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I miss backwards compatibilty
- Thread starter fritolay
- Start date
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DoktorEvil
Banned
Am I missing something? I thought the PS3 was only PSX BC.
protomouse
Member
Early models had some PS2 BC as well. A combo of actual PS2 hardware and some software emulation. I don't think we ever got those models where I live.
SarcasticD
Member
The OG 20gb, 60gb, and 80gb PS3 fat was backward compatible.
Great minds think alike.
Anyway, thank god Nintendo still cares about backwards compatibility. I've been playing Xenoblade Chronicles & Rhythm Heaven Fever for the last week waiting for Splatoon.
I think its a nice feature to have, but its not a deal breaker at all for me.
I don't sell my old systems unless i'm planning on getting a replacement or they just dont work and im selling the parts. If its gonna make the console more expensive, i dont think its worth it.
Software BC on the other hand, i think is pretty good, and i think Sony would be wise to implement PS1 and PS2 software BC at some point
I don't sell my old systems unless i'm planning on getting a replacement or they just dont work and im selling the parts. If its gonna make the console more expensive, i dont think its worth it.
Software BC on the other hand, i think is pretty good, and i think Sony would be wise to implement PS1 and PS2 software BC at some point
Dr. Black Jack
Member
Yep.
I used it a total of....2 times... One for PS3, one for 360. And it was more of a 'hey, it worked' thing vs actually wanting to play. If future console from Sony and MS are BC, great. If not, not a deal breaker. Maybe if I didnt keep older consoles I would care more.
Hexa
Member
Same. I only played two games total on it. KH1 and KH2, both of which are also on PS3 now. I'd rather have remasters than BC tbh.
The Spoony Hou
Member
If Windows didn't run programs from earlier versions people would be pissed.
Darren_z33
Member
I miss it for the free live/plus games, apart from that I wouldn't use it.
grandwizard
Member
One of the best parts of PC gaming, you don't lose easy access to your library every generational shift. In fact, your old games get better as you upgrade hardware.
MrCunningham
Member
Yep. Here's my attempt at making a list of all consoles with backwards compatibility...
Hardware backwards compatibility
Consoles:
Atari 7800 - Atari 2600
Sega SG 1000 Mark III (Japanese Sega Master System) - Sega Mark I and Mark II
Sega Genesis - Sega Master System compatibility (requires Power Base convertor)
NEC SuperGrafx - TG16/ PCEngine
PlayStation 2 - PlayStation 1
PlayStation 3 - PlayStation 2 (original 20GB and 60GB models)
Wii - GameCube
Wii U - Wii, GameCube (through software modification)
Handhelds:
Sega Game Gear - Sega Master System (requires Master Gear)
GameBoy Colour - GameBoy
Neo Geo Pocket Color - Neo Geo Pocket
Bandai WonderSwan Colour - WonderSwan
GameBoy Advance - GameBoy, GameBoy Colour
Nintendo DS - GameBoy Advance
Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo DS
Official First Party Sideways Compatibility
Consoles:
Colecovision- Atari 2600 (requires Expansion Module #1)
Super Nintendo - GameBoy (requires Super GameBoy or Super Game Boy 2 (JP only) player)
N64 - GameBoy, GameBoy Colour (requires Wide-Boy64. Only released to developers and press)
Game Cube - GameBoy, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy Advance (requires GameBoy Player)
First Party Software Emulation and Backwards Compatibility
Consoles:
Xbox 360 - Xbox (only compatible with selected games)
Wii - Virtual Console: NES, SNES, N64, SMS, Sega Gen/ MD, TG16/ PC Engine, Neo Geo AES, MSX (Japan only) (selected library for all systems)
Wii-U - Virtual Console: NES, SNES, N64, GBA, NDS, PCe (Japan only), MSX (Japan only) (selected library for all systems)
PlayStation 3 - PlaysStation 1, PlayStation 2 (later models)
PlayStation 4 - PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 (limited selection through PlayStation Now)
Handhelds:
Nintendo 3DS - Game Boy, Game Boy Colour, GameBoy Advance (ambassador program), Sega Game Gear
PSP: Playstation 1 (through PSone classics)
PSV: PSP(digital releases), PlayStation 1 (Through PSone Classics)
With the exception of the Wii-U and Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS, hardware BC is pretty much dead this generation. I honestly don't expect the NX to be backwards compatible with the Wii-U either through hardware emulation. I would suspect that Nintendo will either move to x86 or ARM architecture (possible both?) and kill off PPC support.
For as much as a small select few miss it, the majority (myself included) aren't interested. Would it be convenient? Yeah. Do I want to pay more for my new equipment so it can do old things? Nope.
I fully expect the next nintendo product to be moving to a new CPU architecture and for U BC to not be an option.
