New Xbox Titles Through 2007

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Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 9, 2005 @05:25AM from the quite-a-commitment dept.

Despite the fact that the next generation of the Xbox console is expected out before the end of the year, via Evil Avatar a story stating that Microsoft is committed to the original Xbox through 2007. From the article: "A Microsoft spokeswoman told Reuters that 2007 is not a hard stop, but rather a guideline for the last releases of new games developed for the Xbox. Microsoft has not said whether its next console will be compatible with the current Xbox."

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I think this is a sign of... by keeleysam · 2005-04-09 05:46 · Score: 5, Interesting

No backward comptibilty in the Xbox (2/Next), as this seems kind of early to state this, makes me think that high profile titles for Xbox may even come out after Xbox NExt comes out.

Maybe they will even cross release games?

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1. Re:I think this is a sign of... by Headcase88 · 2005-04-09 06:01 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I dunno, to me it's the sign of the opposite; backward compatibility so non-Xbox owners are attracted to both the Xbox and Xbox2 games.
  
  But this is just a good step overall for them to make. Not everyone want to buy next-gen consoles as soon as they come out. They should sell a lot of games this way.
  
  But most AAA titles will probably be directed to selling XBox2s.
  
  --
  "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
2. Re:I think this is a sign of... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-04-09 07:14 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I think the opposite, just look at the PSOne release schedule for 2000-2004. The PS2 is backwards compatible, and games continue to come out for both systems. Cross-releases continued to happen between Playstation consoles as recent as 6 months ago, although more of the PSOne releases are from EA Sports than anyone else in the last year or two.
  
  http://www.us.playstation.com/games.aspx?id=SLUS -0 1585
  http://www.us.playstation.com/games.aspx?id= SLUS-2 1051
Re:Upgrade Cycle by Jicksta · 2005-04-09 06:16 · Score: 5, Insightful
In two years, with Xbox support starting falling off, the Xbox homebrew scene will have had two years (from now) to have developed and refined their software.

Since I'm pressed for time, I'll keep the list of interesting advancements brief:
- XBox Media Center, already one of the most popular SF.net projects, will be by far the sweetest media suite for any platform.
- Someone may port the Blackdown Java VM to the Xbox, allowing for any presently developed Java program to be ran on the exotic Xbox.
- The OpenXDK may be just as functional as its official counterpart, allowing for LEGAL xbox homebrew development.
- Add about a few dozen more fun homebrew games to the current selection.
Granted, these are all ifs and maybes, but Xbox hacking will be here to stay, with or without Microsoft's support.
Backwards-compatibility: more likely than not by gxw · 2005-04-09 06:37 · Score: 5, Interesting

Consider: Nintendo announced at the Game Developer's Conference in SF last month that the Nintendo Revolution (codename) will be backwards compatible with the GameCube...

Consider: It has been previously confirmed that the PS3 will be backwards compatible: http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/02/ 1517232...

Consider: development of XBOX software through at least 2007 provides opportunity for gateway games (like the new Zelda game that is coming out for the GameCube shortly before Revolution comes out; those that see the new Zelda on friend's GameCube may run out and purchase a Revolution to play it)...

Consider: all of the hard drives in the original XBOXes will eventually fail, in a few short years -- guaranteed (moving parts and all). Which is easier to imagine: backwards compatibility, or repairing millions of old XBOXes?

Imagine: the marketing nightmare that lack of XBOX backwards compatibility would generate, in face of the competition...

The lack of a hard-drive is not a significant problem for backwards compatibility, but the lack of the white/black buttons on the new controller may be. While few games use them well, some games depend on them, including Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic. Perhaps backwards compatibility will require software updates/patches for the games?
1. Re:Backwards-compatibility: more likely than not by gxw · 2005-04-09 09:37 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Obviously the x86 can be emulated in software, just as VirtualPC does for Mac OS X and the PS2 does to support PSone games...
  
  Remember also, the XBOX uses a version of DirectX, which is a layer above hardware specifics inside the ATI or Nvidia chipsets.
  
  Creating an environment that will allow XBOX games to play on the Xenon will be a challege for Microsoft, but certainly not as hard as getting DirectX to work on all of the different video cards and proessors it has to run on for PCs...
2. Re:Backwards-compatibility: more likely than not by Golias · 2005-04-10 09:29 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Rubbish.
  
  Everybody talks about backwards compatibility like it will save (or kill) the second X-Box.
  
  If playing our old games on the new system was a priority, nobody would ever change platforms.
  
  Repeat: If playing our old games on the new system was a priority, nobody would ever change platforms.
  
  How many Sega owners looked at the PS2 and said, "hmmm... Grand Theft Auto 3 looks very cool, but the PS2 can't play my old Soul Calibur disk, so forget it"?
  
  Microsoft's success or failure with the new X-Box comes down to one thing and one thing only:
  
  If the flagship games they line up for it are good enough to be worth buying the console, people will buy the console. If not, they won't.
  
  The ability to play an old X-Box copy of Splinter Cell on it will make zero difference to anybody, apart from a few screaming know-it-alls on Internet chat forums.
  
  --
  Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Re:Upgrade Cycle by NanoGator · 2005-04-09 09:01 · Score: 4, Insightful

"It would seem that Microsoft thinks they can get people on the ole upgrade cycle just like they do for their other products.

Whats next?

XBOX 2006, XBOX.net 2007, XBOX.sp2 2008?"

WTH are you talking about? There's at least 4 years between the XBOX and XBOX 2. In the mean time, they're saying "We'll continue to support the original XBOX for 6 years". This isn't good news for current XBOX users?

Maybe I'm just really tired here, but the only reason I can figure that this was modded up is that there's some expectation that the XBOX will follow the Windows business model. Never mind that it hasn't done that in all the years it has been around. Never mind that it's a game console firmly established in a market with a 5 year life cycle. Never mind that game consoles are not OS's and that Microsoft would actually be smart enough to not try to market them the same. No no no, let's assume MS is greedy and incompetent. Afterall, that's how they became a 20+ billion dollar company.

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"Derp de derp."
This is not a new tactic. by Dash'n'SlashDot · 2005-04-09 15:09 · Score: 5, Interesting

On December 10, 1994, most kids were playing second and third generation SNES games, but also on this day, the final NES game was released: Wario's Woods and Nintendo finally retired the system, several years AFTER the SNES took center stage. More recently, third-party developers developed games for the PS1, albeit for a younger audience. Microsoft is just getting this information out in the open before release trying to keep the sales of the Xbox going even though a newer system is nigh.
No big deal... by Taulin · 2005-04-09 17:50 · Score: 3, Interesting

PS1 titles were still coming out several years or more after PS2 came out. Why all the fuss? I bet MS even gives a royaly break for those developing Xbox1 titles after XBox2's release.