Full Backwards Compatibility means a win for the next XBOX for me

"TruTechNoid Write's":
After reading the article today about the supposed leak of some of the final specs of the next XBOX (Code-Named Durango), it got me thinking about how important of a move this may be for Microsoft in the success of their next console within the first few years of the Next-Gen battle.

[Lucreto]

If it is true. I seen this on Gaf yesterday and it was just a pastebin so I have my doubts.

[Enemy]

I love how a win for this "trutechnoid" means being able to play last gen games, lol. Get some new games, fools. It's because of people like you Microsoft will drag behind in games again.

[ma1asiah]

PC has legacy support does this mean that they also drag behind in games. All this equates to is you have access to a bigger library right off the bat...It makes it possible for you to keep playing old favorites while developers work on adding new games to that library that are strictly aimed at the consoles current specs. It doesn't stop anyone from buying new games.

This makes me laugh you know MS get blamed for so much, yet some of the biggest games released this generation saw the light of day on Xbox first.....Mass Effect and Bioshock to name but a few examples. Hey look at that they were both new IP's yes they didn't remain exclusive to the Xbox, yet that changes nothing about where they first found their foothold as emerging great franchises. Since if Xbox gamers hadn't flocked to these games like bees to honey we may never have seen the likes of ME 2 or 3 or possibly Bioshock 2 and the critically acclaimed Bioshock Infinite.....possibly

[gman_moose]

@ma1asiah

Because it's not possible to play your old 360 games on say.... your 360? BC is a space saver. Nothing more.

Sure, it would be nice if all consoles supported it, so you could do away with your old ones, but it's not the end of the world. I'm buying a PS4 to play games made for PS4, not PS3. I have a console to play those on already.

[SkyGamer]

Of course it was going to be full BC. They owned the chipsets of X360. Why wouldn't they use it? That was the whole basis of X360.

[Mkai28]

Not only that, but imagine playing your favorite Xbox games in true 1080p.

[Mkai28]

Also, as you know. The Xbox 360 has ATI GPU in it, the Durango is rumored to run with the ATI/AMD GPU again.

According to an anonymous individual claiming to be software engineer posting leaked information to Pastebin, that's not going to be the case: the Xbox 720 could play most Xbox 360 games without trouble thanks to the presence of a Xenon chip alongside the main AMD APU - giving the Xbox 720 the ability to run the Xbox 360 games directly on the same processor as the one for which they were written.

[Mounce]

Sshhh...It's a win! ALL those epic names from Xbox and 360.

Meaning you can play Halo 1,2,3,4, ODST and Reach without switching CONSOLES! O-M-G!....

Well, without trying to make fun of the 360's Library or Xbox's original classics. At the very least that may mean people that may want to play Lost Odyssey can still do so and it may be even Downloadable in the future perhaps on the Xbox market on the 720? Like what PSN generally always does.

[Urusernamesucks]

Also Crack down 2, perfect dark, mass effects 1,2, l4d 1 n 2, Minecraftxb360ed(with xboxmini), fables 2n 3, Gears of wars 2 3 n judgement, Forza horizon n motosport, Alan wake,
Halo wars,and all the other multiplats, so on and so on...

[Mounce]

@Uru

You're grasping at straws....especially if you give me games that are easily on PC and superior on PC..... You really put L4d and ME games?

Mass Effect 1,2,3 is on PS3 so I don't know what crack you're smoking or if you're just some kind of labwarrior-clone from Gametrailers, lol.

[GadgetGooch]

Gamer's can still hope i suppose lol

[Godmars290]

This still begs the question: what happens to those old multiplayer titles and features when their servers are shut down?

[maniacmayhem]

I suspect what happens when any other server for multiplayer gets shut down for any game on any system.

[coolbeans]

Xultation (server heaven)?

[MikeMyers]

Then they get shut down like games have in the past.

[Hands Up For Games]

A rumour is a rumour is a rumour. Doesnt matter if its a positive or a negative one.

MS have somehow kept a lid on things and no one knows for sure what the NextBox is going to be.

We will keep getting articles telling us this, that and the other, but until Microsoft have there event and announce it themselves, its all guesswork.

More importantly for Microsoft its getting everyone talking on every gaming website about something that doesnt exist.

They can either fuck it up or blow us all away. Exciting times.

[Knight_Crawler]

Well said, until its confirmed by MS everything about the Durango is fake...hell even the name 720 is fake.

With that said you got to admit that if it was not for all these rumors, gaming website would have no interesting hot news to report.

In the end be it good or bad rumors MS still wins with all this free publicity that they have been getting...if you did not know about the 720 before I think its safe to say that you know about it now.

Edit: Am I the only one who found it weird that Sony announced its console before MS?

Edit 2: Also 100% BC benefits MS in huge way because this means that they can keep supporting the 360 for a long time since 720 only owners will have access to 360 games, for examples MS can release a 360 exclusive game like Lost Odyssey 2 and 720 only owners will be able to play it which means more sales.

Edit 3: So does this mean that if I am playing Halo 4 online on my 720, I can play against people that are playing Halo 4 online on a 360...Sweet.

[Oh_Yeah]

That's how it worked with the 360 before they shut down the original xbox servers you could play with them.

[MikeMyers]

Good or bad rumors they are setting themselves up for high expectations. Problem is Microsoft never really has that impressive E3 showings. When they do unveil the next Xbox they also have to show they are still committed to the Xbox 360.

[Nafon]

I always liked this video about MS's E3 last year...

[MikeMyers]

That was pretty good. 2010 and 2011 would be a better fit for that video.

[Tainted Gene]

oh and Sony's E3 appearances are always stellar

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[thebudgetgamer]

Hey alright, that's awesome for you.

[colonel179]

So I want to pay $400-$500 for a NEW system to play my OLD games instead of the console I already own (hence why I have old games) which even if I didn't it would cost me $200 or less. Yeah, that sounds logical.

I really don't understand why this obsession about backward compatibility. Old systems didn't have it. Nobody complained that the SNES couldn't play NES games, or that the N64 couldn't play SNES games. I used BC once with the PS3 only because I purchased it really early after launch. I should have waited a few months, so the only game I had to play was god of war 2 (which launched after I bought the PS3 and I never had a PS2)

For me, new games, new IPs, new experiences are what wins me over to buy a console, not BC.

[Skips]

Pretty much.

I have a launch PS3 and I honestly don't even remember when the last time I used BC. In fact, I know MANY people with launch PS3's who don't even look at their PS2/PS1 games. lmfao.

I admit, it's nice to have, but seriously... there are just way too many games to play that are already out, or coming out for me to warrant playing OLD games I've already played and experienced when said games were at their prime. lol

BC is nice but it's just WAAAAAAAAAY over blown.

[Karpetburnz]

I agree with this, It would be a nice feature, but its not a MUST HAVE. Im keeping my PS3 and all my PS3 games so if I ever wanted to play an old PS3 game, I could just plug in my PS3.

I dont understand why some people want to buy their next gen consoles to play last gen games, Im getting the PS4 to play PS4 games. And if I did want to sell my PS3, there is still Gaikai.

[princejb134]

It became important ones ps2 could play ps1 games
Yet when I had a ps2 I did not ones touch those ps1 games
Same goes for ps3
I had the 60 gig and never played my ps2 games on it

[nevin1]

Your way off Colonel.

Having BC improves your options day 1. What I mean by that clearly PS4/720 games won't be much its 1st year anyway. The Console will be full of ports from PS3/360 games.

If you give away your PS3/360 via sell, gift etc. All is not loss if BC was in PS4/720. Big games are still coming to PS3/360. Games like Batman Orgins, Gran Turismo 6, Metal Gear Solid 5 and GTA 5 are currently PS3/360 only if not mistaken.

[colonel179]

I get what you're saying, however, it gets a time when you make a choice. Whether you choose to trade, sell or give away your PS3 to buy the new PS4 knowing that it doesn't have BC, or you choose to keep it and keep playing all the games you mentioned.

I know for a fact that I will still have my PS3 even after purchasing the PS4. I know some people can't make that choice, and would want to get some money from a trade to complete the payment for a PS4, but it's all about choice.

You might have the option to play PS3 games in the PS4, but how many times are you going to use it? Also, even if you use it everyday, SOny has to look at the overall picture and the statistics to know if its worth the cost of implementing it. In this case, is obviously not, since the PS3 and PS4 are completely different architectures, so they had to sacrifice that to give us better options.

[GadgetGooch]

Hmm not many people can afford to buy the console straight up as stated in the article and also it is a lot closer this time in terms of games, There's gonna be games that get released next year on current gen that people who couldn't afford to buy the next gen console outright and had to put there current gen console towards to purchase won't be able to play and will miss out but if BC is included then they will have the opportunity to grab hold, Not to mention GTA5. A lot of people are going to have to give the current console. But hey it's all still rumor yet but for me it would be nice to be included, It would give me one extra vital HDMI slot that i solely need.

[ThatsGaming]

360 and PS3 is different for backwards compatibility because of achievements and trophies.

I like the idea of revisiting old games to get achievements/trophies.

