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[quartet4]

No really that important but I guess it's a nice little checkbox to add to a console to entice some buyers.

 

[The Lamp]

I will not buy a next-gen system unless it has backwards compatibility. I don't want to have to keep absolutely all of these old systems, especially when new ones have the ability to run them with better graphics/capabilities and possibly on a digital format.

Otherwise, I'll wait a few years for the system to have a good library of games.

 

[offtopic]

Are you kidding? The physical medium that games are put on is always changing; to support BC for physical games, you have to include legacy hardware in all future successors to a console.

Games are inherently digital content -- the sooner we ditch the unnecessary physical mediums the better. If a console isn't BC with physical games because they ditched the outdated technology used to read them off outdated storage platforms, it's worth it for the sake of progress.

Maybe you misunderstood...why support either? I realize it is probably easier to support digital but I don't care - I want next gen faster and cheaper and you get that only if the manufacturers don't worry at all about BC.

 

[StuBurns]

I don't actually value BC, but I like to think a first party would include it because a lot of people do care, so the lack of it I see as a profound negative, despite not caring.

 

[Jhriad]

If I have a decent sized catalog, like my PS3 or PS2, it it the most important factor in determining whether or not I'm an early adopter of a platform. No BC means I'm much more likely to swap to a different platform holder entirely and/or wait years to even pick up the offending system. If I do end up picking it up it will be there only for platform exclusive content and the system I made the jump into the generation with will remain my primary platform for multiplatform titles.

I want an optional BC add-on module that I can choose to buy or not. If it's a technical/hardware hurdle like PS2-PS3 was.

This would be acceptable.

 

[Deleted member 81567]

There's no excuse anymore. It'll be a big factor for when I'm deciding which console I'm buying.

 

[Javier]

Not only important, ESSENTIAL.

I expect every system to be compatible with the previous-gen system these days.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

It will determine whether or not I'll buy a next generation console day one.

 

[The Albatross]

I don't really care all that much, but it'd be a nice feature to have. Though, given how flimsy this generations consoles have been, I think i'd prefer if the next gen were backwards compatible... because the likelihood that my 360, which is a new 360, won't even work in 2 years is pretty high.

My ideal feature set? An installation-based backwards compatibility system. Take your 360 DVD, install it to the new console, and boom, it's in your library and you don't need to worry about the media. It'll never ever happen, but I'd love it. It might also reduce the need for having to have a dedicated, and inevitably poorly made, lazer to read those old games. But, yeah, it'll never happen.

 

[squidyj]

It will determine whether or not I'll buy a next generation console day one or not.

whether or not or not.

I hope to see it on the next xbox and I hope not to see it on the next Sony console.

For Sony with the cell architecture in the PS3 having BC means either using cell in the ps4 or having some level of dedicated hardware, thus either dropping the power of the new machine or raising the price or both. I don't want that.

 

[Agnostic]

I don't care. I keep my consoles and usually when the next generation hits I don't go back and play older titles that much.

Having said that, now with a lot of stuff being digital it would make sense that all of my digital content on my current consoles should be easy to transfer and play on the new systems.

 

[daedalius]

Extremely.

Halo 4 will be out on 360, I'd best be able to keep playing it when the 720 comes out sometime next year.

 

[Eurocult]

for disc based games? Important

for all the digital content I bought? Mandatory

 

[squidyj]

Ging to bookmark this thread to see what all the people making very strong statements about BC will be doing when the new consoles come out.

 

[Dug]

Extremely.

Halo 4 will be out on 360, I'd best be able to keep playing it when the 720 comes out sometime next year.

The tweest is that Halo 4 will be delayed to coincide with the 720 launch.

 

[SmokedMeat]

BC with my downloaded purchases is a must. Otherwise I'll never spend another dime on XBLA/PSN/VC knowing that it's stuck on the older systems.

Physical game bc only is important to me in the early years, where I still have a large library of games. As time goes on I'm sure I'll be getting rid of a lot of those titles, so it becomes less important to me.

By the time my 60GB launch PS3 died I only had maybe three PS2 games left, which I never played. I have a slew of GC games, none of which I bother popping in my Wii. A shame I can't install them to my Wii's HDD.

