Poll: Will Microsoft ever fix Backward Compatibility for the XBox 360?

[GloatingSwine]

Unfortunately, what he said. They've continuously refused to provide backwards compatability for DOS, 95, 98, CE, ME, NT, 2K, XP, Vista: so the chance of anything that you don't have to pay a whole load for is next to nothing.

?

The near-psychotic need to provide backwards compatibility at least as far as XP, and further in many cases, is one of the things that cripples Windows. Even the supposed clean break when they switched home OSes over to the NT kernel was hamstrung with security problems inherited from the older architectures.

I mean for fuck's sake, even something as simple as the kernel version number is bodgy and hacky to keep backwards compatibility (Windows 7 has the kernel version number 6.7600, because some programs just check the kernel version number and cry if it isn't 5 or 6)

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Well its not ridiculously broken. I can play most of my XboxOriginal games that I have on Disc on my Xbox.

I can't

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

?

The near-psychotic need to provide backwards compatibility at least as far as XP, and further in many cases, is one of the things that cripples Windows. Even the supposed clean break when they switched home OSes over to the NT kernel was hamstrung with security problems inherited from the older architectures.

I mean for fuck's sake, even something as simple as the kernel version number is bodgy and hacky to keep backwards compatibility (Windows 7 has the kernel version number 6.7600, because some programs just check the kernel version number and cry if it isn't 5 or 6)

Funny, third party software seems to do it with hardly a hassle. If Microsoft can't handle their own old systems, that lowers my faith in their ability with their newer ones.

 

[goldenheart323]

Sony is bringing backwards compatibility back with some kind of new update coming soon I've heard. I know nothing of Microsoft though. I don't think they will ever fix it.

After they said they would never, ever bring backwards compatiblity back to the PS3? Do you have a source please?

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/20/sony-playstation-2-compatibility-is-not-coming-back-to-ps3/

Cling to that Cell-based PlayStation 2 emulator patent all you want, but Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller has some disparaging words for those wanting Shadow the Colossus to one day work one the latest hardware. PS2 backwards compatibility "is not coming back, so let me put that on the table," he told Ars Technica, soon after reaffirming, "that won't be returning." Apparently people have been buying the PS3 not for PS2 titles but for the newest games and Blu-ray movies -- and given PS2's continued dominance in sales, presumably to play those last-gen games, we don't doubt it. Seeing such a feature standard in all other consoles out there, including the first two iterations of this one, we can't help but feel burned. Still, it was less than two months ago when Sony's mantra was no PS3 price cuts, and funny enough, that's more or less what happened. So if Koller wants to go back on his word and offer PS2 compatibility further down the line, hey, we'll forgive him.

I read another quote with someone from Sony saying BC is all anyone wants to talk about but then says no one buys a PS3 for BC anymore, and it's not coming back. I thought that was a pretty stupid thing to say considering anyone who buys (present tense) a PS3 for BC is going to be sorely disappointed... considering that's not a feature anymore! So OF COURSE no one buys a PS3 for a feature it doesn't have!!!

OT, I Don't see MS ever updating their list again. BC is old news, unfortunately.

 

[Treblaine]

I wonder why they need to support it at all.

My old 60GB PS3 plays most PS2 games, even slightly obscure ones like Black, and don't need any emulation profiles. Sure there are a few bugs but overall works to spite the PS3 version I have using mainly software emulation.

It is not so much Microsoft's lack of support but how the "emulation profile" route is just a convenient way of controlling which games MS will allow you to buy likely pre-owned and which will require you to buy the game again on Xbox Live.

Sony does the same but you do have added benefits to a PSN re-release, like downloading to play on a PSP. Man, I can't wait till classic tomb raider and resident evil see a European release on PSN. If Symphony of the Night was released on PSN Europe, to download to PSP, that would be such unbelievable win!

But it has been release in PSN North America... Since 2007... and it has still not come to PSN Europe..... WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUU-UUUU!!!!!

 

[GonzoGamer]

Sony is bringing backwards compatibility back with some kind of new update coming soon I've heard. I know nothing of Microsoft though. I don't think they will ever fix it.

They're not bringing BC back, they're just going to start selling ps2 titles on the psn store. That's probably what MS is going to start doing. It's the most profitable option.

That said, I'm not going to buy any of them. My ps2 works fine.

 

[Doug]

Sony is bringing backwards compatibility back with some kind of new update coming soon I've heard. I know nothing of Microsoft though. I don't think they will ever fix it.

After they said they would never, ever bring backwards compatiblity back to the PS3? Do you have a source please?

