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Microsoft Dismisses Xbox Backwards Compatibility
kukyfrope writes "In a recent interview on U.K. site Kikizo Peter Moore, Microsoft's head of the Interactive Entertainment business, claims that Microsoft has 'under promised and over delivered' Xbox game compatibility on the Xbox 360. He states that gamers are now looking more towards next-gen titles, forgetting about the majority of Xbox titles." From the article: "Moore's comments shouldn't be misunderstood. MS will be adding to its backwards compatibility list, but it hardly seems like a priority now that the 360 is hitting its stride and the original Xbox is getting less and less support."
backwards compatibility would become an immediate issue if the 360 games stopped selling or really slumped in sales. Otherwise, why should they worry about it if they're making money? After all, earning a profit to M$ is customer satisfaction, because if customers weren't satisfied, they wouldn't be buying more games still, right? /end of work day cynicism dump complete
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Why pay $60 USD for one XBox 360 game when you can get two or three XBox games for the same amount? If I was looking for a new console, I might get an XBox if backward compability is not there on XBox 360. (Not that I would pay $600+ for a console.) It'll be a while before there are some must die for XBox 360 games.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I applaud microsoft for having backwards-compatibility on the X360. Sure, it's not perfect compatibility, but it does allow me to play some of my old XBox games on my X360, making for a nice transition as I acquire more X360 titles.
Certainly, it could be more compatible, but you do have to give them credit for what they have done. Sony was able to do this better as they did not change the underlying architecture (PS1 - MIPS R3000, PS2 - MIPS R5900), whereas Microsoft has (XBox - x86 P3, X360 - PPC Cell).
I can say from experience that writing programs for PPC is a whole new ball game when you're used to x86, and I can only imagine emulating x86 code on PPC being somewhere along the lines of a total nightmare.
Certainly, I do have some disappointment that it isn't 100% backwards compatible, but at least they didn't pull a Nintendo by offering absolutely no backwards compatibility.
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
He states that gamers are now looking more towards next-gen titles, forgetting about the majority of Xbox titles.
Try telling that to my friends who own Xbox360s and complain that they have to keep their Xbox around to play a couple games they really like. Maybe they aren't the majority, but I know a few. I don't mean to come off sounding fanboy-ish, but that's one thing I think Sony did well. I only need to have my PS2 hooked up to play all of my PS1 and PS2 games.
Slackware
That's some nerve to quote this from the article:
...
Moore's comments shouldn't be misunderstood. MS will be adding to its backwards compatibility list
and still call the article
Microsoft Dismisses Xbox Compatibility
My major complaint would be that they seemed to focus on the low hanging fruit, the games that were easiest to do, rather than on the best-selling games as was promised. I just checked the list and see that Soul Caliber II still isn't on it. I'm pretty sure that it sold very well. On the plus side, I see that they've added DOA 3 and Ninja Gaiden since the last time I checked, so they are indeed still working on it.
Look, sorry, I love my 360, think MS are probably actually now heading to win this round of the console wars and all that stuff...
But...
This article is bullshit.
Seriously, the backwards compatibility on the 360 was disappointing at launch, but we were promised it would improve. Since then, it has barely improved and many of the old A-list X-Box titles are still missing from the compatibility list. Hell, there are still major releases coming out for the X-Box which aren't compatible with the 360. Given we're now 6 months after launch, this is taking on the tone of a bad joke. The very few updates to the compatibility list that have appeared have been extremely short and have mostly been for C-list titles.
Burnout 3 (which I much prefer to Revenge), MechAssault 2, Chronicles of Riddick, Panzer Dragoon Orta and Star Wars Republic Commando aren't "forgotten" titles. They're titles which, as recently as 12 months ago in some cases, were being promoted as major, front-line titles. They're games I still get the urge to play on a regular basis. Hell, they're good. Many of these are among the later wave of X-Box titles which did so much to reclaim its credibility as a platform for games other than Halo. To still have these unplayable on the 360 is a farce.
No, but hard drives in Xboxes are magically starting to fail.
The console's been out for almost five years, so we're nearing the MTBF on the hard drives, and the hard drive locking makes them nontrivial to replace.
I've got a fifteen-year-old SNES that still works (aside from my having to replace a broken power jack). How many XBoxes are going to have a fifteen-year lifespan?
I think milestones were set by Sony when they built what was essentially a stripped-down PS1 into the PS2, and Nintendo with its endless chain of GB upgrades. Being able to use those towering stacks of old games on the new machine - with optional upgrades, even! - is a damn neat feature that is going to sway some of the consumers nowadays.
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
The console's been out for almost five years, so we're nearing the MTBF on the hard drives, and the hard drive locking makes them nontrivial to replace.
I have a friend who replaces Xbox hard drives and other parts for parts+$20/hour. It can't be that hard to do. Besides, they still sell Xboxes, if you are that hard up for one. True, they won't in 10-15 years, but by then, I really doubt people will care that much. Also by then, most of the games will be available as downloads for whatever consoles are the succesors of this current gen.
XBox: Hacked.
X360: Far from it.
That's pretty much what it gets down to. A game company, facing the choice between releasing a game for a hacked (and "old") console or one for a new, unhacked, will release for the latter. For a few good reasons:
Yes, there are fewer X360s than XBoxes around. But many people who have a 360 also have an XBox. I.e. they'll get it, whether it's for the X or the 360. If it's for the old X, they might get a copy instead of buying it. Can't do that for the 360.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
And this attitude is what is irritating me. There are some must play titles that are still not on the list. Some games are just cool to play and how corny is it to have to keep the old xbox hooked up to the set along with the new one. Sony spoiled me. At least I know I am spoiled though.
My humor is probably your flamebait
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/01/09
Taken from the backward compatibility FAQ on the 360 web site:
Q: Are you intentionally trying to keep a game off the list because you want us to buy the Xbox 360 version?
A: Not at all. Our goal remains to get every game to be backward compatible. The only things influencing what games we're working on are how popular the title is, and how easy it is to make backward compatible. Several original Xbox games on the list already have Xbox 360 counterparts.
Emphasis mine.
Seems that eventually they want all games to be compatible. True, Microsoft hasn't claimed that every game is compatible right now. From what they've said, they certainly leave you with the impression that games on the compatibility will run fine and anyone with a 360 knows that is simply not the case. Compatibility is improving every month, but regardless of what Microsoft claims there will be many games that never make the list. It's just not worth the effort.
The Xbox 360's selective backwards-compatibility is one of several reasons I chose not to invest in one. Sure, I can play Halo on my 360, but what if I want to play more obscure games like Otogi and JSRF? I have to haul out the Xbox.
Seriously, everyone has a handful of older and less-well-known games in their collection that they like to come back to now and then, but having to haul an entire console out of storage and hooking it up to the TV is a hassle. Sony is aware of this and made the PS2/PS3 backwards-compatible with all games, and have done the best job of it out of all of the major consoles. Nintendo is sensitive to retro-gamers to a lesser extent (it's not just a coincidense that the SNES, N64, and GameCube all have the exact same RCA cable/plug,) and now the Wii will be able to play GameCube games and will introduce the virtual console. Microsoft missed the boat on this one--backwards-compatibility is an extremely convenient feature, and the way it's been halfassed on the 360 is next to worthless compared to what the competition is offering.
I'm going to be entering college in the fall and living in a dorm room with 1-2 other guys. Obviously, space is commodity, and backwards-compatibility saves space. Is backwards-compatibility a make-or-break feature? No, but it's still part of the whole, and in my view, it demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to Xbox owners is limited to those who only bought topselling games.
Sorry Microsoft, your unenthusiastic attitude towards backwards compatibility is another decision that's tipping the scales against the 360.