Backwards Compatibility Sparks Anger

Backwards Compatibility Sparks Anger Backwards Compatibility Sparks Anger

Peter Moore's recent hint that Microsoft aims to stop working on enriching the list of XBox games that can be played on X360, along with his remarks on what the market is about have sparked gamer anger.

In a recent interview with Kikizo, Peter Moore made his views on backward compatibility very clear; ...nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility, he said, adding that the process of making XBox games compatible for the XBox 360 is a lengthy and complicated one. Although Mr. Moore made it clear that more games will be added to the backwards compatibility list, he added ...at some point, you just go, there's enough, let's move on, or people aren't as worried about a game being backwards compatible.

It is this final statement, suggesting that Microsoft will not convert all of the original XBox games for the X360 that has upset gamers as it directly contradicts a promise made by the company, through PR manager Michael Wolf, before the next-generation console was launched. Additionally Microsoft has to consider that quite a large number of XBox 360 owners will have sold their original console in order to make room or raise the funds for the new MS offering.

If Microsoft decides to back down on its promise it runs the risk of alienating quite a few of its current users who own large libraries of XBox games. Sony, a company that greatly benefited by the backwards compatibility offered by its PS2 console will be eager for just such a Microsoft slip-up in order to gain some market share following the launch of the PS3.