I fully expect the next nintendo product to be moving to a new CPU architecture and for U BC to not be an option.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I don't miss it... Only because I am dedicated to the art of hooking up all my legacy consoles at once in a way that doesn't clutter my living room and doesn't look like a nerd den (it's a dark art)
BC has never even been a real major feature in a significant amount consoles. PS3 and 360 didn't have proper BC in all SDKs of the hardware, Nintendo stuff outside of portables had no BC until the Wii, and SEGAs only BC that I'm aware of requires an adapter so you can player Master System stuff on the Genesis.
As far as I know the only consoles that did BC correctly are the PS2 and Wii (though the Wii obviously misses out on physical compatibility on pre-GCN games). It'll definitely be an increasingly important feature moving forward though, which is why both Sony and Microsoft moved over to x86.
As far as I know the only consoles that did BC correctly are the PS2 and Wii (though the Wii obviously misses out on physical compatibility on pre-GCN games). It'll definitely be an increasingly important feature moving forward though, which is why both Sony and Microsoft moved over to x86.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
It was $600! That's just a poor price point no matter how you put it.
From my personal experience bc has always been important, especially among parents. Back when my coworkers kids were little, if they were asking me about a game system, "does it play the old games", always came out. I was literally just at Best Buy picking up Splatoon, and a mother was looking to buy her son an Xbox One. Guess what she asked the clerk? Does it play the Xbox 360 games.
It's easy to assume that since these systems sell so well, it's proof that people don't care about bc. That's simply not true. The sad fact is you have no choice. If your kid really wants that new Playstation or Xbox, you're not going to tell them no because it doesn't play the old games.
Completely serious. You're obviously not.
I play many old PC games as well, and pluging in a console is far easier than the hoops you have to jump through in order to get many older games to work on a modern PC.
I had Fire Warrior running just fine on Windows 7 64-bit, though the PS2 version doesn't require any fiddling around with to fix compatibility issues.
nitekrawlwer
Member
I bought a $600 PS3 with backwards compatibility. I wont buy a $400 PS4 that doesn't have it. Leaving behind all my already purchased games just doesn't make an upgrade seem worth it. It honestly makes it feel like an expensive downgrade.
This is a pretty lousy argument in a thread about backwards compatibility. The fact that I can play virtually every PC game from the last thirty years on my modern Windows 8.1 machine, even if it takes some doing, is incredible. The only way you're going to do the same on a modern console is by repurchasing a new port of your old game. And that's if said port even exists.
I'd like to say I'm surprised to see people downplaying BC on PCs but I've been here long enough to know how the site works.
Red Liquorice
Member
I kept my PS2 but the laser is dead. Just like every piece of Sony hardware (CD player etc) I've ever had. Sony optical drives are just trash.
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
A few months ago I didn't think native backwards compatibility was an issue I was massively concerned with anymore, but after getting a Wii U I'm really happy that I was able to move all of my Wii content (downloaded games, purchase history, save data, etc.) from my Wii to my Wii U.
It (doesn't) helps that I have a PS2 that has a disc drive that stopped playing DVDs (the format all but one of my PS2 games used...) that influences my stance on BC for modern consoles. I remember holding out on a PS3 to obtain a BC version for a few years...but failed to do, so I bit the bullet and got the slim version instead.
Also gotta echo that lack of BC concerning digital titles was a huge misfire on Sony and MS's part, concerning PS+ ad GwG. Nintendo too, though it seems more like a lack of interest/incompetence at preserving the Wii's VC library for the Wii U VC (at the very least, all of the first-party titles Nintendo released on the Wii VC so far should had been available day one on the Wii U VC IMO).
It (doesn't) helps that I have a PS2 that has a disc drive that stopped playing DVDs (the format all but one of my PS2 games used...) that influences my stance on BC for modern consoles. I remember holding out on a PS3 to obtain a BC version for a few years...but failed to do, so I bit the bullet and got the slim version instead.
Also gotta echo that lack of BC concerning digital titles was a huge misfire on Sony and MS's part, concerning PS+ ad GwG. Nintendo too, though it seems more like a lack of interest/incompetence at preserving the Wii's VC library for the Wii U VC (at the very least, all of the first-party titles Nintendo released on the Wii VC so far should had been available day one on the Wii U VC IMO).
Doctor_Thomas
Member
I don't think backwards compatibility is important, but I do see why it's important to some. With the PS4 and XB1, I think cost concers prohibited the ability to have backwards compatible hardware.
It wasn't arguement, it was debate. SparkTR made a false statement and I presented the facts. Your assumption that I am against Backwards Compatibility on the PC is both wrong and unwarranted. That being said, getting old PC games to run properly is not nearly as easy as others have made it out to be. It's not always as simple as checking "compatibility mode" or buying from GOG.
I haven't downplayed anything. You should remain more attentive.
it doesn't work like that. thats a massive simplification of the process of porting a game to another platform. it will never really be that easy, unless games start being developed with an abstraction layer that takes it away from the hardware like we have on mobile phones and pc's.
MrNyarlathotep
Banned
I made a thread saying much the same thing.
Its not like connecting old consoles to modern TVs is problem free in an era where RF and SCART connections have vanished in favour of HDMI inputs, and older consoles never came with HDMI out.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
PS4 hardly cost any less then the PS3 in the UK so yes I can, the solution for PS1/PS2 emulation is software so that excuse for both is out the window.
What's your source on PS1 on PS3 being hardware BC? I've always understood it to be software emulation, and the evidence tends to back it up. Sony's fixed emulation bugs with firmware updates many times, and it's not like the PS3 can't do that kind of emulation in software. Someone even ported a PC PS1 emulator to run on jailbroken PS3s. It's also something I picked up from execs talking about BC when the system launched (especially in context of the PS2 compatibility requiring hardware), but I'm having a hard time finding quotes.
PS1 and PS2 games on PS4? Last I checked they're not even on PS Now or the PSN store as Classics, and the system won't recognize the discs.
Lol, isn't it?
I'll take an easy to solve hardware solution over the uncertainty of software tampering any day. There are plenty of adapters and Televisions that still include coax, composite, and component inputs (SCART never really caught on here). I'm far more concerned with the inevitable failure of my consoles than how I'll connect them to future displays.
MrNyarlathotep
Banned
Its pretty disingenous to suggest going out and buying hardware specific adapters to work with modern hardware is "less hassle" than a google search and software patch.
thatJohann
Member
Yes. Wish we could play perfect upscaled versions of classics (not on PS Now)
Doctor_Thomas
Member
Not only that, the PS3, even at that price, was taking a massive, massive loss. The PS4 made losses back through PS+ subs.
That's pretty narrow-minded thinking. It's completely genuine as a "Google search and software patch" may not offer a solution.
RadarScope1
Member
With respect to the old hardware and old PC games debate: I am a noob when it comes to messing with software and get frustrated easily. Seeking out patches that may or may not exist and figuring out how to go about doing it for each game doesn't much appeal to me. I know I'm probably in the minority here in that regard (I'm a Mac and GOG gamer when it comes to old PC stuff).
I'm primarily a console gamer and I like retro. Getting something like a Framemeister, while somewhat expensive, is a single solution that will ensure EVERY game that works on a given hardware platform will work on my plasma TV. I still have to buy the console and the games, but I know they'll all work after making a single investment on the front end. It's a pretty clean and simple solution.
I'm primarily a console gamer and I like retro. Getting something like a Framemeister, while somewhat expensive, is a single solution that will ensure EVERY game that works on a given hardware platform will work on my plasma TV. I still have to buy the console and the games, but I know they'll all work after making a single investment on the front end. It's a pretty clean and simple solution.
I'm the opposite, I used it plenty. Hell, I still use my 60-gig PS3 to play PS2 and PS1 games (just played Symphony of the Night yesterday, GrimGrimoire last weekend).
I probably wouldn't have a PS4 right now if I hadn't ended up getting one as a gift, because enough exclusives just aren't there for me, and the graphics aren't enough of a reason to spend New System Money. I've got three games on my shelf, one of which I'll trade in as soon as I'm done with it.
TheAdmiester
Member
I still have plenty of old hardware, so BC means nothing to me except in rare cases (such as Mercenaries running better on 360 than an Xbox).
I still have a 360, PS3 and an OG Xbox. Everything before that is emulatable by my PC pretty much. I even have an extra modded 360, and my OG Xbox is modded, so they themselves can emulate older stuff.
I still have a 360, PS3 and an OG Xbox. Everything before that is emulatable by my PC pretty much. I even have an extra modded 360, and my OG Xbox is modded, so they themselves can emulate older stuff.
MrCunningham
Member
Oops, no source on that, that is a small mistake on my part.
I would like something like this guy:
Something like this would still be costly to produce for modern day console. The Power Base Convertor was sold for less than $30.00 at launch because it only contained a circuit board, two cartridge ports and a plastic shell. The Genesis/ Mega Drive does have an additional Z80 processor, secondary PCM sound chip (same one used in the SMS) and graphics processor with backwards compatibility built into it. All of the hardware was there.
But... Mercenaries runs terribly on Xbox 360? It freezes on the Chinese missions? How far into the game were you able to get?
shanafan
Member
Don't forgot about Playstation Now though. That is a way to play PS3 titles on the PS4.
Silvawuff
Member
Lack of backward compatibility is one of the main reasons I haven't purchased any of the current-gen consoles. I simply don't have the space for it, and won't support that business model. I really don't buy into the "different processors and chipsets" excuse to play older games.
DaleinCalgary
Member
I don't miss it at all.
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