Topic: Expecting Backwards compatibility

@Tasuki: Wanting to drive old cars (playing old games) doesn't make you stuck in the past, wanting new cars to lack the same features as old cars (New Consoles not having Backwards Compatibility, a current industry standard) makes you stuck in the past

How is backwards compatibility a industry standard when it comes to game consoles? The PS4 doesn't have it Microsoft only added it to make sales. It's not an industry standard just cause you want it to be.

@Tasuki: Backwards compatibility is on most current gaming platforms. That is how it is an industry standard.

@DefHalan: Well, when you only have three consoles in the "race" at any given time, 2 of the 3 will give you a "majority," technically speaking.

Look - backwards compatibility is a luxury. Systems have had it and not had it. It has NOT become industry standard. You used an example of PC games. Well... you're not entirely correct, sir. Many, MANY old PC games (DOS especially) are absolute buggers to get running on modern equipment. Nigh impossible if you're not savvy with modifying code. And, yes, there are some PC games that just plain ol' won't run on newer operating systems. That's why some really hardcore PC guys have old rigs still running Windows 95 just so they can still play the old stuff.

So, good try on that, but you're wrong. And it was one of your biggest standing points: this idea that BC is industry standard.

It's not.

They don't owe you this feature. And that's my answer to the entire premise of this thread.

@rallydefault: Just because a few PC games don't work doesn't mean PCs aren't Backwards Compatible. I understand Backwards Compatibility isn't going to be 100% all the time. But if you look at the video game industry as a whole, and not narrow down to two or three machines, you will see most platforms offer backwards compatibility. BC was a luxury but it has reached a point where it should be expected. It is a feature people ask for when missing and use when it is there. Backwards Compatibility should be expected, just like High Definition and Online features.

@DefHalan: Dude, it's not "a few" PC games. Your example was erroneous - just admit it. Your whole argument is invalid.

BC is a luxury. You have no legs to stand on. It's nice to have, but ultimately only a luxury. It is nowhere near industry standard in anything but your own mind, it seems.

@rallydefault: I hope you didn't think I meant literally a few, I meant a very small number of total games. (Probably more than 90% of PC games work on new computers) I never said it wasn't a luxury, I said it is expected. Seeing how majority of platforms have backwards compatibility and it is expected on those platforms, I think there is enough evidence to have people expect backwards compatibility on their Home Consoles. I don't understand how it can be acceptable not to have backwards compatibility. All of my current platforms have backwards compatibility and most of my games are from generations older than the current one.

You don't have to expect it, but I think it is pretty reasonable to expect it. If my phone (way less powerful than a console) and a PC (way more powerful than console) than why expect a console not to be backwards compatible? Especially when it comes to digital games.

@DefHalan: Yes, I did think you meant literally "a few." You typed it, did you not?

Backwards compatibility shouldn't be expected. Your mobile/PC examples are flimsy at best (your PC example, in fact, is just misguided and wrong), and also skates around the fact that PC gaming and mobile gaming are entirely separate entities apart from console gaming (and apart from one another). Just because my microwave has a popcorn cycle doesn't mean I expect the same thing on my toaster.

So let's just fess up, here: You don't seem very open to having your mind changed even when presented with facts, and I'm not much interested in trying to move a mountain at this point in time. I'll be moving on to other threads now.

@rallydefault: Right, because words only have 1 meaning and cannot symbolize something other than their meaning.

Presented facts? The only facts are that majority of platforms have backwards compatibility. It is your opinion that PC and Mobile are flimsy examples, but the fact is they support games and are backwards compatible. The History of consoles hasn't included backwards compatibility until PS2. Then PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii were all backwards compatible at launch. SKUs without BC were released later but BC wasn't expected at that point. PS4 and XB1 were released and many people complained about the lack of BC. XB1 has fixed that problem after public demand.BC is now an expected feature by many people and more and more gaming devices have BC. This leads to an expectation that BC will be supported by future systems. A lack of BC will lead to complaints and lack of sales. If there was evidence that Backwards Compatibility was bad for a system then I would be open to it. If there was evidence that people don't expect BC in new systems then I would be open to it. Recent trends show most devices having BC (Mobile Devices) and recent actions have shown it doesn't always increase system cost. (Microsoft with the XB1)

The Microwave and Toaster analogy doesn't make much sense. As no one has ever put a popcorn setting on a toaster, so where would the expectation come from? If you released a new microwave, one that could cook faster, then people would expect it to have similar features to the microwave they already own, such as a popcorn button. It doesn't matter that your microwave has more power, people would still expect standard features like a popcorn button.

I am sorry that you are confused by this topic but I hope you will have an easier time understanding the other threads you are moving to. Good Luck.

The reality is that game consoles are now basically PC-like machines. Backward compatibility may have been hard when a game console is a box built around a game cartridge, but these days we're talking about vanilla computing platforms with operating systems, storage and software. It's not the normal consumer expectation these days that you'd have to toss all your old, expensive software and buy replacements when you upgrade your short-lived hardware. Consumers today use PCs, Macs, cellphones, tablets and consoles that offer backward compatibility as a matter of course. This is the modern expectation. Nintendo can defy expectations and go their own way, but they surely know that this is not consumer-friendly. They probably don't want to lose any more fans.