It’s a considerable capital outlay, and we want to make sure people know they are buying a true next-generation console."

While the Xbox Series S is a lot cheaper than the PS5 Digital Edition, it is lower spec. Both PS5 models feature the same high spec, just one comes with a 4K Blu-ray drive, the other not.

In terms of stock, Ryan revealed that more PS5 units have been ordered this fiscal year than PlayStation 4 consoles at the start of the current generation. That will mean that more will be on sale at launch than ever before, even during the pandemic.