Microsoft Pulling Back on 360 Backwards Compatibility

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Jeff Greeson

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<a href="http://www.trmk.org/features/Mortal_Kombat_Deception_on_Xbox_360/"><img src="http://www.realmmedia.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1757&g2_serialNumber=9" width="150" height="87" class="newslink" align="right" hspace="4" vspace="4" /></a>When <b>Microsoft</b> was gearing up to release the <b>Xbox 360</b>, one of the biggest questions was whether or not the console will feature backwards compatibility of <b>Xbox</b> games. While it took <b>Microsoft</b> quite some time to make the <a href="http://www.trmk.org/news/15912/mk_deception_to_be_backwards_compatible_on_xbox_360.html">announcement</a>, <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mkd/">Mortal Kombat: Deception</a> was on the initial list of games to be backwards compatible and playable on the <b>Xbox 360</b>.

Unfortunately, the emulation was extremely buggy as mentioned in our <a href="http://www.trmk.org/features/Mortal_Kombat_Deception_on_Xbox_360/">Mortal Kombat: Deception on Xbox 360</a> feature, which subsequently caused the game to be <a href="http://www.trmk.org/news/16308/mortal_kombat_deception_removed_from_xbox_360_list.html">pulled from the list</a> the month following the <b>Xbox 360</b> release.

However, no news has been released on when <b>Deception</b> is going to return to the compatibility list and it may look like it may never make its return. <b>Peter Moore</b>, Corporate VP of Microsoft's gaming interests, mentioned that "nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility" in an <a href="http://games.kikizo.com/news/200605/155_p2.asp">interview</a> with <a href="http://www.kikizo.com">Kikizo Games</a>. <b>Moore</b> also mentioned that <b>Microsoft</b> has actually "under promised and over delivered" on the backwards compatibility front for the <b>Xbox 360</b>.

It appears that <b>Microsoft</b> is no longer focusing on backward compatibility with the <b>Xbox 360</b> and it might well mean that <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mortal_kombat_armageddon/">Mortal Kombat: Armageddon</a> has practically no shot at being playable on the <b>Xbox 360</b>.
 
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Microsoft said:
...under promised and over delivered...
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What a bunch of panzis. No one cares about backwards compatability? EF you peter moore.

You know sony might do the same thing with ps3. They are also using software to emulate rather then hardware (like ps2 for psx).
 
Oh well, good thing I wasn't planning on getting one anyway. Sucks that it doesn't have it though.
 
Jeff Greeson said:
It appears that <b>Microsoft</b> is no longer focusing on backward compatibility with the <b>Xbox 360</b> and it might well mean that <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mortal_kombat_armageddon/">Mortal Kombat: Armageddon</a> has practically no shot at being playable on the <b>Xbox 360</b>.
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If this is true, it looks like i won't be getting MKA... since i no longer own the Original Xbox.
 
Hahaha.

This is funny, some people are just too QUICK to get rid of their older consoles. The 360 is not the be all and end all of gaming you know. That's one reason I keep all of my systems. Don't worry, sim, we'll tell ya what MKA is like.

ROFL...
 
Jeff Greeson said:
Corporate VP of Microsoft's gaming interests, mentioned that "nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility" in an <a href="http://games.kikizo.com/news/200605/155_p2.asp">interview</a>...
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I love how he thinks <i>for</i> us. If a VP says it, it must be true. I guess I'm not concerned with backwards compatibility.
 
It's kind of rediculous. That just means they shouldn't have rushed 360, and worked on it better. But hey, I don't really care considering I still have my X-box.
 
This just goes to show here. Peter Moore makes this general statement that know one is really concerned with the old XBOX game being backwards comp. That is crap. I still do have my org XBOX and I would love for the old game to play on the XBOX360. Specially new XBOX games because there really isn't that many really exciting games for the XBOX360 until I get my hands on Dead Rising and I might get Ninety Nine Nights. I still have Need for Speed Most Wanted and had Dead or Alive but I got bored with that quick. His statements want me to sell both XBOX systems and get a PS3. At least they will have PS1 and PS2 games still working on a PS3 for sure
 
Hydro said:
At least they will have PS1 and PS2 games still working on a PS3 for sure
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True, but they will have to make them compatible just like what Microsoft did. They won't all be playable on the PS3.
 
