Why is backwards compatibility such a major deal now?

[Snotnarok]

Actually you could play Master System games on the Genesis, you just needed an adapter, PS2 really kicked off the BC with the huge strong library of games from the PSOne, GCN on Wii, etc. SNES even letting you play GB games via adapter was really really awesome and gave more options.

Why is it a big deal? Because people want to sell their current console to make the new one affordable and when you lose out on the huge library of the passing gens, your left with a shitty launch library OR a list of games for $65 each, so it gets expensive and options are what make things more appealing. Losing this option makes it more difficult for someone to buy a new console and bare the brunt of that massive expense...and these new consoles could easily at least emulate the earlier gens (PSOne/2 or Xbox) but they don't...why? Probably because look at the PSN/XBL they're reselling digital versions of the games which IS neat for super rare games/playing on PSP/PSV on the go but why can't you just use your disc on the console? They want you to rebuy the game.

 

[Palademon]

Eventually an old system that is no longer manufactured can break and then you're left with a library of games that you can no longer play, with a quickly diminishing pool of used replacements.

 

[thiosk]

I understand that new consoles use new architectures. I understand that makes the coding different, so the SNES couldn't run an NES game. At least the cartridges didn't fit. I vaguely accept Sony's point that the cell architecture is different from their more PC-style system.

My computer runs games from before the PS1 era, is running Blood Dragon today, and will run games from the next console era with no problem. The reason there is no backward compatibility is because the companies in question have ENGINEERED THAT into their system and business strategies.

I think that is bullshit.

I bought the wii because it could run gamecube games without problem and had the virtual console, which at the time was an important thing. I'd add that the gamecube even takes those tiny compact discs, so its not even ultimately the same media format. I didn't buy the xbox or the ps3, and the ONLY game I feel I missed out on as a result was Red Dead Redemption.

Sony and microsoft can suck it. I don't need ya.

 

[Ishigami]

Tbh it isn't.
I have a old fully backwards compatible PS3. I could play PS2 or any PS1 title on it. Did I ever do? No.
One year after the next generation hit the market no one will care about it.
Say what ever you want but the mass market doesn't care.

 

[Haukur Isleifsson]

Don't we most have a huge library of games from older consoles. Consoles that we must expect are going to break any day now. We don't want to end up with tens of shelf-meters of unusable discs.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

You know PC, is the ultimate platform still. The fact that I can play System Shock 2, a game over 13 years old, and emulate ever NES, SNES, and what ever system game shows it's the only system that can stand the test of time as long a I keep upgrading parts now and then.
/thread.

I'm not trying to turn it into a PC vs Console debate, but this is unfortunately turning out to be so true. It's only a matter of time before you'll see a Xbox 360 emulator that works on PC.

And I believe MS knows that, which is why the Xbone is basically a really bad PC that can't be upgraded. It even has its own Windows-like OS to suck up resources that could be used for gaming and are instead used for stuff no-one cares about and can't be turned off.

 

[Yopaz]

OK, let's look at the Wii U and its massive game library. Yeah, it took me about 5 seconds to read that entire list.

Now read the list of Wii games out there. That list actually requires that you scroll a little.

My point is that consoles don't tend to launch with a massive library and sometimes it can take a long time for the games to come (still using the Wii U as an example) however as long as it's backwards compatible it can still be used for those and you don't have to keep your old console connected because that's the one you're using the most anyway. This isn't a big deal for all of us, but some of us got limited space and limited places to connect a console and would rather have one or two rather than 2-4.

Personally backwards compatibility isn't a big deal. I grew up with NES, SNES, N64 and then GC. None of those were backwards compatible and it wasn't a huge problem for me. However I do like replaying old games and I have played one my SNES just a year ago. Backwards compatibility is convenient, but not a dealbreaker to me.

 

[Chicago Ted]

Here's the simple reason for me.

The original Xbox lasted 4 years before the Xbox 360 was launched.

The Xbox 360 will have lasted 8 years before the Xbox One will be launched.

The importance of backwards compatibility has become far more important to me in this time, because if you take into account my library of Xbox Original games versus my library of Xbox 360 games, my library of Xbox 360 games is much more. Because of this, if I were to purchase an Xbox one, this selection of titles (~90-~100 games), would become essentially worthless.

Now, while I would normally be a lot more angry about this issue, I really couldn't give much of a care right now. I feel that both Microsoft and Sony are handling both of their consoles so poorly, that I had already migrated to PC only for over a year now. The last title I purchased was Halo 4, and I wound up shelving it and going back to Red Orchestra 2 within a few hours. Now, the biggest use of my 360 is to get access to my friend's Netflix account that he has allowed me to use for a while now, but even that doesn't get me on it for more than once every couple months.

Those are my reasons at least. Personally, I don't really care. I'll grab GTA V when it comes out on console, and wait for it to hopefully get a PC release a year or so later, and will grab Watch Dogs on PC when it comes out, but other than that, I still don't see a reason why I should be bothering to get into this next generation of consoles, when I've swapped over to PC, and now have a vast library of games that I can play whenever I want, that span over a decade in releases, on whatever computer I choose to get, without having to worry about much backwards compatibility issues overall. I might need to occasionally mess around with things to get them to run properly, but the fact that I can still go back and start up Fable: The Lost Chapters, Star Wars Republic Commando, Star Wars Jedi Outcast, or even titles like Fallout 1 & 2, Deus Ex, or Star Wars Dark Forces with no trouble at all, will keep me playing for much time to come.

 

[Xangba]

Alright I'm sure it's been said but I just feel like contributing (or more likely nor contributing at all)

Those old systems were fairly cheap in all honesty and very durable. My buddy still has his N64 and plays Zelda on it a lot. Compare to newer systems which break quite easily and are hundreds of dollars to buy even this long after launch. Not to mention that A LOT of people like to trade in their old system to save some space in front of the t.v. and lower the hit to their wallet. Kind of a big thing for people on a budget.

Game libraries have gotten bigger as gaming has become bigger as well, so this and the last gen have the most games. Have you looked at the PS2 list for example? There's a good reason people got pissed when the PS3s stopped having backwards compatibility. A lot of people who had an N64 and SNES didn't have that many for each, now it's common to have more than 10 for a system at any one time (not including ones sold). Hell just by having a game series, say the Hack series, is seven games alone.

As consoles become more technologically advanced, more people are comparing them to PCs a lot too, which every PC gamer knows that if they wanted they can emulate old consoles and play them on the computer, as well as play nearly all of its own games. So it leads to a lot of people that are both console and PC gamers asking "Why should I buy that when my computer can do this for any last gen system and that can't even for it's predecessor?"

TLDR: Backwards compatibility has become more of an issue because people have more games, consoles are more expensive and more prone to breaking, and consoles are becoming more multimedia, leading to PC comparisons.

 

[Schadrach]

Just curious on this. People are getting quite riled up over the new gen consoles, and current gen ones not being backwards compatible. This really isn't a new thing

Sony kind of tried with the PS3 at first and it failed dismally, and i'm not 100% about microsoft, but i think their attempts were pretty woeful too.

But.. since i started gaming on consoles.. i couldn't play Sega Master systems games on the megadrive, or NES games on the SNES, or SNES games the 64... etc etc, so why such a big deal now?

Just curious. I understand it would be nice and handy to have, but why is it now such a big issue?

PS3 has PS1 support on all versions (including the new sliding top ones), and early ones had hardware PS2 support that was actually really good and was dropped to lower costs (down know why they dropped software backwards compatibility (which was nearly as good as the hardware backwards compatibility) -- that always kind of pissed me off, like dropping Linux compatibility). The PS2 also had full PS1 backwards compatibility. Sony also added the PSOne and PS2 classics as a mirror to Nintendo Virtual Console (all of which are literally just ROMs/ISOs and official emulators).

The PS Vita supports PSP titles purchased on PSN.

The Wii supports Gamecube titles.

The WiiU supports Wii titles.

Nintendo handhelds have almost always had one generation back compatibility (GBA could play GB, DS could play GBA until the hardware revision that removed the slot, 3DS can play DS).

Speaking of handhelds and SNES, you *could* play GB games on the SNES (via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Game_Boy ), there was a similar device for the N64, though the SNES one was in my opinion superior.

 

[Zeraki]

Because the PS2 had it.

Up until then backwards compatibility with older games was wishful thinking at best in the minds of most gamers. Then came the PS2, which could play old PSX games(which I played more of than actual PS2 games funnily enough). It was seen as a step forward in the development of video game consoles. Even the very first PS3's had backwards compatibility with PSX/PS2 games. It was one of the main selling points for the console.

Cutting out backwards compatibility in 2013 feels like a step backwards compared to the direction gaming seemed like it was headed back in 2000 when the PS2 came out(Holy crap it's been that long already!?).

So that's why I think people generally get upset with it. At least, that's one of the reasons it bugs me.

EDIT

I barely had any games for the Wii(I got the thing for free from a relative who won it)but I could at least play my Game Cube games in a slightly higher resolution through component cables. Hell, my Game Cube could play Game Boy games.

 

[ph0b0s123]

Well there is one current platform that has backwards compatibility with all the games ever made for it.....