 

[Fredrik]

So you are addicted to buying retro games digitally...sounds like you'd want no BC.

I still can't see why people are differentiating between digital and hard media BC. It is all the same.

No... I'm not addicted to buying retro games, I might be addicted to playing them though, and if I've already bought it for Wii-VC I don't want to buy it again for WiiU-VC. Simple as that.

 

[RockAction]

For myself, probably more important than it was jumping from the last generation to this one; only for the fact that all the games from this generation are HD etc and the disparity between them and the next generation will probably be less than the previous generation

i imagine its extremely important for microsoft and sony as it could become more of a key feature in moving people over; without the draws of this generation like HD visuals etc it might be harder to convince people to buy- until 'better' games show the power of the new consoles

thinking about it now, it probably wouldn't be that important - i keep consoles - and i don't intend on buying into another generation for a least two years after launch, but it would be a nice feature - especially as my 360 is coughing and might be on the verge of what would be its fourth death

i don't really play many games from the last generation that much, only if i feel in the mood and even then its more of a weekend venture, then pack them up again; so i wonder if i would want to keep playing ones from this generation

 

[davepoobond]

Are you kidding? The physical medium that games are put on is always changing; to support BC for physical games, you have to include legacy hardware in all future successors to a console.

Games are inherently digital content -- the sooner we ditch the unnecessary physical mediums the better. If a console isn't BC with physical games because they ditched the outdated technology used to read them off outdated storage platforms, it's worth it for the sake of progress.

who's progress?

thats a load of anti-consumer bullshit in your bolded paragraph, by the way.

 

[insert_username_here]

who's progress?

thats a load of anti-consumer bullshit in your bolded paragraph, by the way.

True that, by getting rid of the physical mediums only the companies would be saving money, the consumers would end up getting screwed. The console manufacturer would then be able to charge what they want for games because its their store. Just look at prices of psp games on psn compared to amazon prices, its a big difference. Not every company is Valve, trying to give you a great deal with their sales. So by cutting the physical medium you can say good bye to competition between retailers always fighting to give you the best price so you can buy from them.

 

[Loofy]

Are you kidding? The physical medium that games are put on is always changing; to support BC for physical games, you have to include legacy hardware in all future successors to a console.

Games are inherently digital content -- the sooner we ditch the unnecessary physical mediums the better. If a console isn't BC with physical games because they ditched the outdated technology used to read them off outdated storage platforms, it's worth it for the sake of progress.

It doesnt have to get that complicated.
USB disc drive.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

for disc based games? Important

for all the digital content I bought? Mandatory

This. Let's not forget that the best selling systems of the last two generations had BC.

 

[Imbarkus]

Are you kidding? The physical medium that games are put on is always changing; to support BC for physical games, you have to include legacy hardware in all future successors to a console.

Games are inherently digital content -- the sooner we ditch the unnecessary physical mediums the better. If a console isn't BC with physical games because they ditched the outdated technology used to read them off outdated storage platforms, it's worth it for the sake of progress.

You know, Sony may be in the position of having to sell us this viewpoint because, with PSP, they tried to sell the UMD format as much as they did the system. Sure, Nintendo has proven that it's not that hard to include a cartridge slot to include at least one generation of backwards's compatibility in their handhelds, but of course UMDs would have required far too much hardware.

Fair enough, though I still think a peripheral or UMD to Digital transfer solution would have gone a long way towards gamer goodwill. http://bitmob.com/articles/sony-2012-the-road-not-taken

But as far as consoles, this line of reasoning is bullshit. Blu-ray readers read DVD andCd formats with no effort. There is no weird, proprietary media hardware required to read a DVD. Seriously. What the fuck, man.

Drink that digital kool-aid if you want, but keep it out of my cup. I might still want access to my games in a two decades, without having to buy them again.

 

[east of eastside]

It's important to me that PS4 is *not* backwards compatible..

and forsakes b.c. for the most efficient, least complex, easy to program, lowest cost design that matches or exceeds 720 in performance.

 

[P90]

I would say very important. Lack of BC is one of the reasons I am holding off on getting a Vita.

That said, I will be switching from the Xbox line to the PS line next gen, along with purchasing Nintendo's console. Obviously, there will be no BC going from 360 to PS4.

