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

The Enquirer

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Legion said:
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%.
This is pretty much what I was going to say. The reason it is at 5% or less is because so few modern consoles allow for last gen games to be played on them anymore. And the fact that he said "if you're backwards compatible you're really backwards" just goes to show that they really are only in it to make a quick buck.
 

triggrhappy94

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That's by previous generations' measurements!

Let's do some math:
The 360 has been out since 2005, roughly 8 years--that means eight sets of winter blockbusters, Game of the Year, and so on.
Over that time it's accumulated a library of roughly 2,000 games, and that's just counting retail titles localized in North America.
Now, if you believe that only 10% of those games are worth playing--which is not necessarily true--you'll be losing 200 games that people want to play, and that equates to a lot of pissed off people.

The Bone is becoming a victim of its predecessor's success.
 

Dangit2019

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Welp, now there's no chance in hell I'm getting an Xbox One. What an amazing lack of respect for the customer. I hope that this thing crashes and bombs worse than the Dreamcast.
 

Strazdas

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FalloutJack said:
Strazdas said:
Oh, not again.
Straddy, that wasn't an opinion. I actually researched classic gaming before. It's much stronger than you think. There are even companies that build old consoles or combo-consoles for the old school crowd. It's a market that gets tapped, period. If it wasn't, then stores dedicated for it just couldn't exist. That's simple business economics.
Oh, classic gamign sure does exist, my point was that it is small enough for the big companies to ignore it as insignificant and not something everyone does like people here try to make it to be.
Also, straddy? i knw people called me strazzy before, but how did that came in?

Dragonbums said:
First off, that 5% is bullshit. Every single person I know utilizes backwards compabitbiilty in some way, shape, or form. Where did they get those statistics from? From some obscure poll? The amount of people clamoring for BC compatibility, and the big deal that many major gaming news sites have about the feature tells me that 5% is a load of bullshit. Except for those that don't like BC anyway.

The WiiU isn't old generation. It is simply less powerful next generation software. Also, how does this invalidate Nintendo in any way, shape, or form?
So what?
Sony didn't want to do it with the PS3 and that was "last gen" software. They even took it out in later models. In fact, since the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, both those companies have practically whined about this feature.
It may or may not be bullshit, as all other research done previuosly showed a smaller, but not that far off number. if anything, 5% is generous.
anecdotical evidence about your friends not-withstanding.
WiiU for all intends and purposes is an old hardware to begin with. It does not invalidate Nintendo, it invalidates the statement that NextGen (or current gen if we take PCs) should fully support a decade old software. You can support a decade old software with a decade old hardware, duh. mch easier that way. Not to mentino that MS seems to be doing mistake Sony did by making a unique cell based processor they basted about.

Spot1990 said:
Dude there's entire stores that exist just to sell old games and consoles. They only just discontinued the PS2 this year because it and it's games were still selling. All three consoles sell previous generation's games on their online marketplaces and there's been a buttload of HD remakes of PS2/xbox games and all this is because nobody wants to play older games is it? No it's because most older console games are being bought second hand. If the companies make it harder to play an original copy it means they can sell you the game again digitally or crank out a half arsed HD remake like Konami with Silent Hill. Where are you pulling numbers like 1-3% or "less than a hundred hardcore fans" Because those people must have crazy money if a few dozen of them are keeping entire markets afloat with their business.
Yes, there are stores like that. They take such a small amount of gaming market share most people dont even count them in. PS2 did sell quite well. HD remakes are same as Hollywood remakes. a nice way to cash in on nostalgia and known names without needing to invent something.
The 3% were actual research i read around half a year ago, the hardcore fans comment i was pulling my of my ass based on what i saw on gaming sites, where new gammes gotcommunities with 500.000 members and anything pre2008 usually end up with less than a hundred.
They are not keeping an entire market afloat. they are keeping afload a small part of the market that is heavily specialized to these people needs. nothing wrong with that at all. but does not mean they are the majority.


