Confirmed: Xbox II Not Backward Compatibile

Guess I'll sell the beast while its still worth something.

http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?i...

Morons.

Keep it as a DVD player/arcade emulator.

If this ""feature"" comes to pass, then I will not be purchasing the Xbox2.

And I agree, morons.

"1Dgaf" wrote:

Keep it as a DVD player/arcade emulator.

Right now, its a dust collector.

Right now, mine used as music storage.

If you read the first article, it is basically based upon rumor, innuendo, and unknown sources.. I would keep my mind open on this subject until the specs are announced.

"Mayfield" wrote:

If you read the first article, it is basically based upon rumor, innuendo, and unknown sources.. I would keep my mind open on this subject until the specs are announced.

Gamebiz doesn''t do much rumor mongering-they are a real news site which tracks the industry.

If they say they have an inside source, they have one.

Here is the telling business quote:

""According to a source close to the project, internal Microsoft figures suggest that only 10 per cent of PlayStation 2 purchasers were interested in the console''s ability to play titles developed for the original PlayStation.""

That sounds like Microsoft reasoning to me.

Although, don''t like the whole Idea with no backward compatibility, but no hard drive... that''s pushing it. Xbox pretty much became the main console of the house but it does not look like the x2 will have its spot in the house for some time. Long time unless Halo3 or Ninja Gaiden2 will come out for it. Also I happen to fall into that 10percent that did by PS2 because of its backward compatibility. I hope PS3 will feature it as well.

Well, that''s just another reason to choose the PS3 I guess. I assume Sony is doing backwards compatability again, right? If so, PS3 = huge library of games right out the door, Xbox2 = a few crappy launch titles. Hmm, yeah.

I haven''t even finished most of my Xbox games yet. Why would I buy a new Xbox console that won''t let me do that? I''m not going to keep 2 Xboxes around.

Does anyone else get the impression that there are some serious wars still being waged inside MS as to what to do with the XBox 2? I get the definite feeling that NOTHING is final yet - extremely troubling if MS still wants to ship in ''05.

"KillerTomato" wrote:

Does anyone else get the impression that there are some serious wars still being waged inside MS as to what to do with the XBox 2? I get the definite feeling that NOTHING is final yet - extremely troubling if MS still wants to ship in ''05.

Yeah, the fact that quotes like that are starting to leak is evidence of serious dissention. I think they don''t even get close to their release date, since so many issues are still up in the air.

"mateo" wrote:
"1Dgaf" wrote:

Keep it as a DVD player/arcade emulator.

Right now, its a dust collector.

Right now it''s the center of my media experience. I watch all my movies, tv shows, listen to all my albums, play all the old arcade and nes games, you name it. I''m still blown away about how slick it is at doing everything, those guys at XBMC sure know what they are doing.

The PS2 on the other hand.. that thing''s coughing up dustballs and bathing in cobwebs.. if it wasn''t for MGS3 I''d ditch it for the DS fund.

In regards to backwards compatibility. Who cares? I think I''ve played FFVII a couple times for nostalgia sake on the PS2, but other than that, 90% of 3D games do NOT age well, so therefore a huge portion of the PSX Catalog is not worth playing.

I seriously don''t think I''ll be playing much Halo 1 when Halo 3 launches (featuring ""classic"" levels re-done, like Blood Gulch and Hang em High :))

Ahhhhh, but swat, that is the opinion of what I consider a more advanced user. If I have a huge library of PS2 games, and the chance to trade in my PS2 for something I know will play all those games, it is an easy decision, no? But would you trade in your XBox for a system without a harddrive (meaning you will do a lot less with something more expensive) and have to keep a second system stacked up in your entertainment center just to play the great games that will continue to be released for XBox through 2005/2006?

If Sony is including backwards compatibility, PS3 will be my next console. I think Nintendo would be incredibly shrewd to make their next console backward compatible with the GC as well. I think MS is making a serious mistake if these rumours are true.

Backwards compatibility is not a big deal for me either. It looks good on paper but I can''t recall ever tossing a PSOne game into the PS2 to have a good time. I would only do so if I could find a copy of Bushido Blade!

"Swat" wrote:
"mateo" wrote:
"1Dgaf" wrote:

Keep it as a DVD player/arcade emulator.

Right now, its a dust collector.

Right now it''s the center of my media experience. I watch all my movies, tv shows, listen to all my albums, play all the old arcade and nes games, you name it. I''m still blown away about how slick it is at doing everything, those guys at XBMC sure know what they are doing.

The PS2 on the other hand.. that thing''s coughing up dustballs and bathing in cobwebs.. if it wasn''t for MGS3 I''d ditch it for the DS fund.

In regards to backwards compatibility. Who cares? I think I''ve played FFVII a couple times for nostalgia sake on the PS2, but other than that, 90% of 3D games do NOT age well, so therefore a huge portion of the PSX Catalog is not worth playing.

