No more Xbox 360 backwards compatibility updates?

360 News | It seems unlikely.

Kotaku recently spoke with Albert Penello, group marketing manager for the Xbox 360, about the future of backwards compatibility with original Xbox games. After the most recent update brought the total list of compatible games to 465, it looks like there may not be any more Xbox titles added to that list.

"I don't know if we have plans to do any more releases. It feels like we kind of hit the point of diminishing returns there. I know with the Xbox Originals, there are still things happening there, but in terms of a lot of engineering work around bringing out new titles, I think they're winding that down" said Penello.

"For the most part, we've crossed off games that people want to play. There's always going to be a notable exception here or there" he adds. Penello mentioned that apart from Halo 2, internal data shows that a low number of backward compatible games are being played on Live.

If your favourite Xbox game is yet to be featured on the list, it looks like it may not ever be. "At this point the stuff that's left is work per title, every title now is almost a one-off. Right now we have to think, are we really going to do 300 one-off titles? I know it's not exactly the answer everyone wants to hear, but I feel like it's time."

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22 Comments

Annihilation

4 years ago

fair enough

Infested Jibbs

4 years ago

^that says it all really doesn't it?

Building upon the already rock solid foundation annihilation has put down, i was never up on xbox games back in the day and so i don't really know what is worth playing and what isn't.In other words, what games, if any, are currently NOT backwards compatable and ARE NOT total ass?

Hyper the Metroid

4 years ago

Well I guess all the good games are already backwards compatible and the only games left would be crappy third party games.

IISpacebreakII

4 years ago

I think its pretty stupid, seeing as the PS2 was the market leader and not many people had an xbox. You'd think Microsoft would of given the opportunity to xbox360 customers as alot of them I know didn't even have the first xbox.

Infested Jibbs

4 years ago

What's stupid?What oppurtunity?

ObsoletE

4 years ago

i'm also not aware of what good games might still be outstanding, so perhaps what i'm about to suggest could be a little irrelevant, but why don't MS run a poll or something and release 1 final BC update and do 50 (to pick a number at random, i don't know how many titles were officially BCed on previous patches) games as voted by us, and then call it quits.

it won't happen of course, as listing all the non-compatible games would only highlight the fact that not everything is compatible. and that it's more of an issue than we realise.

IISpacebreakII

4 years ago

Jibbs wrote

What's stupid?What oppurtunity?

Why are you being such an as&?

Like what the hell, there was soo many complaints when the PS3 SKU dropped PS2 support, its almost the same thing (Minus the fact of alot more games

).

And you know they've probably already got all the popular games. But still its nice knowing that the games you purchase to play are going to 100% work.

Quote

Thats actually a really good idea, I like it.

Nick

4 years ago

The only games I ever wanted to see backwards compatibility on were Halo, Halo 2, Buffy (The first one) and Tron. 3/4 ain't bad, especially considering Tron wasn't a hit.

Infested Jibbs

4 years ago

Yo spacebreak, jump out of your big boots and re-read your original post.You too will realise that it makes no sense.I am not being an ass i genuinely do not know what 'is stupid'.Indeed, what is stupid?No more backwards compatibility?More backwards compatibility?And what is this opportunity ms could have given it's customers?

Cmon man get it together.

Spacebreak wrote

(deleted post my post)I just feel ms are missing out on a chance

And now this post.What chance?You finish your sentences a couple of words short of being decipherable.

Anyways, sounds like your con the idea of no more bc support, comparing it the ps3's lacklustre bc.You can't make that call, they are nothing alike.In a perfect world the 360 would play every game from every console with updated graphics and sound and cake.

In the real world however, a bc list that has been updated 4-5 times to the point where almost every pop game(and alot of unpopular games) have been covered, and quite well.If you can put together a list of 5 xbox games that are worth playing but aren't bc, then by all means, let me know.

EDIT-nice edit there space, don't worry i'll adlib the quote instead, guess i'll have to cause it aint there anymore.

Cerebral

4 years ago

Balls. I'll never get to play GGX2 (on a PAL console).

David

4 years ago

I'm surprised it went on as long as it did, as unlike Sony MS didn't have a huge market share to defend with BC.

ObsoletE wrote

why don't MS run a poll or something and release 1 final BC update and do 50 (to pick a number at random, i don't know how many titles were officially BCed on previous patches) games as voted by us, and then call it quits.

Not possible or they would have sone that to start with - the whole point was they did what they could within the technology, and some games just weren't possible.

PimpHat

4 years ago

Quote

Penello noted that, outside of Halo 2, internal data points to low numbers of backward compatible games being played on Live, with BC updates "not being downloaded that much anymore."

Well this is some tree falls in the woods shit right here.

His statement only tangentially related to the issue of people being unable to play games that have not been made backwards compatible. I'm struggling to find any relevance to my frustration at all.

If anything the first part reveals that he is monitoring for market cannibalization (as he should being group marketing manager). The second part could be an indication that people have already applied the most recent update and are waiting on the next.

They are the types of arguments cited by people that have chosen/prefer a course of action and are selecting the facts to support this choice.

Btw I know I’m guilty of the same selective reasoning but when I read between the lines of the BC List I see a few good games that may be left behind as casualties. Good games like 187 Ride or Die or Voodoo Vince or any of the Midnight Clubs or Hitman 2 or Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath or Serious Sam 2 or Freedom Fighters or any of the Timesplitters!

btw what is the ratio of xbox games actually playable on Live compared to total xbox games released? I think his implication that most owners of 360 hardware and xbox software only care about Halo 2 is unsupportable.

Jaws

4 years ago

It is a shame as there are games there that arent total crap that still are not on the list as PimpHat mentioned.

Fetidchimp

4 years ago

No v8 supercars games also, or would one of them be Pro Race Driver, i have no idea

Cobla

4 years ago

Even though it's getting a 360 re-vamp, I would like to see Chronicles of Riddick on the list. Its omission is the biggest one for me, closely followed by the afore-mentioned Stranger's Wrath.

While I can understand the diminishing returns from BC, I still think there's a number of holes to fill before calling it a day. Considering the new PS3 has absolutely no BC though, I suppose MS can afford to rest on their laurels.

Disappointing.

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

Jibbs wrote

In the real world however, a bc list that has been updated 4-5 times to the point where almost every pop game(and alot of unpopular games) have been covered, and quite well.If you can put together a list of 5 xbox games that are worth playing but aren't bc, then by all means, let me know.

Incorrect! Until the 360 supports Mashed (preferably 'Fully Loaded' too) the BC list is nothing but a pile of fail and spite.
Also, no Timesplitters? That in itself is a travesty too.

Besides the games that don't work at all, there are a good number of the BC 'supported' games that have emulation issues that make it unplayable (Breakdown) or just downright unpleasant to play.

They should stick to their guns and tough it out, making the 360 a stronger platform in doing so. Having a slow pace of updates is infinitely better than just throwing your hands in the air and giving up, after doing what could only be called an average job of it in the first place.

[/pissed off gamer with a large collection of XBOX games that don't run on the 360]

Skiller

4 years ago

Who needs Xbox BC if you have a PC and PS2, as far as I can remember the original Xbox didn't have any good exclusive titles, even the ones I originally thaught were exclusive turned out to have PC ports.

thebigm

4 years ago

Skiller wrote

The majority of the Multiplatform titles turned out to be better on the XBOX (disregarding PC versions) and considering that was the case, I'm assuming many people bought the XBOX versions. Considering that PS2 backward compatibility is somewhat lacking in the majority of new PS3s, I'm not quite sure how that would be helpful either if people want to play their old games on their new consoles to save themselves from having to hook up too many devices.

drinniol

4 years ago

Wait wait wait wait. Someone said 187 Ride or Die was a good game.

What the hell are you smoking?

This isn't like the PS3 situation at all. Sony have stopped -all- PS2 games from playing in the new 40GB units. You can still play compatible Xbox games in new 360s.

Jedi.Jell

4 years ago

Hahaha at all the people who thought having the emotion engine in the PS3 was something to tote over Xbox 360 owners.

Jaws

4 years ago

Jedi.Jell wrote

Hahaha at all the people who thought having the emotion engine in the PS3 was something to tote over Xbox 360 owners.

Well it kinda was a great feature while it lasted.

troublemaker

4 years ago

I wish Panzer Dragoon would work properly (only the first 3 episodes work

)

edit: I wish I knew what criteria they used when chosing games to make BC, as there are a lot of ordinary games on the list. IMO the best approach would have been to address the highest rated games first and then progress down the list.

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