A Case For Backward Compatibility

So with the announcements for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One out of the way, they both have something very critical in common: neither are backwards compatible. Backwards compatibility allows one to use the previous generation's stuff on the new generation, and in terms of video game systems, this would mean that PS3 and Xbox 360 games would be compatible on their successors. However, this is not the case.

Now, the reasoning behind not doing this is two fold. First, they want to upgrade the systems and their graphics and hardware, etc, so they tell us that the old software is simply not compatible with the new. Seems a tad unlikely, really, the it is impossible for the old stuff to work on the new, since the new is more powerful in terms of processing, etc, and they have access to the proprietary coding for both. They'd have us believe that playing the old games on the new system is like trying to play VHS tapes on a DVD player, yet a Bluray player will run not only DVDs but VCDs as well.

Their other public reasoning is that people don't buy a new system to play old games on it. This is true, of course, but they miss the circumstances under which someone would buy a new system when they own the old one. Follow me on this line of reasoning.

I own a Wii. The WiiU is backwards compatible just as the Wii was backwards compatible with the GameCube, which I also owned. I love my video games and played the heck out of those systems. They still work, but when the new stuff comes out, I start looking to see what's new. With the WiiU, I know I can continue to play all of my existing games and use my existing Wii remotes, so I can simply consider the system an upgrade and replacement to what I have and then explore the new games at my leisure.

However, for me to purchase an Xbox One or PS4, I would need to see what new games are being released and have a gaming need to buy one system or the other along with the motivation to replace all hardware and make sure I had yet more space around my TV and in my receiver to accommodate the extra system alongside my existing system, since I would have to keep it hooked up for some time to finish out whichever games I still had to get through. After all, old systems don't die because I new one comes out.

I feel like neglecting backwards compatibility because you don't buy new systems to play old games misses the market that owns the existing systems and simply want to upgrade. For me, I would probably grab an Xbox One sooner if I could consider it an upgrade for the hundred games I now have. I will need considerable motivation to plunk down $600 to play a $60 game. "Must have" only goes so far.