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/20/sony-playstation-2-compatibility-is-not-coming-back-to-ps3/

Cling to that Cell-based PlayStation 2 emulator patent all you want, but Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller has some disparaging words for those wanting Shadow the Colossus to one day work one the latest hardware. PS2 backwards compatibility "is not coming back, so let me put that on the table," he told Ars Technica, soon after reaffirming, "that won't be returning." Apparently people have been buying the PS3 not for PS2 titles but for the newest games and Blu-ray movies -- and given PS2's continued dominance in sales, presumably to play those last-gen games, we don't doubt it. Seeing such a feature standard in all other consoles out there, including the first two iterations of this one, we can't help but feel burned. Still, it was less than two months ago when Sony's mantra was no PS3 price cuts, and funny enough, that's more or less what happened. So if Koller wants to go back on his word and offer PS2 compatibility further down the line, hey, we'll forgive him.

I read another quote with someone from Sony saying BC is all anyone wants to talk about but then says no one buys a PS3 for BC anymore, and it's not coming back. I thought that was a pretty stupid thing to say considering anyone who buys (present tense) a PS3 for BC is going to be sorely disappointed... considering that's not a feature anymore! So OF COURSE no one buys a PS3 for a feature it doesn't have!!!

OT, I Don't see MS ever updating their list again. BC is old news, unfortunately.

Thanks for the link, I knew I heard it on a podcast or 2 before, just wondered if they'd actually reversed that stupid policy I suppose at least Microsoft still offer some BC, which is better than none and telling your customers 'you don't really want it, so you aren't getting it'

 

[TimeLord]

There's no point be now of fixing backwards compatibility.

Sony did it with the 60gb launch PS3 (one of which I proudly own) but haven't done it on any other versions or the PS3 Slim so it wont happen

 

[Wintermoot]

it would be to user friendly

 

[timmytom1]

Why should they? They don't make money on old XBOX disks anymore.

However, there is a place where you can download them to your 360 called XBox Originals.

That`s dead too now instead they`re focusing on selling us older 360 titles (oblivion ME ,crackdown) for twice the price(and in the case of my copy of crackdown 4 times as much), you`d have pay for them in a second hand shop

 

[BaldursBananaSoap]

No, how would they be able to rip you off and sell you Xbox originals for triple the price then?

 

[Kodlak]

They have created it for some some games such as KOTOR and Ninja Gaiden, but not others like Deus Ex. (These being the games I've tried.) And I don't think they are creating it for other games.

 

[Icecoldcynic]

They won't, which is a shame because I really wanted to play Timesplitters 3 again.

 

[blackhandops]

does no one have any faith.....i understand that this is Microsoft but i say give them more time i know im being maybe to optimistic but i love the 360 and want only good things to come of it.

 

[Snotnarok]

Are you referring to older games because I'm playing win95 games on vista no problem/modifications

Which ones? Most of the Microprose/VGA ones collapse almost instantly when you have to search for soundcards?

Tie Fighter Win95 works fairly easily n' the like

 

[Snotnarok]

Are you referring to older games because I'm playing win95 games on vista no problem/modifications

Some games get lucky and still work, others don't, but the point is that there's no guarantee your game will work and nobody in the industry cares.

Just try the build engine games (Duke Nukem or Blood) on your Vista or XP machine. You need Dosbox as well as some other programs to get something working. And then you're still stuck with crappy sound. You cen forget about the mapeditor coming to life as well.

Oh, I'm late I see...

Yes old games like Dos based games wont work but the thing is windows doesn't use does anymore so it's kind of hard to use it when it's not in there, Dosbox works pretty well from what I've seen and it's free. I dunno maybe I'm just too used to getting freeware to solve things haha.

 

[RatRace123]

Why would they bother, the point would be moot. People who want to play original xbox games already are smart enough to have an original xbox. (except me, I had faith and now I can't play half my games.) Thankfully I was smart enough to not sell my PS2, so Sony's backwards compatibility I don't care about.

Really the only reason I would want backwards compatibility is so I could play Destroy all Humans 2 and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. That's it.

 

[Apache2142]

I literally bought MGS2 Subsidence and Timesplitters, got home...very pissed to find out they had not updated the compatability! pretty sure they won't do it either...

 

[SomeBoredGuy]

I doubt they ever will, but the list of what they have done isn't that bad.

They said they would update regularly, but their last update was 2007! And the games that are compatible have more bugs than a hooker the day the troops come home.

Why would a hooker have bugs? It doesn't make any sense...

You sir, need to watch some ZP.

To be fair, you did mash two ZP quotes together to make something that doesn't make a whole load of sense.