Xbox 360 backwards compatibility list revealed

[Wunderchu]

AFAIK, Mr. Lemming @ GAF was first to post the link here:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

[source: http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?p=2234673#post2234673 ]

 

[MoHonRi]

Some great info in the linked interview....

Some of my favorite parts...

Todd: What I’m really proud to tell you and your readers is that it’s easy to get the emulation software, and it’s free. We’ll give gamers a choice—you can get the latest software updates from Xbox Live, burn a CD from xbox.com or sign up on Xbox.com for a CD that can be delivered to your home at a nominal shipping and handling fee. Once you get the CD, put it in your Xbox 360 and you’re ready to go.

Todd: Absolutely. One of the great things about gaming on Xbox 360 is the satisfaction of knowing that every game will be playable in high definition. We are now proud to reveal that this extends to the original Xbox games as well. Every original Xbox game will be upscaled to 720p and 1080i, and will take advantage of Xbox 360’s anti-aliasing capabilities, delivering a picture that is clearer and crisper than anything available on Xbox.

MoH

 

[Powderkeg]

That's a lot more than I was expecting. Looks like they went well beyond the "most popular" titles.
I can't imagine Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer was really that popular.



Nice to see Call of Cthulu on that list since I traded in my Xbox before it was released. I thought I would ahve to wait for the PC version but now it looks like a perfect rental game for me.

 

[MoHonRi]

yeah, he covers that in the interview...

As we focused on the top sellers, we discovered that many other games worked due to similarities in their technology. As an added benefit, games that share engines and technology have been in some cases easier to certify for backward compatibility and have made the launch lineup as a result.

Pretty cool though...
I have 7 games that are on that list and 10 that aren't. It's a lot more than most people expected though (myself included)

MoH

 

[DigitalSoul]

JSRF and Panzer Dragoon Orat are not on the list, but Kabuki Warriors is? Bastards!!!









Anyways, I assume the list will get bigger over time?
The list is a alot better than I expected or a lot bigger....I'm cool with it.

 

[Stillmatic]

No Chronicles of Riddick or Splinter Cell yet XD!

 

[Wunderchu]

JSRF and Panzer Dragoon Orat are not on the list, but Kabuki Warriors is? Bastards!!!










Anyways, I assume the list will be updated as time goes on?

ya

Xbox.com: By what date do you plan to have all original Xbox games backward compatible?

Todd: We're continuing to work hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible; we'll be adding to the list regularly.

[source: that Q & A with Todd Holmdahl linked to, to the left of that backwards compatibility list ]

 

[one]

JSRF and Panzer Dragoon Orat are not on the list, but Kabuki Warriors is? Bastards!!!

Yeah, Kabuki Warrior caught my eyes first too But no PGR, Far Cry, Unreal Championship, DOAX and DOAU!?

As for the quantity, 213 titles are compatible by the software emulator, not bad for the first try.

 

[DigitalSoul]

Heh, actually I'm quite pleased with the list. My Xbox collection isn't that big anyways. By the time I get X360 the list will be alot bigger. Transition to the 360 should be should all fine and dandy.

 

[Rockster]

I have quite a few titles missing from the list, but the support is much more extensive than I expected. They have only begun qualifying titles since the final hardware became available and the most difficult emulation challenges are probably behind them. If they were able to test over 200 titles in the last few months, it seems likely they could easily double that number or more fairly quickly. Does anyone think that the vast majority of key titles can't be supported in time for the lauch of the PS3?

 

[one]

ya[source: that Q & A with Todd Holmdahl linked to, to the left of that backwards compatibility list ]

Now this is a bit harsh though probably due to inevitable security reasons. Rejecting any arbitrarily created user data is the most effective way to prevent any unexpected bug, in the end...

Todd: Content will not be transferable from Xbox to Xbox 360, including saved data and downloadable content.

 

[DigitalSoul]

I guess thats the downside to it.

 

[Karma Police]

One technical question I have regarding the upscaled resolution. Todd says every B/C game will run at 720p resolution. But is that still with a 4:3 ratio? So it they would be at 960x720p? Or would they be with a 16:10 or 16:9 ratio with a 720p instead with a horizontal resolution of 1280?

If that makes sense, anyway.

 

[Ty]

Cool news. Need to look at the list but glad they are making it fairly easy to enable this.

One technical question I have regarding the upscaled resolution. Todd says every B/C game will run at 720p resolution. But is that still with a 4:3 ratio? So it they would be at 960x720p? Or would they be with a 16:10 or 16:9 ratio with a 720p instead with a horizontal resolution of 1280?

If that makes sense, anyway.

My guess is it will be in the native ratio that the game already supported (I think some game support WS and others don't).

It might be better that way anyhow since your display is likely/hopefully better than the one in the X360. After all, I don't imagine it handling different stretch modes very well.

 

[Karma Police]

Fortunately I have a 34" widescreen HDTV CRT w/ 1080i/720p. I'd really like to see my old ROTK w/ a 16:10 ratio; it'll help it get more "epic" in feel, if you know what I mean when you're attacked by 100+ Uruk-Hai.

 

[Inane_Dork]

I'm glad because 213 at launch day implies that more will be added to the list relatively quickly.

 

[Deepak]

How are they implementing soft emulation? The games not in the list right now, are they coded much closer to metal (hence not been soft emulated yet).

 

[Karma Police]

Hopefully this answers your question:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilityqa.htm

How often will you update the emulation profiles for each game? For example, if a bug is found with the Halo 2 emulation profile will you release an update/fix?

Todd: This is where our extensive testing process comes into play. Sure, it takes us longer to get the games out there, but we have the benefit of knowing that each game will feel and play like it should. Now, I'm not saying that all of our games will be completely bug free, but the probability is definitely less. Of course, if there is a problem, we'll handle it in a timely manner.

Xbox.com: By what date do you plan to have all original Xbox games backward compatible?

Todd: We're continuing to work hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible; we'll be adding to the list regularly.

Xbox.com: What criteria do you use in choosing which Xbox games will be backward compatible on Xbox 360? How far back into the Xbox game library are you going to go?

Todd: When we say Xbox library, we mean the entire Xbox library. This ranges all the way from our launch in 2001 up to games that haven't even shipped yet. As we've said before, we prioritized the top-selling titles and those games with a large Xbox Live following for launch, and we're going deeper into the portfolio every day.

 

[DeathKnight]

Where's Enclave?

 

[Dr. Meaty]

Wow. I have admit I didn't expect a 200 game BC list from day one. Being that we were just over a week from the 360 launch without a list, I wasn't exactly holding my breath on anything other than Halo 1-2 and maybe Fable or Ninja Gaiden or a couple of others. That being said, Barbie fucking Horse Adventure? I'm naked without my Sam Fisher goggles. Whenever I'm playing Halo or Barbie Horse Adventure, I find myself hitting left on the D-pad when I enter a dark area. I know you do too. Anyway, I hope the Splinter Cell's are near the top of the priority list.