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

[MysticSlayer]

You know, I used to not think that much about the lack of backwards compatibility when comparing the Xbone to the PS4, but at least Sony weren't complete jerks about the whole issue. You'd think at this point that Microsoft is actually trying to say, "We don't want to do game consoles anymore. Please, go to Sony!"

 

[iniudan]

I don't get why everyone is hating the guy. He is right once you understand the context of what he says. In order to have backwards compatibility you'd need to use the same shitty old architecture from the previous generation or to find a way to put it inside the new console alongside the new architecture. And that is just not a viable option.

The thing is that the Xbone use an Hyper-V based architecture, they could easily virtualize the hardware of the Xbox and the 360, if they really wanted to.

 

[fozzy360]

Honestly, this is the least incendiary of all the shit Microsoft has said over the past 24 hours. BC really isn't an important feature to have, and it really isn't that much of hassle to use an older console that still runs to play them. Out of all the things to complain about, this is easily the least worthy one.

Oh, and for those of you who keep on with Mattick calling people who want BC "backwards," please proceed to re-read the article again, and carefully this time before you spout nonsense.

 

[kael013]

Yeah, because wanting to enjoy all the games I've bought regardless of generation or console until my dying day is a stupid sentiment. I still play the original Halo (not the HD rerelease) and the old CoD games on my 360. I have Baldur's Gate 2 installed on my Windows 7-run laptop. That game is over [i/]13[/i] years old (!) and I still play it.

Ok, look Microsoft. You're already mandating we have to install the games on our hard drive -thus making it a digital game. Why not just make emulator software for both previous Xbox generations, then add their game libraries to LIVE as digital downloads (with the game becoming free if we try to play the game with the disc before DLing)? In other words, why can't you become more like Steam - only for your console line?

Yeah, you're right. That does sound too sensible for Microsoft.

Honestly, this is the least incendiary of all the shit Microsoft has said over the past 24 hours. BC really isn't an important feature to have, and it really isn't that much of hassle to use an older console that still runs to play them. Out of all the things to complain about, this is easily the least worthy one.

You're right that they've said stuff a lot more stupid than this with this reveal, but I disagree that BC isn't important. Yes you can just hold onto your 360 to play 360 games, but what are you gonna do later down the line when it's almost impossible to refurbish it or get a replacement? Suddenly you have a bunch of games staring you in the face that you will never be able to play again. BC isn't a cure for that - eventually a console gen will not be supported just because it's too old - but wouldn't it be nice to have a safety net on the next gen?

 

[Lovely Mixture]

It's sad when new Xbox and PS4 announced are and my only concerns are

1. How should I upgrade my computer?

and

2. When should I buy a 3DS?

If you play older games and not the newer ones, then why do you need the new console if you have a working current one?

Cause if my current one breaks and they don't sell any more of it than I'm shit outta luck.
Cause if I want to transport my games easily, I would like less consoles to drag around.

It's not like we're demanding the newer console play every game ever made by everyone ever.

And why are you continue to player the older games repeatable instead of trying out newer games?

What?

Its simply a matter of playing older games on a new console instead of using the new console for new games and the old console for old games. And its not like consoles are that hard to use. Plug in or swap out for different generations to play different games

Back in my day we had these things called "upgrades." It meant that, unless the format drastically changed, you got something more instead of excluding yourself from what you currently had.

Can we stop all this bitching please? It getting old and ridiculous.

I'd like corporate executives to listen and stop being ignorant, that's getting old and ridiculous.

Honestly, this is the least incendiary of all the shit Microsoft has said over the past 24 hours.

It's not incendiary, but it's stupid, off putting, and further drives people away from being interested in the new console.

BC really isn't an important feature to have,

To you.

and it really isn't that much of hassle to use an older console that still runs to play them.

And when it breaks?

Oh, and for those of you who keep on with Mattick calling people who want BC "backwards," please proceed to re-read the article again, and carefully this time before you spout nonsense.

You don't even need to read it that way, you can just read it as "the people who are concerned with backwards compatibility are only in the 5 percent. So they don't matter, good thing they aren't potential customers or anything."

Which is just as stupid really.

