Microsoft Exec: "If You're Backwards Compatible, You're Really Backwards"

[The Wooster]

Microsoft Exec: "If You're Backwards Compatible, You're Really Backwards"

Microsoft's Don Mattrick reckons only five percent of customers play games from previous generations on their new consoles.

The Xbox One, or "Xbone" as it has now been dubbed by the public, won't be natively backwards compatible with 360 games, disc-based or otherwise. This is a great disappointment to some, especially given that yesterday's announcement event was light on anything even resembling an actual game, but Microsoft's Head of Interactive Entertainment Business, Don Mattrick (whose ruggedly handsome countenance can be seen to the right), isn't bothered.

"If you're backwards compatible, you're really backwards," he told the Wall Street Journal.

After dropping that incendiary comment, Mattrick got into the numbers. According to him, only five percent of customers play previous-generation games on new gaming systems. Since the Xbone uses a CPU fundamentally different from the one in the 360, backwards compatibility would require either software emulation (as with the later PS3 models), or a separate set of last-gen hardware in the Xbone box (as with the earlier PS3 models). Given that price is likely to be a huge factor in the coming race, it's easy to see why Microsoft elected to drop backwards compatibility. It's worth noting that Sony has apparently done the same with the upcoming PS4.

So, is backwards compatibility such a huge deal? From a raw, money-driven perspective, it doesn't seem to be. Social media research firm, Fizziology, claims its surveys of potential Xbone customers indicates only 12% would be put off by a lack of backwards compatibility. A greater concern is whether or not we'll be able to play current-gen games a decade or two down the line. The consoles of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras have survived to date mostly because they're solid slabs of circuitry. At consoles get more and more complex, their failure rates have gone up exponentially. The original 360 model is certainly proof of that.

Source: Wall Street Journal [http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/05/22/microsoft-and-sony-diverge-on-gaming-cloud/]

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[Legion]

According to him, only five percent of customers play previous-generation games on new gaming systems.

... That's because the current gen doesn't allow you to play many of them.

Yes, there are some that work, and yes there were some crappy HD remakes, but the vast majority of Xbox games didn't work on the 360, and the PS3 ironed out backwards compatibility in later versions.

If the entire Xbox library had been available on the 360, I am certain that the number would be more than 5%.

 

[dragongit]

It's not about playing old games on the new consoles Microsoft. It's about adopting a new console when the library is rather limited. I'm personally not bothered one way or the other, I still have my original PS1 through PS3. I suspect I will keep the trend going until I run out of room in the house. if you want to encourage more early adopters, either get a larger amount of games ready to release or simply allow your audience to play the previous generation while they wait.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Oh christ, that was an incredibly dumb statement.

Personally, even though I don't particularly care about backwards compatibility, all you're doing with that statement is insulting anyone that would want it.

 

[FinalDream]

I hope his CV's up to date!

 

[Gearhead mk2]

I suspect that he won't be an executive for much longer. And when he's wondering why every hates him and wht he said and he's begging for his job, we'll only have this to say;

 

[Hithlain]

Excuse me? I play DS games on my 3DS like I have a vendetta. If the game is good, I will replay it and though it may not make a ton of money sense for them, there is such a thing as GOOD WILL toward your consumer or customer. Why do people like Valve so much, do they think?

 

[The Great JT]

Somehow I get the feeling that the Gremlins are gonna get loose at Microsoft...one could argue they're part of the new batch.

 

[PunkRex]

Yet another wanker in a suit.

It makes me laugh, surely it wouldn't cost that much to put an emulator in there, then you have an entire back catalouge to fall back on if your launch line up is shakey (given the trends of the lastest gen machines it wouldn't surprise me). Why is the DS so much better then the PSP? It has a constant flow of new AND old titles.

 

[Lunar Templar]

lol

wow ... they should really not let these people talk in public, they only make them selves and the company, look stupid. well, stupider, this is the same company that though the rest of the XBone was a good idea to ... though it does pretty much mean they won't be getting my money this gen, again.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Oh, Microsoft. You silly goose. Throwing your customers a bone is so 2001. Throwing them an Xbone, now - THAT'S the future!

I can't wait for sales numbers to start showing up.

 

[The_Darkness]

Hoo boy...

Take the Wii. Now, it was a less than brilliant console with regards to its library (I was much happier with the Xbox 360's selection) but that seems to be Nintendo's running problem. However, it did backwards compatibility properly. I can play Eternal Darkness on it. I can play Second Sight on it. I can play Star Wars: Clone Wars on it. But I can also play Super Smash Bros Brawl and Metroid Prime Trilogy on it. And I still do play all of these games. The Wii's somewhat lacklustre library was bolstered by its predecessor, and I didn't have to worry about wanting for games when I first bought it.

Of course, I've already been put off the Xbox One (What was wrong with Xbox Infinity? I know that's a minor complaint, but really?), so this hardly matters here. But Backwards Compatibility is definitely not a bad thing, and definitely not backwards.

 

[Baresark]

It's really for the transition period. They will be singing a different tune when they are having an issue getting users to buy them because there isn't enough games out to justify whatever price tag they are asking. This man is an idiot.

"Only people who want to play games won't be interested in our new system, that is what? 99-100% of our total customer base. They don't count."

 

[mechalynx]

Dear Mr Don "My head is so far up my ass, I can see my breakfast" Mattrick. Like legion said, if the 360 were backwards compatible, my XBOX library would be much larger. I would also have been much more inclined to buy the said 360 earlier than I did (I finally got one 2 years ago).

 

[Mana Fiend]

Excuse me? I play DS games on my 3DS like I have a vendetta. If the game is good, I will replay it and though it may not make a ton of money sense for them, there is such a thing as GOOD WILL toward your consumer or customer. Why do people like Valve so much, do they think?

This. It's why the 3DS is my current favourite console - such an amazing back catalogue, plus an excellent selection of games available in the marketplace (seriously, I must own nearly half the Zelda games made, or will do once the ORacle games are released, on one console and it's a total godsend). It's also one of the reasons I upgraded to the WiiU, as it's still happy to support Wii games. I even brough a PS3 with a smaller hard drive just so I could play PS2 games like Kingdom Hearts, FFX, the old Baldur's Gate games... all my favourites.

It's also why I'll be sticking with the PS3 and Xbox 360 for a while - give me a reason to upgrade from great games catalogues, and I might consider it. give me backwards compatibility, and you have increased my chance of buying your console at least 30%.

The only reason your numbers show this is because even the current systems don't LET you do it.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

All my Gameboys were backwards compatible and I've always made extensive use of that.

Also, I was already put of by the 360 not being compatible with the original xbox.

I still got it though. (Found out about that after I got it.)

 

[TWEWYFan]

*Bangs his head on his desk*
Oh uh pardon me, I was just trying to get into the frame of mind this guy seems to be in where he can think making that statement won't come come back and bite him.