 

[LeadenStride]

Not important. I know that I will be playing older games for many years, but I don't mind keeping multiple consoles in my rack. It would be nice though, if it worked without any flaws and all of my previous-gen games really were compatible.

 

[rCIZZLE]

Not that important. It'd be nice if they offered online play, trophies/achievements, etc with the older games so I could sell off my old systems and free up some space but if not I wouldn't care that much.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

I want an optional BC add-on module that I can choose to buy or not. If it's a technical/hardware hurdle like PS2-PS3 was.

It's has been done before...

 

[Risible]

One of the reasons I wasn't a day one adopter of the Vita was the lack of backwards compatibility. With 40+ UMDs there's no way I'm re-buying all of those digitally. Had there been some sort it trade-in program I would have been in the pre-order line.

 

[Jay Sosa]

Very. Still don't own a PS3 because of that.

 

[Icarus]

For me it would be a nice to have feature but it's not really a factor in any future purchase decision.

 

[Quadrangulum]

Critical and decisive.

 

[Imbarkus]

There was no hurdle/limitation that caused Sony to remove BC:

Thank you so much for posting this link. It's amazing how many people instantly buy what is essentially a line of bullshit that the PS2 emulation on PS3 is technically impossible.

 

[davepoobond]

Thank you so much for posting this link. It's amazing how many people instantly buy what is essentially a line of bullshit that the PS2 emulation on PS3 is technically impossible.

PS2 SOFTWARE emulation, is still questionable

PS2 HARDWARE emulation, of course it isn't.

 

[Dizzan]

Not important at all. I play through games once (rarely twice), then I have no desire to revisit.

+ most great games get improved sequels so no point playing the old one.

 

[Alucrid]

If it weren't for the OG PS3's BC I wouldn't have had any titles that I liked to play for a long while. How many people here have bought their PS3 or 360 at launch and didn't use the backwards compatibility in the first year. If you bought the console a year or after then you had stuff to play as the game libraries of the consoles grew. But when you are in the first year there are few titles to play and BC is a blessing. Halo 2 was the top played live title till Gears of War for a reason. People like to play through B/C

*buy 360 at launch

continue to play Halo 2 with friends*

 

[Yuterald]

I think BC is extremely important. I fully supported the PSP during its short lived era and I currently own 80+ UMD titles for it. The system is practically dead and now that the Vita is available my UMDs are essentially worthless. That is unless I want to buy backup PSPs at some point and horde them in case my current PSP craps out (which I'm probably stupid enough to do at some point).

I think it kind of sucks dick that I actually bought and played games on PSP only to be told that I would have to repurchase them on the next system digitally. And yeah, I know, Wii U won't play GC games, the Gamecube couldn't play N64 games, and the 3DS doesn't play GBA titles, etc. but the fact that Sony always supported BC up until the later PS3 models is still somewhat disappointing. I'm the kind of customer that has everyone reason to be disappointed with the Vita's lack of BC because I fucking supported the shit out of the original PSP.

Whatever though, it's not a big deal . Hopefully by the time I want to repurchase my PSP collection on Vita all digital prices for these soon to be "old" ass games will be $5. This digital distribution shit better gauge the pricing correctly as time passes because there is no excuse for a downloadable PSP title to cost more than $10. If you can find the games in stores for garbage prices NOW then the digital content should match those dollars. If PSP games are still in the $20+ range a year or two from now then this DD nonsense has a long way to go in order for me to justify the investment.

 

[a.wd]

Yes, without it I would have not done nearly as much time with my 360 as I did, and if I don't get my yearly JSR:F fix then someone is getting a slap, or I am not buying a console.

 

[Aostia]

To me, is imporant because I can save money selling back my old console decreasing the cost of the new one, but keeping my games collection.

 

[rapid32.5]

more important than last gen, when we had no digital games on consoles. now I have more downloadable games than disc based.
whoever fucks up digital BC next gen, automatically will be disqualified from my buy list.

 

[Thores]

It's super important to me, especially during the time period when the new system's out but games for the old system are still being released. I only have so many outlets in my entertainment center.

 

[IrishNinja]

pretty damn important, though i realize i'm not in the majority of consumers here.

still salty im gonna have to track down a GC component cable when the WU comes out.