 

[Mrkillhappy]

Congratulations as if I didn't think the people involved in making this system were stupid enough I read this all I can say is Sony and Nintendo thank you for giving them you money. All I can say is it is great to be a Play Station or Nintendo fan right now.

 

[RicoADF]

What is it with Microsoft and insulting their customers especially when their valid concerns/requests? Seriously do they want the system to fail or are they really that stupid and up themselves that they can't see the use. Do they really only care about the newest shiniest game and don't understand that older games are still fun and often better than their newer versions?

My money is yes, they are that dumb, ignorant and up themselves, so they can get stuffed.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Well it sounds like I'm in your five percent. Thank you for alienating me, you've just given me another reason not to buy the next Xbox.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

While he's probably right, the sheer arrogance of his statement is astounding. I keep my old consoles so I can play my old games on them but the problem is I also have to keep a standard definition TV to play them on.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Ok Microsoft, how many Adam Orth clones did you whip up? Be honest now!

I imagine that his figure of 5% is somewhat skewed by the fact that the last generation was, what, seven years ago? On top of that add in the fact that backwards compatibility was never that great on the 360. Most people playing Xbox games on their 360 would have done so in the first year after it launched, the time that they are transitioning between consoles and when there is still a steady stream of Xbox games coming out to play backwardsly. Seven years on people aren't playing old titles because they have better games to play or they just plain aren't able to.

Maybe the Xbone is just Microsoft's attempt to steal EA's 2014 Golden Poo? It certainly looks like they aren't trying to actually sell this thing.

 

[Rad Party God]

Lovely. Just lovely. The PS2 being backwards compatible is what cemented the deal for me 12 years ago, sure, I only had Metal Gear 2 and Silent Hill 2, but I already had a shitton of PS1 games that I could play with improved loading times and smoothed out graphics.

I only had like 2 or 3 games on my GBA when I bought it, but I already had a bunch of GB/GBC games to play, same with my NDS, I could still play Yoshi's Island on it and it's still one of the very best platformers ever (screw Yoshi's Island DS).

Same with the Wii, I could finally play all my GameCube games with a widescreen TV with Component cables and ramp up the graphics to 480p.

Being able to play Wii games on the WiiU with an HDMI cable sounds sexy, even if they don't display in HD, heck, it's pretty much a nice incentive to replace my Wii (and repair my Cube... and hunt down for those fabled component cables).

If I had a substantial library of 360 games, I'd definitely be rather pissed off.

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

Just keep digging Microsoft, maybe you'll find some gold in you're stupid remarks.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

Considering that I have more PS2 games for my old-school PS3 than actual PS3 games... well, you can guess my thoughts on this.

Seriously though, what exactly is going on with Microsoft? Not only have they alienated the majority of their gaming-centric customer-base with all the anti-game announcements as well as the massive focus on television of all things, but now they're actively insulting potential customers because their gaming preferences. Did they think that this would help their tanking PR in any way? Do they even realize how little confidence an extremely large portion of the gamer-market has in them right now?

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I've had a few PS3s in my time, and although I can't speak for Xbox, the PS3 backwards compatibility was so hot and cold it was virtually not worth using.

But that said, not having owned a PS2, I did use it. And I think if anyone is looking to steal players from other consoles it would have been a smart move to have backwards compatibility.

 

[cricket chirps]

Well pretty soon Don is gunna wish he could take back-words

This, i must greatly agree with this.

 

[1337mokro]

So only 5% plays games from the previous generation. On consoles that don't allow you to play games from the previous generation. I want you to meet Nintendo. Their handhelds always were backwards compatible for at least ONE previous generation. In essence doubling their library, offering better hardware and making it easier to adopt because whilst I wait for new games these other awesome gameboy games can be played on my gameboy advanced.

But who wants to emulate Nintendo am I right Kinect? You decided to emulate Sony from the PS2 era!

Not only is this idiot willing to ignore 5% of his customers which amount to a few million people, he also wants to forgo a feature that would give them a HUGE step up on their direct competitor all for the sake of down the line selling old games over their online store. Re-releasing old titles for quick cash.

Let me tell you this dear Mensa member working at Microsoft.

Backwards compatibility means more early adopters. Because they basically invest in the next upgrade in anticipation of new games whilst they can still buy the old ones. You are basically padding out your sure to be piss poor starting library with a fucking string of excellent games from the previous generation. You see you shouldn't really care on which version of your console people play your games. You will still get that 10$ for EVERY game you sell. So the more people that buy a X1 the more people will buy 360 games whilst they wait for the good games.

Sony has a huge problem because they were idiots and made the Cell chip, you however always worked on regular hardware, you can easily make the backwards compatibility a thing. Fuck you could give a bunch of hackers free access to your tool kits and have them MAKE an emulator for you. It'd probably take them a month with access to the code itself. This emulator could be made for next to nothing, even if it failed you could just rewrite the games and allow people to download X1 versions through LIVE using the codes from 360 cases. Though I doubt that because it would run on supposedly superior hardware meaning it would not tax the system and it could potentially boost your sales because people are less cautious about adopting the new X1... but you'd be backwards for including it...

Sometimes I wonder how these people ever got into positions of control in industries they barely understand. It's like putting a vegan in charge of a meat packaging plant.

 

[unstabLized]

And here comes the shitstorm. Man, Microsoft is just on a rapid streak eh? Come on, keep em coming, these assholes deserve every single bit of shit that is getting thrown at them.

 

[cricket chirps]

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.

Do you mean you can't wait for sales numbers to start showing down?

 

[QUINTIX]

I'm not a hardware expert; I am but a fan/enthusiast who likes to jump around tech articles, nevertheless I can say with full confidence:

It's not possible to emulate a 3.2ghz IBM Power thread on a 1.6ghz core* running Intel's x86 arch (licensed by AMD). Period. Full stop. It is completely, absolutely impossible.

[The following graf may only be legible to fellow PC enthusiasts, sorry]
Jaguar is not exactly a Bulldozer/Ivy Bridge class instruction juggling juggernaut; it's far more comparable to current gen ARM or Atom (which is why there are 8 of them in both the PS4 and one). Even if it where powered by the latest and greatest and (literally) hottest either AMD or Intel has to offer, and said CPU was overclocked to 5GHZ and beyond, that still would not be enough to effectively run even "dynamically recompiled" power code at reasonable speeds. Ask anyone who ran legacy software and games on the first Intel powered Macintosh computers.

(*though the core is definitely better than the particular in-order Power Core used in the PS3 and the 360)

Likewise the next xbox is not "emulating" the first xbox (as the PS3 emulated the first Playstation); both the first and the next xbox use Intel's instruction set, and both are running under the Windows kernel (version 5 and 6 respectively) using the Direct3D graphics library (version 8 and 11 respectively). There should be not much more issue running a game published on the first xbox on the one than there is running a game designed for Windows XP 32bit on Windows 8 (kernel 6.2) 64bit. Depending on how "close to metal" a game designed for the first xbox is, getting a game that cannot run as is to work on the One should not require a massive overhaul.

Of course, none of this made Don Mattrick's cute little neologism any less asinine.

Edit: Seriously doubt Mattrick put much more thought into his phrase beyond how clever and cutting it must be, how disarming his terse "one in twenty (as a percentage)" non-statistic must be for those who would passionately disagree. It seems, based on his statements, that MS did not look much deeper into their data: e.g how much overlap there is between xbox and 360 owners or the number of games that are still not playable despite Eric Traut [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Traut] et al's best efforts. They just took the 5% figure and ran with it as a full justification.

 

[GAunderrated]

While I kind of disagree in the way the exec said it, I certainly fall into the large majority mentioned. Once I get a shiny, new toy, my old toys seem less shiny. I had a backwards compatible PS3. You know how many PS2 games I played on it? Zero.

Is backwards compatibility a neat feature? Sure, but it's far from a deal-breaker for me if the system is without it.

I have a backwards compatible Ps3 and I play more Ps2 games and Ps1 games than Ps3 games. I'm probably that 5% but still no backwards compatibility is a dealbreaker for me no matter what games or features they have. I hate clutter and having 6 systems in my room so if they are telling me to add more clutter they can kindly stick that Xbone and Ps4 where the sun doesn't shine.