I seriously don''t think I''ll be playing much Halo 1 when Halo 3 launches (featuring ""classic"" levels re-done, like Blood Gulch and Hang em High :))

No, I don''t really care about backward compatibility, per se, but looking out a year, and thinking, well if I add to my meager xbox titles library, will I be getting much value for my purchase when I upgrade to the Xenon?

Without backward compatibility, the answer is no.

Since we are mid 2004, and it takes me forever to finish games, I can''t really see dropping $50 each on Sudeki, Fable, Riddick, Halo 2, and Doom III when I know I''ll be upgrading my console on the next round.

I''d make those purchases in a heartbeat if I was assured of compatibility, since I would be able to pay them whenever I fancied.

Guess I''ll sell the beast while its still worth something.

Wouldn''t the lack of backwards compatability make the Xbox hold it''s value a little better?

I don''t think this would be as big a deal if they were not allegedly shipping it in 2005. By then many people who just recently bought an Xbox won''t be willing to simply trash that investment. Also isn''t the PS2 the only console to ever have this capability? So maybe it won''t be such a large factor. It will be hard to tell. I assume I will buy an XBox 2 but this would have made me buy one a bit sooner than I now will.

Wouldn''t the lack of backwards compatability make the Xbox hold it''s value a little better?

It would and then why there is a need to buy X2?

I still play PS 1 games on my PS 2. There is such a large library out there that I''ve missed a ton of good games on the first go around. I never caught FF: Tactics til after I got my PS 2. I had been thinking of getting a Xbox becuase it''s library is finally getting my interest. However, if they aren''t going to make the Xbox 2 backward compatitable, I''ll just stick to the PS world for now.

"mateo" wrote:
"Swat" wrote:
"mateo" wrote:
"1Dgaf" wrote:

Keep it as a DVD player/arcade emulator.

Right now, its a dust collector.

Right now it''s the center of my media experience. I watch all my movies, tv shows, listen to all my albums, play all the old arcade and nes games, you name it. I''m still blown away about how slick it is at doing everything, those guys at XBMC sure know what they are doing.

The PS2 on the other hand.. that thing''s coughing up dustballs and bathing in cobwebs.. if it wasn''t for MGS3 I''d ditch it for the DS fund.

In regards to backwards compatibility. Who cares? I think I''ve played FFVII a couple times for nostalgia sake on the PS2, but other than that, 90% of 3D games do NOT age well, so therefore a huge portion of the PSX Catalog is not worth playing.

I seriously don''t think I''ll be playing much Halo 1 when Halo 3 launches (featuring ""classic"" levels re-done, like Blood Gulch and Hang em High :))

No, I don''t really care about backward compatibility, per se, but looking out a year, and thinking, well if I add to my meager xbox titles library, will I be getting much value for my purchase when I upgrade to the Xenon?

Without backward compatibility, the answer is no.

Since we are mid 2004, and it takes me forever to finish games, I can''t really see dropping $50 each on Sudeki, Fable, Riddick, Halo 2, and Doom III when I know I''ll be upgrading my console on the next round.

I''d make those purchases in a heartbeat if I was assured of compatibility, since I would be able to pay them whenever I fancied.

Good point, it definitely makes you look at the game purchases a bit closer, but there''s still a year and a bit before X2 hits, and that should be adequate time to complete a couple of those games

I''m not paying too much attention to the X2 news lately, for me a year and a half is still a YEAR AND A HALF away

and then why there is a need to buy X2?

Well, if you ask the MBAs, they''ll tell you the same old story - it''s all about the exclusives, man! And the Live! service! And the technical superiority of our console, man! Dude!

At which point, you tell ''em to quit bogarting and pass it on.

Hehe, seriously, MS are not stupid any more than Sony or Nintendo. They don''t do things on a lark - someone, somewhere, has justified every decision with a spreadsheet showing how it ""helps"" the XBox initiative/business unit, whether that''s with sales, licensing, market share, whatever.

What I could see is the ""no backward compatibility"" being a marketing leak. Folks will continue to buy XBoxes and games now because they want to play today''s exclusives. Then, not too long before release, MS says ""Hey, y''know, we''re customer-focused, and based on your feedback, we''re going to allow for backward compatibility, you''ll just need to buy this $30 add-on. Oh, and if the hard drive thing is so important, we also have this other cool add-on for a mere $50!""
That''d be pretty slick.

I''m not believing a thing about the xbox 2 until it hits the shelves. Xbox 1 was a million rumors until right before it launched, and I couldn''t be happier with it.

Actually, if there is no internal HD, then Live service will also be limited in terms of downloadable content. Than I agree with Bagga, nothing is said is yet green until it hits the shelves.

[edit] sp.

I never bought a PS1, so all the backwards compatibility of the PS2 did was save me from ever buying that hardware. I''ve bought a few used PS1 games for very little money (Bushido Blade 1 & 2, Parappa, Holy War). It seems like something to be avoided if you want to sell more hardware.

