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360's Backwards Compatibility Weak?
GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that the backwards compatibility that Microsoft offered up at the Monday press conference may not be anything approaching what we're used to. Due to the massive design changes in the shift from the Xbox to the 360, Xbox titles may have to be recompiled in order to work on the next-gen console. From the article: "The news has raised more questions than it answers, however, as it suggests that gamers may need to purchase titles they already own in order to play them on an Xbox 360 - and almost certainly means that only a sub-set of Xbox games will ever be playable on the new console." Update: 05/20 15:08 GMT by Z : The article has been updated with a quote from MS specifically saying that gamers will *not* need to repurchase Xbox titles to play them on the 360.
Yeah if this backwards compatible, then wouldn't the Game Cube be backwards compatible.
If the average game executable and some key files that need recompiling are 100MB, and I bet most are more like 20MB, MS could release a DVD with 100 recompiled games on it. Just put in the disc, select all the games you and your friends play, wait a minute for the files to copy to the HD, then put in the games actual DVD and play. Since the files are copied to the HD, you only have to do this once.
Better yet, make the files downloadable for those with broadband. Problem solved, and only about 2GB of hard drive space used for twenty games.
This is just a theory, but it seems reasonable that they could simply recompile and tune the binaries, and then place them on X-Box Live.
Any X-Box 360 hooked up to the network could download the new binaries (not too large) and then run them.
Wa-la, backwards compatibility and a pushing factor for online access.
What I think will happen, if recompiling is needed, is that the executable (xbe) will be offered as a free/low cost download on xbox live and will require the game DVD to be inserted to play to grab all the media etc. Essentially a patch to make it work on the 360. Keep in mind that xbox live will be a free service for 360, as only the premium features cost money. Microsoft would be making a big mistake if it offered backwards compatibility for only paying subscribers.
I'm starting to get the feeling that they actually are trying to get themselves laughed out of the console market... Is there anyone left that is really going to go out and buy an xbox 360?
I am. There's lots of titles that I'm looking forward to. Some originals, some sequals.
The key for me is Xbox Live. I own the GC, PS2, and Xbox - I enjoy each of them based on their respective strengths. The integrated and well-designed online experience of Live is well worth purchasing the console, for me.
You can downplay Live all you want, but to me that's key to Microsoft's strategy. For a measly $80 a year, you can an integrated online service that is monitored. They tweak the performance, they listen to feedback and suspend/ban accounts, and they offer some great downloadable content. The Xbox 360 may not be as powerful as the PS3, but there's a lot more to a good console than just power.
Put this on the list with those faked screenshots from Xbox launch, the DVD capability that became a separate purchase, and the invention of timed exclusives. (Splinter Cell! ONLY ON XBOX! For three months!)
From what I understand, emulating the CPU is not a problem. However, realtime emulation of the GPU is much harder. An optimized vector processor does not automatically have an easy time emulating a weaker but differently optimized vector processor. This is why Sony just included the PS1 GPU inside the PS2. Microsoft can't do that because Nvidia hates them and they would charge them a fortune for it. Check out this article for more details about this.
The XBox runs a modified w2k kernel and DirectX. One of the big selling points to developers was that you could port your Windows games to it with little effort. Now unless the program goes right to the hardware This should make running under Virtual PC pretty simple. You have a very well defined hardware target and a limited software library to support. A group of Microsoft developers could tweaking VirtualPC to handle all the current games. The reason for the comment about limited support for old XBox games could be.
.net odds are pretty good that VirtualPC already uses a jit compiler. I have a sneaking feeling that you will see a move to .net for XB360 development. It has so much freaking hardware that it might be fast enough to use .net for games. It would free Microsoft from being tied to the X86 which right now really is being kept alive by AMD with a large chunk of IBM tech like SOI.
1. They still do not have the hardware done so they do not know if it will be fast enough.
2. Some big seller like Halo2 breaks rules and goes right to the hardware.
3. They do not want it. They will make more money if you buy all new games.
4. It really will not matter. People with old Xbox games already own the XBox.
As to using
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Well, remember how overstated the Xbox and PS2 were in regards to processing power when compared to the GameCube? When it came to reality, the GC was right alongside the other two consoles, even though they weren't claiming the same numbers.
Right now, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are being touted with these insane numbers that have no basis to actual GAMES - who cares how many FLOPS the PS3 can do, a very small part of the processing a game has to do is floating point.
Let's wait and see - in regards to the reality of what's created, the Revolution may not be far off the others.
"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
I think the more likely scenario is that you download "compatibility enhancements" off of Xbox Live. It is far easier to download and probably a lot cheaper than it is to do any physical exchanges. You also have to think that this Christmas the number of original Xbox games sold would plunge if you hear that you must exchange your game to make it play on Xbox 360.
I certainly wouldn't buy any game that I knew I was going to have to exchange. I would buy it if all it required was a download upgrade.
This Christmas will certainly be an interesting learning lesson for MSFT and others in the industry. People will find out if backwards compatibility is such a big deal, if publishers are willing to keep on an old platform when the new platform isn't backwards compatible 100% (PS1 games still were made after PS2 hit), if releasing your console first is such a good idea (Dreamcast vs. PS2), etc. If the Xbox 360 wins over the next few years, it will turn heads.