TomLikesGuitar said:
Anyone else think he makes a valid point?
careful, you will be attacked by people who "researched classic gaming" because apperently old games are the thing that keeps gaming market afloat.

Capcha: Yes, this is dog
Yeah.... capcha seems to be samrter than all of us with its messages.....
 

Korolev

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Jul 4, 2008
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I love backwards compatibility as much as the next person, but statistically what he is saying is probably accurate, and from a business perspective it makes sense not to include something most of your customers aren't going to us.

However, he shouldn't have said what he said. It will make people angry, and it's always a dumb thing to make people angry. He should have just said "we couldn't afford it", and then that would have been the end of it.
 

lunam-kardas

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You know Microsoft... My Television may be only 3 months old, but I can still watch black and white movies from the 1950's on it. Just something to remember since you seem to be trying to out-tv the TV.
 

FalloutJack

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Nov 20, 2008
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Strazdas said:
zippasnip
Classic gaming is part of the used gaming biz, ergo because companies invest quite a bit of attention into it, you are wrong.

Oh, and the naming isn't anything particular. Others go Strazzy because of the Z, I go Straddy because of the D. No big deal.
 

Strazdas

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FalloutJack said:
Strazdas said:
zippasnip
Classic gaming is part of the used gaming biz, ergo because companies invest quite a bit of attention into it, you are wrong.

Oh, and the naming isn't anything particular. Others go Strazzy because of the Z, I go Straddy because of the D. No big deal.
so part of a industry that is part of an industry. Also what kind of attention did those companies invest, checked how much of their users actually used it?
As long as you dont call me Strazdaz were going to be fine :)


lunam-kardas said:
You know Microsoft... My Television may be only 3 months old, but I can still watch black and white movies from the 1950's on it. Just something to remember since you seem to be trying to out-tv the TV.
Really? i would love to see a modern TV that accepts 8mm film as input......
 

FalloutJack

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Strazdas said:
Look, it's very simple, Camel Joe. Classic gaming is used gaming, a sub-category. Why is that a serious topic even when the game may be about a SNES title, for instance? Because - just as an example - the Escapist frowns on talking about emulators and roms, meaning that companies do not like anyone talking about how to get even very old games free. Yeah, this is a thing, just like with the used game resale thing they hate. It's money they don't see. They don't like any means of playing a game where they don't see the cash for it, even though it may be ten years old. Notice how many times Chrono Trigger got re-released? Bam. Guilty. While being in time and space. They still wanna cash in. SO! Are they paying attention? Oh yes.
 

MrBenSampson

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I never owned an original Xbox, but I have several games for it which I have played to death on my 360. The main reason that I want the PS4 to be backwards compatible is so that I can play the current gen games that I missed, along with the next gen titles. Since that won't be happening, my plan is to buy a PS3 when the prices drop next year. If I ever buy a next gen system, it won't be for a couple years.
 

alj

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Nov 20, 2009
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Time to line your PS2 PS3 PS4 xbox 1 360 and xbone up on a shelf just so you can enjoy your games made in the last 13 years.

or you could just build a little ITX based media centre pc and play any game form the last 51 years, last time i checked spacewar still worked on pc.

Aint consoles supposed to be more convenient
 

lunam-kardas

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Strazdas said:
lunam-kardas said:
You know Microsoft... My Television may be only 3 months old, but I can still watch black and white movies from the 1950's on it. Just something to remember since you seem to be trying to out-tv the TV.
Really? i would love to see a modern TV that accepts 8mm film as input......
Heh. Yeah I guess I really put my foot in my mouth on that one. My family owns a VHS/DVD converter, which we used to transfer our older format movie collection onto blank DVD's, though the original reason for buying it was to preserve our recorded family moments from the 1990's.

I guess my thought was that I don't think there's a legal gaming equivalent of that converter, something you could use to transfer your older games from their original discs onto something the new consoles will actually attempt to read.
 

Strazdas

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FalloutJack said:
Strazdas said:
Look, it's very simple, Camel Joe. Classic gaming is used gaming, a sub-category. Why is that a serious topic even when the game may be about a SNES title, for instance? Because - just as an example - the Escapist frowns on talking about emulators and roms, meaning that companies do not like anyone talking about how to get even very old games free. Yeah, this is a thing, just like with the used game resale thing they hate. It's money they don't see. They don't like any means of playing a game where they don't see the cash for it, even though it may be ten years old. Notice how many times Chrono Trigger got re-released? Bam. Guilty. While being in time and space. They still wanna cash in. SO! Are they paying attention? Oh yes.
Fair enough.

Spot1990 said:
[I know they make up a small portion of the overall gaming market but I'd still like to know where you're getting these figures considering like used games and piracy it's actually hard to get figures on it. Who the research was done by and why would be nice too. Anyway the point is they might make up a small portion of the overall gaming community but it's still large enough to be profitable. And I wasn't referring to all gaming that's an entire industry, I meant the market for used and old games. It doesn't strike you as even slightly odd that they'll say "Nobody wants backwards compatibility", but still think there's enough demand to just rerelease a shit ton of old games on their online marketplace? What they actually mean is it's really hard to monetise backwards compatibility because if they give us a machine that plays games we already own well then how can they sell those games to us?
Sorry, i dont remember the couple research (i agree there is too little of it) i read last year that found numbers of 2% and 3%. Of course its large enough to be profitable, else they wouldnt do that. BUt those are specialized stores or people who rip off others (gamestop). a general all-purpose store will hardly bother stocking them now would it.
Thats the thing, people dont want to play those old games, they want to play re-release versions of them, with better graphics and controls. Beside, its not liek they can get money on the old ones anyway. else they would be getting the old games to begin with. There already is a machine that play old games. PC. do gamers move to PC whenever new console comes? nope. SUre, a few do, but the amount is insignificant for them to worry about.
and of course, if you take a part of an industry, than take a part of that and then take a part of that it wont be that small a part, but when compared to whole industry it still is.

MrBenSampson said:
I never owned an original Xbox, but I have several games for it which I have played to death on my 360. The main reason that I want the PS4 to be backwards compatible is so that I can play the current gen games that I missed, along with the next gen titles. Since that won't be happening, my plan is to buy a PS3 when the prices drop next year. If I ever buy a next gen system, it won't be for a couple years.
well, PS3 at least has a reason to not be backward compactible, its getting away from the awful processor design in PS3 that hampered programing for it. MS on the other hand are introducing awful processor designs....

alj said:
Aint consoles supposed to be more convenient
That kinda died with modern PCs where your OS dont crash every other day.

lunam-kardas said:
I guess my thought was that I don't think there's a legal gaming equivalent of that converter, something you could use to transfer your older games from their original discs onto something the new consoles will actually attempt to read.
There isnt, and yep thats a problem on its own. There are illegal converters, though apperently cant talk about them on this forum either. yay for freedom of speech?


Capcha: unlimited wishes.....
oh, you....
 

MB202

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In all honesty, after playing GameCube games on my Wii suddenly corrupted one of my memory cards, I now play games specifically on their intended consoles. THAT BEING SAID, it's stupid to just ASSUME that not many people care about backwards compatibility.
 

JasonKaotic

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No.
My PS1 hasn't been used in at least three years. In those three years I've gotten a working PS2 then a PS3.
The only reasons I still use my original Xbox are because my saves are on the hard drive and the emulation on the 360 is horrific.

Microsoft.
Lemme level with you for a second.
You are very, very stupid.
Stop trying to make profound statements. They are wrong.
 

Muphin_Mann

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It kinda makes me sad to think that after the Halo franchise made them so much money the new Xbox wont be able to play any of them.

Or that Minecraft, which xbox finally got, wont be around on it. Along with a few hundred dollars worth of other arcade games I probably own.
 

AgedGrunt

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I don't believe this man has ever looked inside a PC or knows that his company will provide extended support for Windows XP into 2014.
 

stabnex

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Does anyone still recall that the original Backwards Compatible PS3's are the most valuable ones to date?

Idiots.