If you are a gamer, is it so tough to hook up another console? I have my Dreamcast and my GameCube hooked to the same TV, I''m pretty sure I could manage with Xbox 1 & 2.

I have zero interest in backwards compatability..

Since I''ll sell my original Xbox''s and all the games as soon as the Xbox 2 is released.

Why would I want to continue to play older games on a newer console.

Unlike PC games where mods can extend the life of original software way beyond its usual shelf life there is no such ability in the console world for the most part.

Are backwards compatability people the same people that still play Madden 2002?

I''m thinking the cost of providing backwards compatibility greatly exceeds the money they''ll lose over the few that will not buy an Xbox2 based on not being able to play their old games on it. I doubt they''ll lose many customers in the long run. As soon as Halo3 or Riddick2 comes out on the Xbox2 you''ll all be running to the stores to buy one. MS lost money on the first Xbox and they''re probably thinking about keeping costs down this time.

Now, I hope it doesn''t come with a HD, just so we can see Chrisg eat his shoe on a webcam! J/k, they better have more sense than to not include a HD.

Are backwards compatability people the same people that still play Madden 2002?

Nope...

[edit] Ninja Gaiden is planed for 2006 release. Not yet confired but Tomonobu Itagaki did mention that there are DOA titles that are planed before NG2.

"Supertanker" wrote:

If you are a gamer, is it so tough to hook up another console? I have my Dreamcast and my GameCube hooked to the same TV, I''m pretty sure I could manage with Xbox 1 & 2.

Exactly. What would be so horrible about having to keep your original xbox around if there''s older games you still want to play?

I could care less about backwards compatability. My old xbox will just retire to the basement TV while the new one takes it''s place in family room. If I want to play some old stuff I''ll just go downstairs.

Toughy.

And stop with the no hard drive thing. It''s going to have gigs of space avalable or I''ll eat my shoes and send a picture to the site, remember? I know the links around here somewhere.

If you are a gamer, is it so tough to hook up another console? I have my Dreamcast and my GameCube hooked to the same TV, I''m pretty sure I could manage with Xbox 1 & 2.

As an admitted packrat trying to simplify, it''s not about hooking up the console as much as it is having to keep it.
I moved into my house nearly 4 years ago and I still have stacks of boxes in the garage, my office, and my wife''s office that have never been opened once deposited by the movers.

We''ve been getting rid of crap for 4 years and still have so much we don''t know where to start on any given day that we decide is a ""Salvation Army"" day.

So, yeah, if I can save a cubic foot of space by having 1 console instead of two, you bet it''s important to me. And I think the people that want backward compatibility in a console are similar to those that pick up Fallout at Walmart for $10, or find an old copy of Discworld in a box hidden somewhere and decide to replay it. No, dated junk like the annual sports games are not likely to be replays, but I''d bet a year or two down the road when I decide I''d rather have an XBox, it''d be nice to be able to pop in some of the ""classics"" from today like PGR2 or Riddick and see what all the buzz was about, back in the day.

So you have a Dreamcast and a GC and an XBox. Aside from big parties where everyone goes to different TVs to play a game, don''t you think it''d be neat to have 1 game-playing station that did it all, fully emulating/reproducing previous technology? I would. I''d rather not have to buy an extra bit of furniture to store all the junk that goes along with having 2, 3, 4 different consoles. If my PS2 could emulate the wife''s old Sega, that''s yet another thing I could get rid of, another paperweight that comes out maybe once a year to play Buck Rogers. But the game is great, so the console stays. And the power converter, and the controllers, and the game cases for the games she never liked, and the box.

Sure, it seems small, but a packrat''s piles tend to grow.

The problem with not supplying backwards compatibility is that it significantly reduces the number of titles available for a console, especially at launch. As an example, the PS2''s launch titles were laughably awful (Fantavision? Huh?), and it took a while for quality games to trickle into the pipeline. One of the reasons it still sold like hotcakes was that people knew they could still run all their old PlayStation games, as well as using its DVD player capabilities. People like having these kind of fallback positions (""OK, so the console was a dud, but I can still use it for X"") to justify their purchase. Parents buying consoles for their children, in particular, would have a hard time justifying the purchase of a one that doesn''t have the ability to run any of the titles their wee ones are itching to play.

Unless MS is planning to have some seriously powerful titles out of the gate (and we''ve heard virtually nothing on that score a year and a half before the supposed release), the lack of backwards compatibility is going to be a serious challenge in selling this to the teeming masses. And if a console isn''t selling, EA et al ain''t gonna be making titles for it.

They could counter this by creating some serious home media center/DVR capabilities into the box itself, thus providing the secondary utility that people crave (even if they never use it).

I was thinking about it and I think the only way I would really be into backwards compatibility is if it could use that extra precessing power to smooth out the jaggies in the original Xbox games. Maybe Riddick would look like the screen shots advertised