 

[MajorTomServo]

I don't get it either. It's not like the day PS4 launches, all the villagers will gather in the town square to burn all the PS3s. I plan on holding on to the girl until she dies, so backwards compatibility isn't a big deal to me. In my eyes, it's a "nice if you include it, but no big deal if you don't" type thing.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I don't get it either. It's not like the day PS4 launches, all the villagers will gather in the town square to burn all the PS3s. I plan on holding on to the girl until she dies, so backwards compatibility isn't a big deal to me. In my eyes, it's a "nice if you include it, but no big deal if you don't" type thing.

Well I suppose it's not too much of a problem with the PS3 since I haven't heard that many tales about one dying way too young. It's a different story for the 360, though.

 

[Fractral]

Well, when you're given something nice for free and then its suddenly taken away, you do get kinda annoyed. I mean, suppose the next playstation had no internet connection? You could just say that the PS1 had no internet connection, so there's no reason for anyone to complain, but I'd still be pretty mad.
Of course it's not a perfect analogy, but it's the same sort of idea.

 

[OutlawOkami]

Backwards compatible consoles mean that my friend could've been playing the physical copy of San Andreas he bought recently on their PS3 instead. Every now and then, I wish I'd bought one of the first PS3s off of eBay so I could play my library of PS2 games and the couple PSOne games on it as well as shiny, new PS3 ones. The one I have was the cheaper 2nd design that still included the ability to make "memory cards" on it for the previous two generations but doesn't have the capability to play them.

I wouldn't have minded if the 360 was fully BC with the Xbox. I would've considered trying those old games but it's difficult to find a cheap Xbox these days. People on eBay will bid up those old systems to crazy prices and buy it now prices can be just as bad.

Forget Xbox, you ask for Xbox 1 games... I mean original Xbox games (stupid new Xbox title!) it might as well not even exist because Microsoft completely discontinued them very shortly after the release of the 360. How much you bet once the Xbox 1 is released (third system -_-), 360 is going to be immediately discontinued and if yours breaks down (and being an Xbox... IT WILL), well then, if you want to play Gears 3 you're shit out of luck, and you can't even buy a new system because Microsoft ain't selling anymore. Best thing you can do then is Ebay and prey you don't get another red ringer.

If this comes true, it'll be the same way. No cheap replacement or way to play games from that console until a well-working emulator comes out and you have a computer that can handle it. Not to mention that RROD that plagued the white box ones. Not to long ago, I sent in an old red ringed system and MS fixed it for $100 but who wants to pay that on top of what they got the thing for just to play 360 games again? And that only works so long as they'll still service those consoles.

For people like my brother and I, BC might not be a big issue. If either of us buys a console from the next gen, we'll still have our old systems until they crap out on us. Hell, he still owns his old NES and GameBoy, among several others and they all work (even his wife's Genesis that her brother threw against the wall still functions).

People like BC for a variety of reasons-convenience, space, money-and for some, it might be a deal-breaker for one of these reasons if they can't play old games on new systems.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Because I like to be able to continue playing games that I purchased with money. If my console breaks down which I pray doesn't happen, it's going to be difficult to find an older console that still functions so I can play my game. If the newer console can't play it and I can't find another of the previous console then I will essentially own stacks of expensive plastic coated metal.

 

[Schadrach]

Well there is one current platform that has backwards compatibility with all the games ever made for it.....

Not without having to install weird third party software written by dirty hackers... =)

 

[clippen05]

PC's are around 80% backwards-compatible (100% if you use programs like DOS-box to emulate older Operating systems) Your move, console peasants...


Ahem, that was sarcasm. But on serious note, I like backwards compatibility as it eases the transition to a new console as you are leaving less behind (Peripherals, games, achievements etc) But maybe that's why I love PC, there is no transition, an upgraded PC can do everything the last one did and more; for the most part things don't get left behind.

 

[ph0b0s123]

Well there is one current platform that has backwards compatibility with all the games ever made for it.....

Not without having to install weird third party software written by dirty hackers... =)

Dos-box on PC for non windows games is a "weird third party software written by dirty hackers"?

PC's are around 80% backwards-compatible (100% if you use programs like DOS-box to emulate older Operating systems) Your move, console peasants...


Ahem, that was sarcasm. But on serious note, I like backwards compatibility as it eases the transition to a new console as you are leaving less behind (Peripherals, games, achievements etc) But maybe that's why I love PC, there is no transition, an upgraded PC can do everything the last one did and more; for the most part things don't get left behind.

The funny thing is via emulators, the PC probably has more backwards compatibility of console games that next gen consoles as well....