Backward Compatibility, is it needed any longer?

Or simply an ‘emotional attachment’ to things of the past ?

by dkpatriarch:

©2008 David Hilton:

Ask yourself these questions.

Do you still play games from last gen ? Do they look, sound, and play too dated, or do you consider some of them classics you want to play again and again ? Are some of them fun trips down memory lane whenever you get jaded with this generation’s offerings ? Or, with so many games now on current generation consoles, are you over the past and chasing the future?

Is there a future for backwards compatibility,

and if so what will it be ?

Backwards compatibility, or the ability to play games from previous gen consoles on your new gen console, has been around since disc-based gaming. The PS2 allowed you to play PS1 games, though you needed a PS1 memory card.

The Xbox 360 initially seemed like it wouldn’t offer much backwards compatibility, much to the disappointment of many Xbox gamers.

However, its emulation software actually now allows for an immense number of Xbox games to be played (and saved) on the system, though you cannot migrate your game saves from the Xbox. Microsoft released updates regularly until recently which increased the catalogue of Xbox games we can play on the 360. The list is here on the site.

The PS3 in Australia initially offered emulation for many PS2 games, whereas overseas models initially came with the PS2 Emotion Engine chip that played all of them. Newer PS3 versions, however, no longer offer any backwards compatibility, contrary to all the promises made before launch that this was a key feature of the new console.

Sony seemed to have changed its mind on the importance of backwards compatibility, possibly because sales of the PS2 continue as the console becomes extremely cheap.

Nintendo’s Wii offers full backwards compatibility using Gamecube controllers and memory cards. Of course it is hard to find too many Gamecube games around in shops anymore, but if you kept any or can buy some off Ebay, you can revisit past Gamecube classics whenever you want.

So what of the future?

Microsoft has started slowly releasing some Xbox games as Xbox Originals on Live Marketplace in downloadable form. This shows that Microsoft believes there is still profit to be made in re-releasing older Xbox titles on Marketplace and that gamers still want games from the previous generation.

Apparently Sony also see the potential profit and will eventually get into the act of releasing downloadable PS2 titles on the Playstation Network’s Store. If that happens, that’s great for those with a PS3 wanting to play PS2 games on their console, though those with disc-based versions of PS2 games may be a bit sore at having to pay again to avoid the clutter of both a PS2 and PS3 sitting next to the TV.

Bigger HDD's will be the go, expect 250 gig

The problem is that at the current rate of release by the time your favourite Xbox Original or PS2 game is released in downloadable form it may be time for the next generation of consoles to be released. Also, only recently have the hard drive spaces for the 360 and PS3 increased, and those, like me, who have a 20 gig 360 and 40 gig PS3 won’t be able to hold too many games on it, having to fork out for bigger drives.

Then there is the problems we face here in Australia and other places around the world with digital distribution.Our download limits and costs are much higher and our speeds so slow compared with North America.

More cost.

If Microsoft and Sony (and even Nintendo), when they release their next generation console, decide that digital distribution is the way to offer playable past titles on the new systems, will these issues remain ? Will we wait forever for our favourite game to be released on the marketplace ? You would hope we would have improved internet here in Australia by then, but what if there isn’t ?

What will we do with our hard disc copies of 360, PS3 and Wii games that are now obsolete if we upgrade and get rid of our old console ? Will we be able to migrate our saves or will we have to start the games (some of them days long) again ? Will we have to pay again a second time for our old games ?

According to at least one analyst, Bruce Everiss, a veteran games industry marketer, future consoles will keep backwards compatibility as a priority. He boldly predicts next gen consoles will have “up to four to five times the power (and) will use massively enhanced versions of the same GPUs and CPUs  and will have a lot more memory. Backwards compatibility will be 100%”.

This would be the ideal, but may be wishful thinking. I have a large library of games from the current generation that I still will occasionally play next generation if I can, and I assume there are more gamers out there like me. I do not want to pay, download, and begin them again from the start next generation.

The screen you don't want to see when loading a old game

Providing the option to keep playing your past generation games on future generation consoles is important, and the outcry against Sony’s decision to dump backwards compatibility as well as Microsoft’s efforts to create a library of Xbox games that can be played through emulation shows that many gamers agree.

So what do you think? Will profit overrule sense and will past games only be available in downloadable form ?

Or perhaps not at all, and you’ll need to keep your old console and hope it doesn’t die? How important is backwards compatibility to you ? Leave a comment below or visit the forums.

©2008 David Hilton: