Backwards compatibility on the Xbox One doesn’t matter, but you just don’t know it yet.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was just as excited as you during this year’s E3 when Microsoft unveiled their plans to support legacy Xbox 360 titles on the Xbox One. I thought, “wow this could really tighten the divide between Xbox One and PS4 sales.” I even paused for a moment during the conference to think about all my old favorites that I would play once the feature arrives.
But I won’t be playing my old favorites—at least not for long—and neither will you. Backwards compatibility is typically an additional selling feature to persuade gamers to release their grasp from old consoles and purchase next generation hardware. The ability to play both old and new titles on a new console is attractive to gamers because it adds value and makes the transition to playing next generation software smoother.
The Xbox One has been out for almost two years now; I doubt that many core gamers actually held off on buying the Xbox One just because they didn’t want to part with their library of Xbox 360 games. If you really wanted an Xbox One, you would have purchased one by now, especially with all of Microsoft’s efforts to push out cheaper units that come bundled with one or more top-tier titles.
As an owner of the Xbox One, backwards compatibility won’t matter to you because there are already plenty of titles in established franchises that you have to play. You most certainly have a backlog of games to play. And answer me this: When have you ever actually gotten around to beating a game in that backlog? You are not alone.
I take my Wii U ownership as a perfect example of the waning utility presented by backwards compatibility. Nintendo shipped their tablet-equipped console with backwards compatibly at launch, and did I ever use my Wii U to play through a Wii game? Nope. I may have tried out the feature simply because it was available to me, but I never actually decided to dive into the depths of missed Wii games.
Backwards compatibility is one of those features that is unnecessary but nice to have in order to bolster your purchasing decision and satisfy that value-seeking hunger. However, you will not use the feature; it is just an appealing offering alongside all the other, more useful functions of the Xbox One. My smartphone has tons of features: calculators, maps, stocks, notes, and Siri. Will I ever use these features? It’s highly unlikely. Do I like having them? Of course, I’m an insatiable techy.
Kudos to Microsoft for their efforts to provide backwards compatibility during a time when such a feature has been lost to services like PlayStation Now or rebuy offerings like remastered games. Backwards compatibility is a welcome feature to the Xbox One, and one that I will try, but the novelty will wear quickly.
With so many prominent titles released on the Xbox One in just the past few months—Forza 6, Halo 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Fallout 4—the potential to play games from last generation will be lost in the abyss of new titles to play, not to mention my growing backlog from the current console generation.
That all depends on how many 360 games you have in your backlog that you’d love to play, like myself. Whether the novelty wears off or not is irrelevant if it’s just an option to choose at your leisure.
Further, most PS3 players jumped ship to the X1, so there are plenty of 360 exclusives out there that they’ve never played and probably would like to.
I think it’s a stretch to say most PS3 players bought an XB1 instead of a PS4. Especially after the used games and offline limit fiasco.
That all depends on how many 360 games you have in your backlog that you’d love to play, like myself. Whether the novelty wears off or not is irrelevant if it’s just an option to choose at your leisure.
Further, most PS3 players jumped ship to the X1, so there are plenty of 360 exclusives out there that they’ve never played and probably would like to.
I think it’s a stretch to say most PS3 players bought an XB1 instead of a PS4. Especially after the used games and offline limit fiasco.