Home Gaming You’re really backwards if you want backwards compatibility on Xbox One

You’re really backwards if you want backwards compatibility on Xbox One

1 min read
18

I'm the Backwards man

Because no one is sick of Xbox One news yet! We’ve mentioned before that we kind of do like aspects of the console. But right now, the future console is doing a lot of things wrong. Locking games, requiring daily web checks and all that. And much like the Playstation 4, it also won’t be backwards compatible with older games. I don’t have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with though, is the attitude that Microsoft has towards that specific feature.

According to Microsoft’s Don Mattrick on the Wall Street Journal via Gamasutra, such thinking is reserved for backwards folk: 

We created something that understands how to be performant for all scenarios and all combinations. If you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards.

I’m not happy with the current disdain for gamers who want to bring their old games with them to their next console. Even though Sony offered it at first with the original junk in the trunk Playstation 3, that was soon phased out with newer models.

The Xbox 360 was still able to play a large selection of older games though, and the Nintendo Wii itself was backwards compatible with Gamecube games, while offering that same feature for Wii games on the Wii U.

And I get that more powerful hardware results in an architecture that isn’t compatible with those older games. I honestly do. But at the same time, I’m loathe to pay an extra fee to emulate that game on the console, when I happen to actually have it right here in my hands. Isn’t that right Final Fantasy 8?

Both sides have a point, I’ll admit it. But there doesn’t need to be such an attitude about it either. And it also means that my gaming desk is going to become a lot more cramped, as I won’t be able to flog my current-gen devices to afford a next-gen one.

I love my current library of games too much to do that.

Last Updated: May 23, 2013

18 Comments

  1. Tasty peas mixed with porridge

    May 23, 2013 at 13:15

    DEAL WITH IT!!

    Reply

  2. Tasty peas mixed with porridge

    May 23, 2013 at 13:17

    GET A PC and still play your old games whenever YOU the consumer wants to.

    Reply

    • FoxOneZA - X-Therminator

      May 23, 2013 at 13:58

      PC is the only realm left for hardcore gamers. Well an Intel+NVidia PC anyways.

      Reply

      • Kromas

        May 29, 2013 at 15:07

        You mean an AMd+AMD/ATI PC.

        Reply

  3. Ultimo_Cleric_N7

    May 23, 2013 at 13:30

    What a tool!

    Reply

  4. Trevor Davies

    May 23, 2013 at 13:31

    I just find it funny that someone whose name sounds suspiciously close to Dot Matrix is telling other people they’re backwards.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Commander

      May 23, 2013 at 13:34

      haha

      Reply

  5. Argentil

    May 23, 2013 at 13:33

    At least Sony offered a backwards compatibility solution in the form of streaming. They acknowledged that we should be able to play our old games on our new box, but can’t
    implement it without sticking a ps3 inside the new PS4 (which would be criminally
    expensive).

    That said, who knows when/if they would actually implement it.

    Reply

    • Marc O Polo

      May 23, 2013 at 17:32

      i think it has a lot to do with the studios, Rockstar has been releasing a lot of there old games on the PSN, cant see a reason why others having been doing the same…

      Reply

  6. Admiral Chief Commander

    May 23, 2013 at 13:37

    They are not even offering this…

    Reply

    • Rince an repeat

      May 23, 2013 at 14:27

      I’ll let this slide… First time in a while…

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Commander

        May 23, 2013 at 15:10

        Slide????

        Oh, I see, lube. Got it.

        And SIES!

        Reply

  7. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    May 23, 2013 at 13:53

    You know what I miss? The days of reveals where it was common to hear “And if you have this and this (eg: internet) then this device can do x,y and z additionally.”

    No longer the case. Nowadays it is “If you don’t have internet you can’t actually use your device. But it’s really cool that it can do this stuff on the internet. But we will force you to be there”

    Just an example. But there is a huge differance in what the industry used to be compared to what it is now

    Reply

  8. matthurstrsa

    May 23, 2013 at 14:17

    Will keep my 360 for console games for now, PC for newer games. I don’t want to be a beta tester for the next gen anyway, so I’ll wait a couple of years.

    Reply

  9. Rince an repeat

    May 23, 2013 at 14:28

    Bugger that. Why can’t I keep my current gaming on a new super console? Well, just gonna hurt them, as no bitch gonna take up the space of my Xbox THREE SIXTY.

    Reply

  10. fred

    May 23, 2013 at 14:53

    This could have been MS trump card over PS4 , but sadly …… it was not to be.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Xbox Series X Restock Update Today: Track on Twitter, Walmart, Best Buy and More

New consoles are on the horizon, and while Sony and Microsoft have spoken plenty about wha…