And typically in the first year of a new console cycle games that truly take advantage of the consoles are few and far between.

[ceedubya9]

True. But, BC is a pretty good bonus to have. I like having one console to play all of my games instead of two. There are games that I have now, and will probably get between now and next year that I will want to play/buy and if I don't have to hold on to my 360 to do that, then I certainly won't be upset about it. More of a convenience than a necessity.

[Darrius Cole]

Nevin is right. Take me for instance. My PS3 was stolen. So now I have to choose between a PS3 and a PS4. If the PS4 was BC, then I would not have to choose. As it stands right now, the two systems are competing against each other, and are holding my money hostage. If this is true, the 720 & 360 won't have that problem.

In the first year new systems don't have a lot of games, but the old systems have huge install bases and get plenty games. After the first year BC really doesn't matter much, if at all.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

I was wondering how the other side would try spin having BC as a bad thing. You've done a marvelous job.

[VR-4nic]

"Full Backwards Compatibility means a win for the next XBOX for me."

If you want to play old games that bad then just get a 360! BC is irrelevant after the first year of a new consoles life cycle! PS3 has obviously proven this by selling about as many and eventually more then the Xbox360 without any BC for the majority of its life. BC is overrated and a waste of momey!

[maniacmayhem]

How about getting a new Nextbox that can play old and NEW games. Sounds like a better deal to me right?

Especially with the vast amount of back catalog games that the system has. And there still is a market for older games and the proof is in the HD remakes, digital offerings and fan requests you still see today.

BC is not overrated and it must be some what important or the topic would never come up during a new console's beginning.

[VR-4nic]

All I'm saying is the vast majority of games have proven that not having BC in a console will not make or break said new console. The PS3 has proven this by selling about even with the 360 and will overtake it soon enough.

The point is if you already have all these last gen games then you should already own that system too. BC is an extra added expense in a nexgen console. I would much rather have the best nexgen tech over last gen hardware added that I already own! PS4 8GB GDDR5 > ?Durango? ?8GB DDR3?+BC?

In the end I will get a nexbox after the PS4 but I would prefer it to be as powerful as possible and if BC takes away from its overall power then NO THANKS to BC!

[Karpetburnz]

You do have a point, BC is irrelavant after the first year, Its not a MUST HAVE feature, but It would be nice to have because it would save you some effort from plugging in your PS3 all the time.

But as for the people saying "what will I do with all my PS3 games if I cant play them on my PS4?" KEEP YOUR PS3!! If you want to play last gen games so badly then why is it a problem keeping your PS3?

[SonyPS4]

All of a sudden having a console that plays games from other consoles is a bad thing. Meanwhile it's awesome being able to download the games from the XBL marketplace or buying them on an HD collection.

[Lifebanisher]

so spending another 99$ for the xbox mini is a win for you when you already have the xbox 360? ok...

[AngryEnglish]

Lifebanisher...... You obviously didn't read the rumour as there won't be a need for an Xbox mini.... Is it says the BC will be in the form of 360 SoC... Just like the ps3 did at 1st... You sell your current Xbox, put the cash towards a new system, not only have you upgraded to the next gen but you still have this gen, and don't forget the leap this time from this gen to next gen isn't going to be as huge as was ps2 to ps3/360.

Also when a system launches they have only so many games, there will be plenty of times in the 1st months that you will reach back to your older games all your mates still play.

I have a feeling that the 360 is going to still be around for a while, ms are going to do what Nintendo did with the Wii, make a smaller version at a price point that's gonna be hard to say no to the casuals.

Don't know about any of you, but I'd rather have a $99-$129 Xbox or ps3 over a Wii and Wii u any day.

[maniacmayhem]

I hope this is true because I purchased a 60 gig launch PS3 just for the sake of having BC. BC no matter what others say is very important to me and if the next Box can have it then that is a definite deal breaker for what next console I will purchase.

(That is of course it also doesn't block used games)

Also it makes sense that MS would do this seeing as Halo 4 is still relatively new and is still going strong on the 360. I would think they wouldn't want to kill their user base and not have this game playable for the new system.

Anyways, hope THESE rumors are true and not the others we have been getting. It does sound like there was some confusion with the two sku's and as usual the internet ran with it.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

theres always that chance. BUT still waiting for MS to actually say something.

[ColinZeal]

Yeah, But IF this is correct, enjoy Halo 3!

[FantasyStar]

You guys remember that "Forward Compatibility" rumor back in '09?

[Jakens]

Something like improve certain 360 games when played on 720.

[oOMICHAELOo]

If this is true I will def be buying it day 1!

[Knightofelemia]

Backwards compatibility honestly I don't care much for anymore. The games look better when they get an HD remake of a popular title. Or the title from the old consoles is avaliable for download on the PSN and XBL and Nintendo store. Quite honestly if PS4 or Xbox720 do not have backwards compatibility so what. I still use my PS3 to play the older titles. Just like I use my PS2 for its titles and my PS1 for its titles. When Sony made the PS2 with backwards compatability I used it mainly for PS2 titles. Honestly unless Microsoft announces what its next gen is going to have for features and wether its going to be always online or not play used games then I'll believe it. Right now all people go off of is rumors about the console. I don't get rid of my old consoles so if and I say if the Xbox720 does have backwards compatability I don't care because I am not getting rid of my Xbox360.

[Jek_Porkins]

If it is true it'll be a huge feather in the cap for Microsoft, but it doesn't mean victory in the console war. It is important to a lot of people and you just get the feeling Sony wanted to have that feature but because of the Cell processor,they couldn't.

Hopefully some of these newer next-Box rumors come to be true, I'm liking how it sounds, but nothing is official until they come out and say so.

[dboyman]

If this is true and Microsoft does offer an Xbox "System on a chip" solution to BC on the 720, it might force Sony to reconsider making a "Deluxe" PS4 with and included Cell/RSX processor

[papajag]

Unless Xbox isn't changing their choice of media format then this won't happen or the price tag will be ridiculous. MS would be crazy to keep the dual layer DVD because we need more disc space.

[Darrius Cole]

Blu-ray players can read DVD's. So the 720 could still be BC if it had a bluray drive.

[air1]

I remember reading about how the next box will also enhance the game.. funny how its not important to a certain few

[DarkZane]

Doubt it will happen because it's impossible unless they have the exact same architecture or a very similar one.

[Belking]

Next xbox is sounding excellent. BC is a smart thing.

[ColinZeal]

Agree, it is. For the first 1-2 years.

[Belking]

Nope. Don't assume that everyone who buys a 720 bought a 360. The old games will be a nice thing to have around. Games like GTAV will not be for the new consoles. BC for xbox 720 is a plus. Sony should od went that route too because relying on streaming is too risky.

[Kurt Russell]

I think it will be good to have, it means earlier console adopters will still be able to play with their current friends lists who may be waiting a while before upgrading. That can only be a good thing imo.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

If all rumours come true we may see two versions of the xbox.
A basic model and a pro model with he latter model having the 360 SOC and DDR4 .
This guy explaain the advantages of ddr4.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[WeAreLegion]

Backwards compatibility is something I think most gamers will want. I don't personally care because I've already played through all the noteworthy games on the 360, but I'm sure many people entering the next generation have not gotten the chance.

It guarantees a large library on day one.

The same goes for the PS3. If I can just stream the games I've purchased on the PSN via Gaikai...then, my library is years long.

I am so excited for the next generation! All of these rumors about these systems has me a bit worried about the Wii U, however. I know more announcements were made today, but will a handful of games be enough to compete with the big boys?

[Avernus]

Honestly don't know what's the big deal about BC. Yea it's nice to have, but it's not a game changer for me. I still have my old consoles, and they're nothing more than a cable change away.

A win? I guess that's personal opinion. A win for me is who is thinking more about gamers...core gamers, and not some casual market thing. We shall see.

[Welcome2Die]

This is by far the worst gen in video games yet, so I really dont think that BC would be a good thing....

[SOULJER]

Free Live for the win.

[gigoran]

Right, because you don't mind throwing away that console you previously purchased for several hundred dollars. it's not like it's wasteful or anything, right? It won't do BC anyway. And if it does, I hope that is ramps up the price really high!

[headblackman]

I'm more so psyched to see how the next Xbox will be able to tap into the xbox 360's system specs to increase the next Xbox specs. if this is trust it will be a drastic leap over the competition in every area. all of this is a rumor but I really hope that its possible

[strigoi814]

BC is good if you have good games to play..but if you are only a fan of shooters..meh not worth paying extra bucks

[ALLWRONG]

Full BC could be a win but we still don't know anything. A few years ago MS said something about how they wanted gamertags, DLC, and achievements to continue after the 360. That would mean full BC, but they could have changed the plans 1000 times since then.

[urwifeminder]

Peer to peer keeps a lot of old games online grid can only be played on 360 online as far as consoles go so it would be good having both official and peer servers in the future.

[dcbronco]

BC may be more important for Microsoft. If there was any truth to 360 games looking better and running better on the 720 BC is important.

[Jakens]

6 year old games will still be getting patches if this is true. I really want something like that. (Speaking for myself)