How important is backwards compatibility to you?

[Medza]

One of the major features that is quite persistent across the 8th generation is the lack of backwards compatibility. The 7th gen has lasted for 8 years which is very long and many of us have built up quite impressive collections of games. Without backwards compatibility on both the PS4 and the Xbox One we will end up in this transition period where many people might still linger onto the old consoles because they don't support their predecessors. This is not something that has happened with the current consoles and I think that it let the transition from one generation to another flourish, but without it we might stagnate a little. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Oldman Jr]

I don't really get this, I mean ps3 and the 360 didn't have backwards comparability so guess what I did? I kept my ps2 for all the kingdom hearts goodness and if I had an xbox I would have just kept it as well. I have a feeling that it'll be the same thing as it was when current gen was just getting released aka alot of complaining but when people actually try them they're gonna love it and everyone will kinda forget about all of this.

 

[sc_shark]

It's not important. At this point playing games on Xbox or early 360 games you are going to feel cheated.

Early gamers will always have a heart for older games. Pack man and the like. We liked the simplicity of the games the story line of old Zelda but we ultimately want the game heart and sole just in next gen

What I would take is an emulator for those epic games but I don't need my 360 games. My 360 will still be running on a tv

 

[OniBlackMage]

Its a nice-to-have but its really not a deal-breaker. I personally keep all of my consoles, so if I want to play something older all it costs me is a trip to the closet.

What I find is my collection gets larger every console generation so I am often more concerned with the current gen. After all, having a backlog seems more and more common these days.

 

[Reptar_On_Ice]

I really, really wish the Xbox One had backwards compatibility, but since the PS4 and Wii-U don't either, it's kind of a moot point. That being said, if Microsoft or Sony announced that their console was going to have true backwards compatibility, I would buy whatever that console was in a heartbeat. I just hate having to keep old hardware to play games I love.

 

[prefect_lark]

It would be so nice if consoles could do this. I'm used to them not allowing it, so I don't expect it anymore, therefore it's not terribly important. But it's always been a secret wish of mine. Especially now, with so many great games coming out right before the next gen consoles. It's kind of just a more blatant excuse to make money than it ever has been before.

 

[Medza]

I don't really get this, I mean ps3 and the 360 didn't have backwards comparability so guess what I did? I kept my ps2 for all the kingdom hearts goodness and if I had an xbox I would have just kept it as well. I have a feeling that it'll be the same thing as it was when current gen was just getting released aka alot of complaining but when people actually try them they're gonna love it and everyone will kinda forget about all of this.

Both the PS3 and the 360 had backwards compatibility, the PS3 can play PS2 games and the 360 can play classic Xbox games so we are in a very different situation now than we were 8 years ago. Most likely this will reflect the sales of the new consoles because people will be reluctant to move on without some really good killer app titles to convince them.

 

[Funky Jammer]

It would def. be an advantage and worthwhile to many gamers. But I see it as depleting the overall picture of the Next-Gern system.

 

[Reptar_On_Ice]

Both the PS3 and the 360 had backwards compatibility, the PS3 can play PS2 games and the 360 can play classic Xbox games so we are in a very different situation now than we were 8 years ago. Most likely this will reflect the sales of the new consoles because people will be reluctant to move on without some really good killer app titles to convince them.

Actually, only launch PS3s could play PS2 games. Sony found it was actually too expensive to include the dual reading format, and so they started removing it about a year after the PS3 launched, I believe, so only launch versions of the console can play PS2 games. The Xbox 360 can still play classic Xbox games, though.

 

[Oldman Jr]

For PS3s' even the launch ones were a hit and miss and since the vast majority can't...ya...Also when it comes to the 360; it was only around half of classic xbox games (which is the NA version, European is less and Japanese is only like 100-150 games) which isn't real backwards compatibility. So it's like getting a single shoe, it's nice but you might as well hadn't got it at all

 

[Clark Bruce]

While it is definitely a convenient feature to have, in the long run it is really not all that important. I know I will most likely be playing next gen games on my next gen console and will hardly ever touch my old games. It would be nice however if Microsoft decided to do something similar to Sony like Gaikai. I'm very interested to see how that will work and if it does, Sony will have a pretty big advantage with that.

