• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Is it time to consider buying an original Xbox? (Gaps in back-compat list)

Fitzchiv

Member
Back when Microsoft announced they were ceasing conversion of "classic" OG Xbox and 360 games toward One/One X compatibility, it was stated that focus would be placed on the backwards-compatibility push on the new hardware. Fast-forward to today, and we now know that various titles will see passive and optimised benefits from the Series X/S hardware when running legacy titles, but the question I wonder about is: will we ever see more OG Xbox titles added to the list?

You could argue that most of them worth playing again are available, but there are still some great titles that if you own them, will only run on an OG Xbox unit. My backlog is huge already, but I like to know I can play every game I own from a nostalgia perspective, even if I likely never will.

So; do you reckon MS will return to the original Xbox catalogue and finish the job, or is now the time to pick up an original console and the HD adaptor to guarantee the ability to play some of these games in the future?

https://www.polygon.com/e3/2019/6/1...kwards-compatibility-project-scarlett-e3-2019
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Mattyp

Gold Member
They've already stated they would get back to OG titles as soon as the X/S where finished being tested and ready for launch, probably along with another 6 months of testing after launch or problems others find before they start giving us titles each week again. That said regardless going all the way back outside of first party titles does start to get quite difficult with licencing and we will never ever see close to the complete catalogue.

So always have the original hardware for previous generations if you ever want full compatibility. Just remember to take out the capacitors that tend to xbox on the OG.
 
Last edited:

Ceadeus

Member
Sure, just make sure you get the one that got the latest DVD drive. Older model had problem reading some games like Morrowind GOTY.

Component cable also are cheap on eBay.
 

Bankai

Member
Sure, they don't cost much at all. Also, they're (still) great emulation-stations should you so choose to mod it.

Also, great homebrew scene.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
The only game I want from that era brought forward is Jet Set Radio Future, but I don’t ever see it happening. :messenger_face_steam:
This is the last game I have wanted on Xbox One. It was BC on the 360 and I still have my physical copy. I wish that were enough.
 
As far as I understand they never said they were permanently halting OG and 360 titles, just putting them on hold getting ready for the launch.

I really want to see Mechassault 2.
 
MS BC method will never be a replacement for the 360 or OG Xbox. If they had a emulator that could play all the titles then it could, but they add single titles one at a time that requires publishers approval. You'll never get all the must own titles on BC.
 

Fitzchiv

Member
Give me GTA Double Pack, Burnout 2/3, NFS HP2, and PGR2

PGR2, DX: Invisible War, Thief: Deadly Shadows are three i can name now that are sat in a drawer waiting to be played again somehow. I wasted most of the final 6 months of my time at uni trying to get all the platinum awards on PGR2.
 

The Alien

Banned
Believe they also stated that a lot of titles not yet BC (for OG XBox) may never be updated, not because of technical issues, but rather legal.

I forget the example given but when they researched ownership rights, many companies noblonger existed and then ownership tracing with certainty was an issue.
 

RAIDEN1

Member
Any chance of throwing MK: Shaolin Monks in there seeing as we won't be able to play it on the PS4 AND 5
 

Naked Lunch

Member
Outrun 2, Jetset Future, DoA Beach Volleyball (!), and Otogi 1/2 will likely never go backwards compat - although I would like to be wrong on this.

...so yeah buy one now while the library and console is still cheap. OG Xbox and something like the wii are in that middleground where retro prices havent quite exploded yet like other consoles.
 
Last edited:
There are so many games on the OG Xbox that are not BC. If you’re an enthusiast I think it’s silly to not own an Xbox.
I would say buy one and start building up a library.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
The actual consoles are still the best way if you care about playing the old stuff. You’ll never get all the original Xbox games BC anyways because of licensing and publisher approval.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
You could run any Xbox game on the Series S,X. Digital is just more convenient and sometimes cheaper but you don’t get a case to put on your shelf.
 

Fitzchiv

Member
You could run any Xbox game on the Series S,X. Digital is just more convenient and sometimes cheaper but you don’t get a case to put on your shelf.

Anything that runs on an Xbox One, for sure. That's the 360 library and a great selection of original Xbox titles but critically not all of them.
 

Romulus

Member
I could never wait on them, OG xbox is too good to sit around on a half promise. I have the entire xbox library installed to 2tb. Works great still. Plus I have emulators on it from atari to N64.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom