Xbox One Not Backwards Compatible
- Thread starter The Wooster
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May I ask you how often you spend time playing old games? I've always kept my old systems and my old games in pretty good condition but I'll say I haven't pulled out an old console for some time now and am wondering if I've just been slowly building a video game shrine/museum for decades now. Maybe it's just me but I methodically play games the first time through and generally to as near 100% completion as I want to get.xPixelatedx said:
Don't get me wrong, I almost cried the day FF Tactics (The Lion Wars, not that advanced crap) came out on the PSP. But I never considered cracking my old PS1 out an playing the original game even though I still have both. I'm always too preoccupied with newer games and the recent backlog of games I'm still catching up on. There's too much in the now and near future to spend too much time looking back.
Backwards compatibility is a nice feature. But it's never been that useful for me. If you and people like you genuinely have a different method of replaying games than I do, then ok. But I don't see many people who can afford the new systems and yet still spend their time playing old games with any regularity.
At this point all I can really say is big deal. When it comes to backwards compatibility, people complain but it was never a universal feature in gaming. Its a "here and there" feature. Sometimes its there, sometimes its not, but its never really been a major factor when it comes to buying a console to me. Its always been one of those nitpicky gaming things. Just keep the old console and bust it out when you really want to enjoy some older games. It's not that complex or time consuming to switch some cables around.
can't say this bothers me that much in comparison to the other two related 'features', but its still stupid of them to not do.
oh well, the wise will hold their systems.
oh well, the wise will hold their systems.
The point still stands that outside of Nintendo's handhelds and the Gamecube/Wii/WiiU BC, the vast majority of gaming history has shown very little backwards compatibility. And that's perfectly fine. It's not like the Console Generation Ninjas come to your house and rob you of your consoles when the generations switch.Madmanonfire said:
Do we even know the shelf-life of this new Xbone? I hope it takes at least more than two years before the Xbone RROD's and you have to buy more Xbones.
2. PC Gamers have had to deal with this for years. The concept of "used" games got replaced by Steam Sales and GoG sales. The developer gets the profit and consumers get a huge discount. Consoles have to make the transition sometime, but with this new iterative Xbone changing for used games, requiring installation, and trying to be a multimedia device, what differentiates it from a simple gaming PC? Pay a little extra and you can get an amazing gaming laptop and don't have to splurge on a TV.
3. Microsoft wants you to buy its system on launch. You may be one of the smart consumers, but at-launch buyers are key for Microsoft.
1. Backwards compatibility is important for people what are willing to buy into the XBox line for the first time. When I bought a PS3, the system I had prior to that was a Sega Genesis. It was a delight to be able to play PS2 games until the good stuff came out on PS3.amaranth_dru said:
2. PC Gamers have had to deal with this for years. The concept of "used" games got replaced by Steam Sales and GoG sales. The developer gets the profit and consumers get a huge discount. Consoles have to make the transition sometime, but with this new iterative Xbone changing for used games, requiring installation, and trying to be a multimedia device, what differentiates it from a simple gaming PC? Pay a little extra and you can get an amazing gaming laptop and don't have to splurge on a TV.
3. Microsoft wants you to buy its system on launch. You may be one of the smart consumers, but at-launch buyers are key for Microsoft.
In this generation, to me, it is a little different, because both consoles developed an ecosystem.SonOfVoorhees said:
We spent the last 7 years buying digital games, adding friends, collecting trophies/achievements.
And now both companies are just asking us to throw all that investment (of time and money) away, to start all over again.
Lastly, I also think that this generation left a bigger backlog than previous ones, considering how lenghty games have gotten (comparatively) and the tons of digital games being released on the market...
I have survived several times without backwards compatibility, but I think this particular time it's more annoying than has previously been.
Backwards compatibility matters if you're trying to attract people to your line of consoles for the first time. It matters to attract the PS3 owners willing to make the switch.
Additionally, considering the Xbox360's life expectancy, it matters to Xbox owners as well when (not if) their old console dies.
Half-assed backwards compatibility is still backwards compatibility, and it's attractive for console-loyalists, people willing to make the switch, and people whose consoles will eventually fail.
Additionally, considering the Xbox360's life expectancy, it matters to Xbox owners as well when (not if) their old console dies.
Half-assed backwards compatibility is still backwards compatibility, and it's attractive for console-loyalists, people willing to make the switch, and people whose consoles will eventually fail.
Is it just me or does Microsoft essentially sound rude or combative in all this? I don't remember anything close to this attitude for the 360 information release.
It isn't important to them, per se. It's just a nice feature that really adds to the selling point. The ps4 had to correct the ridiculous mistake they made with the proprietary processor of the ps3 that actively made things difficult to program for so this was necessary for them. I'm not sure why the 360 had to do this. How could it be that different unless they went from a fairly standard setup to a proprietary one themselves (making the same mistake their competitors did)? Hopefully emulation will clear that up but I'm not sure there something else at play here. We'll have to wait on that though. It's nice to have a back catalogue but a new entrant into the console brand isn't going to have an established catalogue in their closet like we would. If someone really wants that, I recommend waiting for the $150 addon that allows for backward compatibility. The PS4 is releasing one of those too. For the Xbox 1 the addon is called a pre-owned 360 and for the ps4 it's called a pre-owned ps3. In another year they may be even cheaper than $150 like the PS2 was last time around.Absolutionis said:
I have to admit, this was no small motivation in building my pc. Very cheap games and a very high quality service that steam was offering.
Hmm, I don't think I've ever gotten a system at launch. Maybe half a year afterwards. I thought Sega already taught us that lesson?
I am happy to say I have finished the process of getting rid of all of my 360 and non exclusive ps3 games and replacing everything on pc at this point. Seriously, after the 360's failure rate I won't be looking back except to maybe spit. I'll maybe buy a ps4 2-3 years down the line for its exclusives but thats it.
Considering the fact that I can get practically any system all the way back to the Atari within 30 minutes of where I am right now, I don't think it will be a problem. They're not even getting more expensive, they're all less than $100 at this point and so will the ps3/360 be soon. They're a little more complex than previous consoles so they may have some difficulty where private refurbishing is concerned but I know local shops that do a good job at it.Absolutionis said:
So many people here that don't understand that you can't just run PowerPC code on x86-64 hardware. There's no way in hell they can "just emulate" the 360 on current hardware. Or they would have to heighten the price and include a separate PowerPC chip.
It's like getting outraged at why your car won't run on coal, I mean your old steam engine ran on coal. Why didn't they just make the car run on coal?
Or why doesn't your DVD player play VHS cassettes? (Yes they make a few dual purpose machines, but they are still very different).
Moving away from PowerPC ( and Cell) is great news though for this generation, as developing multipolar form games for one kind of processor architecture is less of a chore than what it used to with the 3-4 of current generation. It could in return mean "better"PC ports that are made with 64bit, mulicore, and 8GB ram+ in mind
It's like getting outraged at why your car won't run on coal, I mean your old steam engine ran on coal. Why didn't they just make the car run on coal?
Or why doesn't your DVD player play VHS cassettes? (Yes they make a few dual purpose machines, but they are still very different).
Moving away from PowerPC ( and Cell) is great news though for this generation, as developing multipolar form games for one kind of processor architecture is less of a chore than what it used to with the 3-4 of current generation. It could in return mean "better"PC ports that are made with 64bit, mulicore, and 8GB ram+ in mind
Because 360s are notoriously faulty pieces of hardware. I've gone through three already, and my third one is already showing signs of failure and breakdown. It's not a matter of keeping it... it's a matter of knowing that, eventually, the system is going to DIE again and I'd rather invest in an upgrade rather than pouring money into an old system just so I can keep my library of games.Two Angels said:
My NES still works just fine 26 years later. I'm fairly sure my Xbox will be dead by the time the new systems hit.
While I'm not raving at the lack of backwards compatibility, I always have concerns about my consoles' lifespan. Backwards compatibility is a safety net for me just in case my old consoles break. The old consoles won't last a lifetime and I go back to play my old favorites every once in a while, but if the console breaks and the new ones aren't backwards compatible, I'll have lost my ability to play those old games. The ability to replace the console diminishes every year after manufacturing has ended. The only hope I would have to play them is if they release the games again as a digital dl so I'm paying for my games all over again.Rednog said:
There will probably be emulation on PC but I have a feeling there will be a strong push against that if a digital version is being sold again.
Backwards compatibility was pretty much the only feature that I was hoping for. I,Vogt to waive few years before I get a second 8th gen console and I am going to see which one turns out better before making a choice.
I'm pretty sure the original Xbox and Xbox 360 had this very same difference, yet that didn't stop them from letting me play Halo 2 on my Xbox 360 through emulation software integrated into the machine.NLS said:
Backwards compatibility is ALWAYS a good thing, ESPECIALLY when games/music/movies have allowed technology to adopt more universal standards and open-source software to run them. Blu-Ray would have died in the water if the player didn't allow DVD playback, and I know quite certainly that the PS3 was carried through it's troubled starting years by allowing its extensive library of PS1 and PS2 games to run on the system until it had built up a strong enough library of its own.
Let's be honest here; they absolutely CAN get backwards compatibility to work, but they simply think it's not worth spend the time or money on... and this is typical of the same company that asks you to pay them a monthly fee to play online games (something NO other console maker does) and then turns around and floods your dashboard with invasive ads, eats up all your harddrive space with mandatory features you may not want like Kinect support and Avatar junk, and decides to hide the indie games as far away as they can in a tiny little corner that you have trouble finding even if you know where to look for them.
Because, ultimately, you don't matter. You don't. They're getting so much money from EPSN partnerships and ad venue and Xbox Live subscriptions that I'm not even sure they care that it's not much of a game machine anymore. We'll see if people flock to them again like they did when Halo 3 was selling systems, but as an Xbox 360 owner who has slowly watched the system slip into gimmicks and anti-consumer behavior, I've quickly lost faith.
The lack of backwards compatibility and the loss of 7 years of digital purchases is one thing, but the used game sales penalty fees are a whole different beast. We'll see how kindly consumers, and even retailers like Gamestop, deal with this.
I've got three 360s, had one since they came out, and never had a problem with a single one. I actually don't know anyone who has. Always find it odd that people have so many issues with them.Trishbot said:
On that note that's an understandably annoying position to be facing. Who knows, they might have a work around.
Aye, but a heaping pile of greed and some lazy variation of the HD Collection cash-grab/ double-dip can be all the incentive they need to hold back such things.Grey Carter said:
F that! I'm just going to buy a new Standard 360 and a 32 gig flash drive when my first gen dies. XBone won't even have a good selection of games by the time it comes out. So what's the point in getting it.Proverbial Jon said: