No Backward Compatibility? So What?

[Ace Morologist]

Okay, I see people getting pissed about the Xbox One (and the PS4) not being backward compatible. You can't even use the same controllers on the new consoles.

Why are we complaining about this? Consoles have never been backward compatible, have they? Not truly. I mean, I grew up playing on Nintendo consoles, and those were always radically different each generation. Hell, the cartridges were different shapes from one to the next. The discs were different sizes once they started using discs.

Do people really feel entitled to backward compatibility in the games they buy? Why?

--Morology!

 

[ItouKaiji]

Doesn't it seem kind of odd that they want these new consoles to be all in one entertainment centers and yet if we want to play last gen games we have to whip out the old console? It seems to be a rather large gap in their thinking. They load them down with features that either we can do easier with things we already have, but then don't include a rather simple feature that would keep their console our main source of entertainment.

Yes, the older consoles didn't have backwards compatibility until like the PS2, but that's because they weren't able to do it back then, now that they're able it should be a no brainer. Of course then they couldn't re-release old games in HD collection or whatever so we have to buy them again or keep our old consoles.

And the other thing to keep in mind is you're now dealing with a generation that have grown up with console gaming, and people are always going to want to go back and play the old titles they are nostalgic for.

I don't think we're entitled to backwards compatibility, but when it's something that can be done with current technology, and something that would help to make the new consoles more of the entertainment hub that they want them to be, then why not do it? Instead we get loaded down with features that a lot of people just don't care about. It could just be me but I'd rather use my gaming console for games new and old rather than being able to scream at the TV like a jackass to change channels or make interrupting Skype calls.

 

[Racecarlock]

Well see, I'd rather have one console that plays all my games than 3 that take up way too much space. It's just more convenient. Also, what the hell am I supposed to do when all of the old consoles finally break? What then? Hope that ouya 2 comes out and can emulate all the games I have on my 64, ps2, 360, gamecube, and wii?

 

[ItouKaiji]

I have countless methods of playing games I have nostalgia for, I dont need my next console to also play them. Particularly if it would hinder the development of next gen titles.

Yeah, but they want this console to be an all in one entertainment center so if you're going off to play with something else then haven't they already failed in their mission out of the gate? Besides who says it would hinder development of new titles?

 

[SquidVicious]

I think part of the annoyance expressed by the gaming community for this lacking feature is that it really doesn't give me a lot of reason to go out and buy a console on launch. I mean I could but there's only a small handful of games out for it, and after dropping however much it will cost plus the cost of a game, I kind of want to get some use out of it. So lets just say it retails for $500 USD and $60 USD for a game, I buy it at launch and I'm out at least $600 with tax, but I can only use it for one game right now. Any other game I want to play I have to turn off and disconnect my new expensive toy to plug in my old expensive toy, and it just kind of makes me wonder why I even bothered to buy it straight away beyond giving me the ability to say "I bought it first". With backwards compatibility I can get some use out of it while I wait for new things to come out, while also getting use to how the thing works, so when more things come out for it I can optimize my use of the product.

Utility is key for technology, and right now I think a lot of people are really wondering what the use of the Xbox One is going to be for that first year or two.

 

[Miyenne]

I use my ps2 for ps1 and ps2 games that I enjoy replaying. I have no idea what happened to my ps1.

I was hoping ps4 would be backwards compatible so I could get some of the ps3 titles I was wanting to try out. I never bought a ps3, I got an xbox instead. I couldn't justify buying two same generation consoles when I already had a pc too. Not for so few games, as much as I did want to play them.

Some of us like replaying old games. Every few years I'll stick one of the old FFs in, or the ps version of Chrono Trigger as I lost the snes cartridge, or Star Ocean, or FF Tactics, Xenogears, and so on.

I use my wii to play old gamecube games, and I use the gamecube attachment to play gameboy games. And so on.

Backwards compatible is a big deal for a lot of us.

I would have bought a ps4 if it were backwards compatible, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has that line of thinking. But since it doesn't, I don't see the point is spending that much money on something that won't give me as much use as I expect to get out of something I pay that much for.

But that's just me.

 

[Erttheking]

Because it's nice to have things be convenient and in one box. Microsoft says so themselves with all of their yammering about TV, but for some reason they thought it was important to have the Xbone play TV but not 360 games. If I want to get the Xbone I'll probably have to my 360 out of my living room because I'm running out of space. Not to mention this thing has lasted me since I bought it but it's going to break down sooner or later. What do I do then? Go out and buy ANOTHER 360 in addition to the Xbone? No thanks.

This wasn't a deal breaker for me, I'm willing to stomach it for the PS4 if the rest of it turns out to be worth it, but it REALLY isn't helping Microsoft at all.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The Xbone plays TV but no 360 games. Microsoft should get its priorities straight.

 

[xPixelatedx]

Do people really feel entitled to backward compatibility in the games they buy? Why?

We complain because its our god given right as gamers to complain ceaselessly! Nevermind that the thing we complain about is pretty much a non-factor in the purchase of a new console and never has been....

Awesome, another one of these threads. Ultimately this comes down to "it doesn't effect me, so why should you care?"

You know what doesn't effect me? Used games and always online consoles. I could easily say anyone complaining about those is 'entitled'. I'm not saying that though, I am just making a point.

You are right, this wasn't so much a big deal when the 360 was new. The Original Xbox has a pretty crappy library, there is a reason why it was called "The Halo Box". If you didn't like that one game, Halo, chances are you wouldn't like the Xbox. So no one really cared about BC when they got their 360s. However... now the 360 is on it's way out, and it has a HUGE library of great games; games a lot of people aren't going to let go. I had 6 Original Xbox games, but I have 34 360 games and 30 more XBLA games. That's a lot of ******* money to just flush. I don't drop a few grand on an entire game collection just to watch it collect dust later. If I had no intent on playing these games down the road I wouldn't have bought so many.

Lets get the common questions out of the way!

Why not just play them on your 360, it won't magically stop working!

Actually.. yes, yes it will. IT'S A 360! While they have improved the heat-sink overtime, it still isn't an impervious tank. Most people still expect the current 360s in everyone's homes right now to be dead before the end of gen 8. Hell, I still have the original fat 360. Mine is basically sleeping in bed with the reaper just because of that. I can't see PS3s lasting through time like SNESs either. As technology advances, things get more and more frail.

So how often do you really play old games? I mean reaaaaaly?

Lol I'm going to save this link.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.408541-Xbox-One-Not-Backwards-Compatible?page=3#17071514

Why do you think it would have been financially advisable for Microsoft to work on getting 360 games working on Xbox One instead of TV and skype?

Why wouldn't it have been? You know why the 3DS had more early adopters then the Vita? Because even though both started with shit games, 3DS owners could play their DS games. PSP owners were screwed, their games worthless. Why would they bother? Buying a 3DS wasn't buying a new console, it was AN UPGRADE. That's encouraging to a lot of people. It tells them they can use this new device to do things while they are waiting for the devices own library to come out. Heck it was only after learning the PS3 could play PS1 games that I finally caved and bought one. I only have 4 actual PS3 games. But Sony wouldn't have made that PS3 sale or those games sales to me if they didn't include BC. Heck, someone who doesn't even own a 360 (who's thought about buying one) might be encouraged to get an Xbox One to play two libraries of games! They would have access to all the new ones and be able to buy all those 360 games they missed. How is that not a double-win for Microsoft?

Why is it a big deal now when it wasn't before?

Because now there are a dozen+ consoles out there and everyone can't stack, nor do they have the insane amount of hookups for such a project. Now technology doesn't = longevity, so newer consoles break down much more then any before them. Now gaming has expanded so more people play games, and more people buy more games then ever before (as mentioned with the 360 library vs. original xbox). As like above stated, it encourages people to take a chance with a newer console more if it's an upgrade instead of an entierly new device, as the Vita is finding out right now.

 

[Frotality]

is it really that hard to understand that people want to play the games they loved sometime further down the line? why do we watch old ass movies, or read old books, or look at da vinci's paintings, or any of the MILLIONS of instances of humans wanting to relive bits of the past? what if 10 years from now your kid wants to get into gaming but the industry has been taken over by hello kitty and there is nothing current that appeals to them?

are you just thinking we should fling ourselves to the complete extreme of nostalgia and not care about anything older consoles didnt have? as time passes these older games become harder to preserve, it wasnt a concern then but now the threat of never again being able to play potential classics is greater, and emulators are only so effective.

there is also the fact that my N64 has a longer lifespan than my xbox for some reason. there isnt really much business reason to do it, the safety of being able to play old games might get a few more sales, but im not a f**king money dispenser and i like to think of what i get out of a console once in awhile.

 

[xPixelatedx]

is it really that hard to understand that people want to play the games they loved sometime further down the line?

Some Playstation fans and many Xbox fans really don't understand, or at least that's the vibe I get from reading some of the comments. But you have to understand, this last gen (gen 7) was basically trained to feel this way. Xbox fans in particular are the fans of "disposable games". The new CoD is out? Better turn in the old one to Gamestop to get credit towards the new one! I have a lot of friends with 360s, and most have cycled the majority of their libraries back to Gamestop with zero fucks given, all to save a few $$. They just really didn't care about anything they played, the entirety of the gaming experience to them is just a flash-in-the-pan distraction. Then there is me on the otherhand, who is still playing Super Metroid at this very moment, which has been paused on&off on my wiiU game pad for 4 days.

I think that's probably the biggest and truest defining factor that separates "casuals" from "the hardcore crowd". Not whether or not their favor game is 'Angry Birds' or 'Halo', but rather how important their favorite games are to them. How much they care whether or not they are playable 5 years from now.

 

[karma9308]

Okay, I see people getting pissed about the Xbox One (and the PS4) not being backward compatible. You can't even use the same controllers on the new consoles.

Why are we complaining about this? Consoles have never been backward compatible, have they? Not truly. I mean, I grew up playing on Nintendo consoles, and those were always radically different each generation. Hell, the cartridges were different shapes from one to the next. The discs were different sizes once they started using discs.

Do people really feel entitled to backward compatibility in the games they buy? Why?

--Morology!

We complain because its our god given right as gamers to complain ceaselessly! Nevermind that the thing we complain about is pretty much a non-factor in the purchase of a new console and never has been....

I can tell you the only reason me and my brother wanted a ps3 was because it had backwards compatability. And you know what? When the ps2 went out, it was ok because we had the ps3 to fall back on. And I have played more ps1 and ps2 games on the ps3 than ps3 games! In fact, we have 2-3x more ps2 games than ps3 games. Not even including the ps1 games we still have! What's going to happen when the ps3 goes out? That's it. All those games are suddenly useless because there's no way to play them anymore.

So what's my point? Sure you may not feel like it may be an issue worth pursuing. And you know what? That's ok! Opinions and shit. But don't assume that because you don't care, that everyone who does care, is whining to whine.

OT: I keep hearing about how Nintendo consoles changed every generation and how that makes no BC ok. Here's the thing: the SNES I have that my uncle bought for me in 1993 STILL FUCKING WORKS. It's hooked up to a tv in my house right now for me to play. My N64 still works too. Can you honestly tell me that my 360, which is four years old as is, is going to make another 2 years much less 16 more years?

 

[Pinstar]

Okay, I see people getting pissed about the Xbox One (and the PS4) not being backward compatible. You can't even use the same controllers on the new consoles.

Why are we complaining about this? Consoles have never been backward compatible, have they? Not truly. I mean, I grew up playing on Nintendo consoles, and those were always radically different each generation. Hell, the cartridges were different shapes from one to the next. The discs were different sizes once they started using discs.

Do people really feel entitled to backward compatibility in the games they buy? Why?

--Morology!

I just set up a retro gaming section in my man-cave. Among them are my Wii and PS2. With JUST those two systems, I'm able to play PS1 and Gamecube games...

That means I can enjoy classics like FFVII or Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door without having owned the PS1 or Gamecube. This allows me to enjoy four consoles worth of games having only bought two.

 

[Eve Charm]

Because people want something else to do with their consoles other then watch tv with them a month after launch when they already had enough of them.

Oh and also your big launch titles are really last gen.

 

[Snotnarok]

I swear I recall posting about this very topic.

Why backwards compatibility is extremely important to a console:
It allows people to trade in their older console for credit toward the new one and maintain a decent library as launch titles are usually: lacking in numbers / not great quality / expensive.

If you're not getting BC and you want to play your games you're keeping your console, which means less credit toward your new shiny console and games, making it a very hard for some to just up and buy the new device+games.

PS2 thrived because of that and it's ability to play DVDs, it had good and simple options and a MASSIVE backlog of great games and you could trade your PSOne up to a PS2 with almost 0 risk of compat issues. Same goes for DS, a lot of people sold their GBAs and the DSi was less appealing because it removed the GBA port.

Older consoles may not have always been 100% BC but they had options similar to it. Sega Genesis had the powerbase converter, literally a passthrough to the Gen's soundchip (which is the same as the Master System processor) and you could play Mater System games, pretty neat. SNES had the Super Game Boy which was an AWESOME thing to have.

Sure, you had to buy the adapters...but let's compare that to waiting for the companies to put out digital versions that are emulated that you buy individually...Look at the Wiis Virutal console, 8 bucks for SNES/Gen games? That's insanely pricey.

 

[MPerce]

Uh.....because upgrading to this new console will make my 6-year-old game library completely fucking worthless. I think I have the right to complain about that.

Also, just because backwards compatibility is a fairly new concept for consoles doesn't mean that we shouldn't expect it. The PS2 and this last batch of consoles were all backwards-compatible, so we all naturally expect the next generation to carry through with that. And when they don't, people are gonna be understandably pissed about it.