 

[4justice]

In any of the previous generations, I was happy to have it. But at the same time it wasn't important to me back then. Keep in mind, in previous generations our games weren't tied to our profiles. Trophies and Achievements for the home systems didn't exist either.

But now, games are tied to our profiles as are our rewards. So yes, NOW it is important to me because for the first time, you have something intangible that you'll be leaving behind.

 

[Reptar_On_Ice]

Microsoft and Sony have both confirmed that Trophies and Achievements will persist on your PSN ID/Gamertag between consoles, so, if you're worried about your cheevos, you'll be keeping them.

 

[Ersatz]

I really, really wish the Xbox One had backwards compatibility, but since the PS4 and Wii-U don't either, it's kind of a moot point. That being said, if Microsoft or Sony announced that their console was going to have true backwards compatibility, I would buy whatever that console was in a heartbeat. I just hate having to keep old hardware to play games I love.

This is how I feel. If any console came out with true backwards compatibility, I would latch onto it in a heartbeat. I like playing old games, both games that I've owned for a long time and games I discovered years later. Having the ability to pick up any of those old games would be really nice. Especially because I live in a pretty small apartment and storage space is minimal. Having to store multiple old consoles just doesn't make any sense.

 

[4justice]

Microsoft and Sony have both confirmed that Trophies and Achievements will persist on your PSN ID/Gamertag between consoles, so, if you're worried about your cheevos, you'll be keeping them.

Yeah but what's the point if I can't play those same games on the new system. You're basically saying I have to get the current system trophies/achievements now or never. So unless they firmware emulate the backward compatibility in, that takes a bit of the luster out of the rewards carrying over.

 

[Claptrap]

I think it's a great feature but I do not feel that it's important at all, so I don't mind too much that there's no BC on the new systems.

 

[ozadin]

A lot of people are always saying 'no backwards compatibility? I won't be buying this then' but what they don't realize is they're missing out. There may not be any backwards compatibility, but you can still play it on your PS3/Xbox 360 can't you? There are also better games that are offered on the Xbox One/PS4 that makes up for the backwards compatibility. It's always nice to have, but I don't find it necessary or mandatory for every console to have this option.

 

[uashwinp]

Backwards compatibility is really important because even though I won't play all my old Xbox 360 games every day, I will definitely keep a collection of my favorite titles. A time will come when we feel nostalgic all of a sudden and it's always fun to revisit games from the past simply to know how they actually were after 5 years or so.

Some suggest that I can still keep and use my Xbox 360 to play old games. It's a good take but personally I want to see the new console support it. The addition will help gamers purchase it without thinking twice about the price that Microsoft quoted.

 

[4justice]

Honestly, I feel that both companies CAN do backward compatibility if they really wanted to. And when both being more PC orientated, it's almost sure they can make emulators to handle the backward issue. Even now, you have emulators for the PS3 and 360 readily available to download on your computer. I just think they'll allow it to happen once they fully stop selling the current systems.

 

[Vortimous]

Its not a deal breaker for me... but it just seems that it COULD be there... I mean we are talking Blue Ray/DVD type discs... its not like this is a whole new cartridge that wont fit the new console... so with that in mind... it seems it could be implemented very easily.. I mean even when a computer gets and upgrade to an operating system, it can still run the discs from 5 years ago... Even if it cant, they have patches out there that make it work,.....

Like I said, it seems it could because of whats involved... I think they just want to control or push people into the new games, ala more profit....

But doesn't matter to me,.... I didn't own an xbox 360, so its not a problem for me.... just getting the new xbox one to replace my old game system....