Significance of Backward Compatibility

[Deepak]

With strong hints from MS that XB2 is going to lose BC with XB1 I am thinking what effect it would have on the chances of XB2. As I think more I believe that BC is a hughly underrated feature which will have a substantial effect on the sales of next gen consoles. It is even more an imp in a launch and I am tending to believe that it will a mistake for MS to leave it out in XB2.

It would not have mattered much if S/Nin also leave it out but PS3 will be BC w/ PS2/PS1 and Nin haven't said anything (will GC2 be BC w/ GC?). One argument is that those who want to play XB titles already have XB or they can buy it, but who would want to buy an old console, and there are millions of gamers who do not have XB but would not buy a seperate console for it and would have considered if XB2 if it were BC w/ XB and same is true for S/Nin. So S/Nin will have a stick to beat MS, their offering will look much more attractive. And in any case current gen's graphics won't look like crap next gen, it won't be like PS1/PS2 story.

Another factor is cabling etc, these small-small things matter a lot. It will be a lot more convenient if your next console also plays your old games. You don't have to juggle around cables.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Personally, I think BC, while a nice feature, is unecessary for a console. A new console should sell well because of the new games made for it. I believe it's already been confirmed by Iwata that Revolution will include the ability to play GC titles.

 

[cthellis42]

Not too many features are "necessary," but plenty are "great" and "attractive" and "help you sell a lot more consoles." It'll certainly make for better marketing and the faster adoption of a new console.

 

[see colon]

nintendo has been making money for years by selling the same games every generation. i'm not talking about the same characters, either. look at ninja gaiden and super mario bros. collections that were released for the snes, dr mario and tetris on n64, and using clzssic games like zelda as purchase incentives for newer titles on gamecube. not to mention the slew of classic games being released on the gba.

it makes good buisness sense to not include backwards compatability. especialy for microsoft. halo has become a hugely recognised franchise. how many xb2 owners would buy a halo/halo2 collection with slightly upgraded graphics (similar to what nintendo did with zelda:mm)? development costs for the games would be nearly nothing, and the return on investment would be huge.
c:

 

[Phil]

it makes good buisness sense to not include backwards compatability. especialy for microsoft. halo has become a hugely recognised franchise. how many xb2 owners would buy a halo/halo2 collection with slightly upgraded graphics (similar to what nintendo did with zelda:mm)? development costs for the games would be nearly nothing, and the return on investment would be huge.

I'd very much argue that. That scenario only holds true if the people that purchased Xbox will also buy Xbox 2. If Xbox2 were backwards compatible, being able to play the older games gives the consumer added value. No one likes having to keep their old consoles all in front. However given that Xbox2 is not backwards compatible, consumers just might decide to choose a PS3 or a N5 over an Xbox2 because it wouldn't play the old games anyway. On the other hand, PS2 consumers (70 million outthere) know that PS3 will be backwardscompatible. They know that the games are not lost but can still be played for years to come, as it will be supported.

And as for your Halo + Halo 2: Consumers that loved the first part will buy an upgraded one regardless if it's worth it. I wouldn't hold my breath of something like that coming though - not on Xbox 2 anyway.

 

[Vince]

What rational is there for a publisher to push content on the XBox platform in 2006? What about on the PlayStation2 platform in 2006? Where will the publishers gain their most revenue by vesting support?

Backwards Compatibility justified in two sentences. Not sure why people think this is just a feature to increase consumer demand …

 

[Megadrive1988]

I think Nintendo stated that their next console, GCNext / Revolution, will play GameCube games.

 

[Fast]

Its a nice feature, saves space on your TV furniture.

I’m not surprised Xbox 2/Xenon will not support backwards compatibility when their Operating Systems fail to support Microsoft’s own hardware (joysticks/wheels).

 

[hey69]

if only MS would make a NICER and COMPACTER design.
something actually you aren't shamed of having under /next your TV.

My brother visited me once and thought that it was a Videoplayer .. :?

 

[Spidermate]

Personally, I think BC, while a nice feature, is unecessary for a console. A new console should sell well because of the new games made for it. I believe it's already been confirmed by Iwata that Revolution will include the ability to play GC titles.

Maybe to Nintendo and Sony to a small extent because they plan to support their older consoles for quite awhile.Microsoft,however,is in a different boat.They plan to kill off their money losing Xbox early and throw backwards compatibility out of the window.The feature is a "necessary" on their part.

 

[overclocked]

Speaking for me i would say that it means more for me if PS3 supports PS2 games than the PS2/PS1 support.
One thing about the next gen is who has the "best" DVD functions etz, instead of just being able to play DVD´s.