360 Backwards Compatibility Update

[chrisbid1]

in general the more the better, but face it, these updates probably do a better job of highlighting the lackluster backward compatibility problem more than it does appeasing those who want it.

[feilong801]

Let me add a different perspective to all of this.

Some people, due to a combination of income and having smaller homes where one does not want to accumulate lots of stuff, sell their previous gen consoles when they upgrade to new gen.

I'm one of those people. I hate to do it, but like I said, its a combination of practical concerns and trying to make my hobby have a small financial footprint.

Fortunately, while I was an Xbox owner for a few years, only a couple of games were actually all that vital to me. Halo 2, KOTOR (the BC problems really suck on that one, so that's a problem), Rocky Legends (fun, simple game that's always a good time, and works well with BC, fortunately), Jade Empire, and Morrowind.

So I "lived with" the BC situation.

But with Wii, BC is a huge bonus. I love having access to the library of excellent, cheap new and used GCN titles. I like that not only could I continue to play my favorites from that system, but I could use my memory card and controllers also!

-Rob

[Atarifever1]

[QUOTE=chrisbid]in general the more the better, but face it, these updates probably do a better job of highlighting the lackluster backward compatibility problem more than it does appeasing those who want it.[/QUOTE]
And that's my point.  They aren't saving face here; they are consistently reminding people of their main deficiency, and for what?  So people can come on message boards and talk about exactly how deficient their BC is. 

As I said before "kind" isn't exactly the word for it, but it does imply a "big picture" perspective where long term customer satisfaction is aimed for.  They have to weather the storm early on so that their customers, early adopters and later ones, have a very slightly better experience in the future.    

[Sudz1]

I agree with an earlier poster, backwards compatibility as an important component to their existing consumer base was woefully underestimated by Microsoft.  The PS2 is the best selling videogame console system ever partly because of it's complete backwards compatibility to the existing PS system; people could easily justify buying the new PS2 because afterall it was simply a more enabled better technology they could keep using their existing game collection on while opening up the possibility of newer, better games.  I have an Xbox and would probably be more amenable to buying a 360 if I knew the second I got it home it could act as a complete replacement for my existing Xbox.  Since it can't, and I know I would have to start purchasing 360 specific games just to get use out of it, it makes it far less likely I'll bother getting one.  I think it's ridiculous that backward compatibility even for the few games they have is dependent upon software emulation and not simply a native, built-in feature.  Here, too, Microsoft dropped the ball.
Sudz

[m0zart1]

[QUOTE=Sudz]I agree with an earlier poster, backwards compatibility as an important component to their existing consumer base was woefully underestimated by Microsoft.  The PS2 is the best selling videogame console system ever partly because of it's complete backwards compatibility to the existing PS system; people could easily justify buying the new PS2 because afterall it was simply a more enabled better technology they could keep using their existing game collection on while opening up the possibility of newer, better games.  I have an Xbox and would probably be more amenable to buying a 360 if I knew the second I got it home it could act as a complete replacement for my existing Xbox.  Since it can't, and I know I would have to start purchasing 360 specific games just to get use out of it, it makes it far less likely I'll bother getting one.  I think it's ridiculous that backward compatibility even for the few games they have is dependent upon software emulation and not simply a native, built-in feature.  Here, too, Microsoft dropped the ball.[/QUOTE]

Yes.  And at least outside of the United States and Japan, Sony is dropping the ball too, at least with the PS3.  They promised full BC to PS1 and PS2.  They are now only delivering a very tiny subset of both.  So they are really making it hard for the traditionally hot Sony fans in Europe to consider investing in the already-overpriced PS3.

Seriously, didn't anyone learn a lesson from Nintendo's historic mishaps in this?  Doesn't anyone remember the SNES years?  How hard it was for Nintendo to gain ground over the Genesis?  Analysts were pointing out right and left that Nintendo really screwed up by not including BC to the NES, for the simple fact that it meant a lot of parents saw no reason to start over with the SNES when the Genesis was already on the market, was cheaper, and already had a bevy of games.  The SNES eventually won, but they had to fight a lot harder than they would have if they had had some initial market share in the 16-bit race, and part of the reason they didn't have that was a lack of BC.

In the handheld market, it's hard for someone to take Nintendo's "first dibs" spot away from them, partially because everyone knows they can play old games on the handhelds, immediately justifying the expense, and the sheer history and depth of that huge game collection.  But in the console market, Nintendo has never had BC until the Wii.  Sony basically HAS that same thing in the console market -- a huge collection of software to justify the purchase of a new "ubermachine" on the basis of BC alone, and they have made a willful choice to lose out now.  It makes no sense at all.

[Leo Ames]

Still sucky, I have over 30 games that won't work including a ton that are better than most of those on that list. I'm glad I still have a original Xbox but it sucks that my friends that don't have theirs hooked up still can't play games like RalliSport Challenge 2 with me.

[ActRaiser1]

Man, you guys can complain.  Seriously, it's more than what was offered previously.  Odds are I'm not going to go back and play them anyways but it's a great option to have. 

Can they do better?  Absolutely, regardless, it's nice that MS is still working on this stuff as realistically, very few of us will throw in an older game compared to something a bit newer.

[Funkmaster V]

Can you play Street Fighter Ann Collection on Xbox live with this update?

FUNK

[ActRaiser1]

[QUOTE=Funkmaster V]Can you play Street Fighter Ann Collection on Xbox live with this update?

FUNK
[/QUOTE]

Yep, worked great, ie I got my ass handed to me every single freaking time.

[Alienblue]

I have no intention of getting an Xbox360, but the lack of being backwards compatible still affects me. I got an Xbox cheap, but do you have any idea how hard it is to find Xbox games now!? PS2 and Gamecube-sure,no problem, just like GBA the newer systems take the old stuff "raw", so games are easy to find in bargain bins and there are even a few NEW ones! But X360 came out a year ago, and after HALO2 it was like Microsoft was "What's an XBOX? We only make X360!" .... the only games I've gotten for it to date have been mailed to me from a freind (thanks M!)

I HAVE heard a rumor a department store in the next town is blowing out old XB games...stay tuned...!