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Backwards Compatability; Do You Think It Could Be A System Seller Next Gen?

Snoober

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As many of you may know, Sony has announced PS4 is unable to play PS3 games both in disc and digital forms (which makes no sense to me). If Microsoft announced that every 360 game could be playable on their next system, do you think that would automatically be a selling point of the system? Lets say it's announced without backwards compatibility like PS4... would this hurt both their overall sells?
 

misskitten

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Backwards compability is definitely important to me. I get less inclined to get a new console if I cannot play my old games on it. I like the 360 because I can play my regular x-box games on it. I like the wii because I can play GC games on it. I haven't owned a PS since the PSone, but making the PS4 not backwards compatible would certainly not make me want to get it.
 

DarkestLink

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I was very displeased when I heard the Wii U wouldn't play GC games. In fact, I thought this would remove it from the playing field. Imagine my shock when I heard the PS4 had no BC whatsoever. In fact, my friend is a Sony fanboy...has a lot of money...but won't buy the PS4 solely because of its lack of BC.
 

Dan

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It's definitely a feature now we have come to expect in every console release, you could only imagine the shock I received when I worked out my N64 games wouldn't load on my new gamecube. I don't think it will hurt sales much however, it's more or less a slight inconvenience. Unless you have thrown out your old console you can still play all your old games at the cost of some space on your shelf or wherever you keep your console. As long as the PS4 has some rich features to offer, it won't need to rely on backwards compatibility, and if it doesn't have any good features, well it wouldn't sell well in the first place.
 

Akiranon

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It's not a deal breaker for me. I find myself playing the games on original hardware most of the time.

The backwards compatability on the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 was horrendous, anyway. The only real way to include it on modern consoles is by either including the old hardware, or by emulating it (I hate that because it's so inaccurate.) If they were going to include BC in the PS4 they would have to basically include the entire PS3 hardware in the PS4 (meaning it'd be more expensive). I'm pretty sure a PS3 emulator will not run on the PS4, either.

Did you know that backwards compatability is something of recent years? Before the Playstation 2 it was basically unheard of. Other than SEGA and Atari, nobody really included it. Do you remember playing your Nintendo 64 games on your Gamecube? No. SNES games on your Nintendo 64? No. Maybe because I grew up with those generations it's not as big of a deal for me. Besides! Your old consoles aren't broken when you buy a new generation. You can still play old games on your old hardware pefectly fine!

The only thing that really sucks about having to use old consoles is that they don't support modern video outputs. It means you have to use composite or -- GASP! RF! Now that's some low quality right there! On the other hand, retro gaming is really wicked! Yeah, it's totally rad! ... *sighs* I'm too old for this.
 
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octorok74

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I enjoy backwards compatibility. It is a selling point with me now. Mainly since I like to be able to play all my Halo games on one system without having to unplug something to plug in another. But I think this is really going to hurt Sony. It's a bad move on their part.
 

Ventus

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I personally couldn't care less whether system X can play generation Y games; this generation is the eighth generation, not the 7.5th generation. Why should I expect, let alone desire for my console to be able to play past console's games? I should be able to hold the console accountable only for the generation it's in, and that means good games. If I can't get good games from the system, I won't ge tit. That's all.
 

Snoober

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The thing that really makes no sense to me is PS4 isn't using a different video output than PS3 (they both support HDMI from what we know now). The fact that games you bought digitally aren't even supported makes no sense to me.
 
Backwards compatibility isn't a system seller but it's important during the first year of a system's life span. Halo 2 was the most played game on Xbox Live into the better part of 2007, for example.

From a convenience standpoint, backwards compatibility is a huge plus. It's less of a hassle to connect one system to the television and toggle between games from various platforms.
 

Dan

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The thing that really makes no sense to me is PS4 isn't using a different video output than PS3 (they both support HDMI from what we know now). The fact that games you bought digitally aren't even supported makes no sense to me.

Erm, PS3 and PS4 are completely different species, it doesn't matter if they had the same output, otherwise I could go put my dreamcast games in my atari 2600 because they both have an RF output :P In all seriousness the PS3 is very hard to emulate, as of now there are still no emulators for the system, maybe later there will be one, and Sony will then resell the games you bought last generation to this generation, just like they did with ps2 games. :P
 

DarkestLink

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I personally couldn't care less whether system X can play generation Y games; this generation is the eighth generation, not the 7.5th generation. Why should I expect, let alone desire for my console to be able to play past console's games? I should be able to hold the console accountable only for the generation it's in, and that means good games. If I can't get good games from the system, I won't ge tit. That's all.

Scenario: Wii U has no BC. New gamer comes in and buys it....there's not enough good games. And no Wii to fall back on either.
 

Ventus

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Scenario: Wii U has no BC. New gamer comes in and buys it....there's not enough good games. And no Wii to fall back on either.

There's nothing wrong with that. Every console will suck to varying degrees at launch (bar the N64 among other classics). If there are no decent launch games, don't grab the system. Plain and simple.
 

DarkestLink

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There's nothing wrong with that. Every console will suck to varying degrees at launch (bar the N64 among other classics). If there are no decent launch games, don't grab the system. Plain and simple.

I have to admit, I'm surprised. With how much disdain you seem to have towards current Nintendo games, I thought you would demand BC. XD
 

Dan

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There's nothing wrong with that. Every console will suck to varying degrees at launch (bar the N64 among other classics). If there are no decent launch games, don't grab the system. Plain and simple.

Got to agree with the nation wide sensation on this one. You wouldn't go out and buy a system with no next gen games just to play old ones. Since I imagine you would still have your old console. :P
 

Ventus

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I have to admit, I'm surprised. With how much disdain you seem to have towards current Nintendo games, I thought you would demand BC. XD

Why would I want BC for a system that has next to no good games after a, what, five-six year tenure (the Wii)? By good, I mean games that can last me at the very least 50 real-life hours. For that matter, why would I want BC for the PS4 to PS3? Xbox720 to Xbox360? Try as I might to say otherwise, the seventh generation has had largely weak lineups across the board. I wouldn't wish those libraries on my worst enemy, let alone myself.

It's unrealistic to have BC for two gens ago on a current gen system, just so you know. Of course, I'd love to be able to play my PS2 games on the PS4...but PS2 is largely dated architecture (as is Xbox, GameCube, etc). Why would anyone develop a current gen system for old architecture? lol
 

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