If you look back, how many PS1 titles had problems running on the PS2? Very few, and it was out of the box with no need of driver upgrades (and no HDD required, even though the system includes one).

The emulation was solid because it used a combination of both hardware and software (the PS1's CPU was the old model PS2's I/O controller). It's the same case with the PS3, so there will be few hitches.
 
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Umon Daisuke said:
If you look back, how many PS1 titles had problems running on the PS2? Very few, and it was out of the box with no need of driver upgrades (and no HDD required, even though the system includes one).

The emulation was solid because it used a combination of both hardware and software (the PS1's CPU was the old model PS2's I/O controller). It's the same case with the PS3, so there will be few hitches.
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That's mostly right. Ps2 banked off the hardware for backwards compatibility. The PS3 will NOT be doing the same thing though. I don't know where you got that from. PS3 is going to handle backwards compatibility the same way the 360 is doing, with software.
 
Like I said, it was a combination of both hardware and software as a modified PS1 CPU alone wouldn't have sufficed to run games perfectly. If it were fully hardware based, there wouldn't have been any compatibility issues (MKT anyone?). Of course, the slim model relies on software emulation completely as it lacks the PS1 CPU for I/O controller.

As to where I got that bit about the PS3, it's here:

http://mnishi.cocolog-nifty.com/mnishi/2006/06/e3winhec_9a1b.html

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9602

As you can see, it's not confirmed but it wouldn't be surprising either. Well, a bit of a surprise since SCEI was hiring emulation engineers for the project in late 2002. Still, my point remains that getting b/c out of the box with the PS3 with almost every PS/PS2 title is a big plus and beats the solution MS offers. With a higher MSRP, one shouldn't expect less though.
 
Hey, sorry about that. I saw this article earlier today but the realm media forums were down almost all day today. I was going to edit my post but here we are.

It seems like this is relatively new stuff. Sony was planning to use software but it looks like it wont be done in time and they will have to use hardware (YES)! That's why I didn't believe you. I apologize.
 
No need to apologize Dave :) I should've included the link earlier.

CT, that's true for the most of us (still haven't decided whether to get the PS3 at launch or later myself). But, I bet you'd be glad you pop in the game 2 years from now on a next gen console. I reckon the pressure from MK fans will be great enough on MS to provide an emulator for MKA at the very least.
 
Umon Daisuke said:
CT, that's true for the most of us (still haven't decided whether to get the PS3 at launch or later myself).
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I make it a habit never to buy the first series of any gaming console. No matter how technologically advanced they may be, I hold off for the second or even third series. For two reasons, they are cheaper by then and also the bugs if any have been fully screened out of the hardware.

Umon Daisuke said:
But, I bet you'd be glad you pop in the game 2 years from now on a next gen console.
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Never have, never will. But it's nice to have that option available, dude. As an example, I have a rather extensive collection of old games, including PSX. Yet only once have I actually played a PSX game in my PS2. I like to use the system that the game was developed for. Call me crazy, but that's how I am.

Of course emulation is a different story altogether, lol.

Umon Daisuke said:
I reckon the pressure from MK fans will be great enough on MS to provide an emulator for MKA at the very least.
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Now that would be grand, but only if the emulator is spoton. Not some half-assed bodgy setup, if you know what I mean. I use Emulators a fair bit, so we shall see, dude.
 
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This is just another blatant example of Microsoft trying to get a jump on the competition and getting a boot in the face later. They released their console a year ahead of everybody else and they've greatly suffered for it. If Microsoft had just had patience and developed their console properly maybe it wouldn't suck.
 
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