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Xbox 2 looks to the future
Web posted on 22/6/04 Sources close to Microsoft bigwigs claim the Xbox 2 definitely won't feature backwards compatibility.
Microsoft are slowly forging out the details for their follow-up to the Xbox, and as time passes and that prospective 2005 release date creeps ever nearer, more and more interesting information is oozing from the cracks of their Seattle HQ. According to sources close to Microsoft executives working on Xbox 2, the new console definitely won't feature backwards compatibility, which means you won't be able to play existing Xbox games on your shiny new box.
This has little, if anything, to do with Microsoft being evil old grinches and forcing you to shell out for brand new games to go with your brand new console. The Xbox 2 will feature an almost entirely different architecture to its predecessor, with a non-x86 processor, an ATi graphics card rather than an nVidia one and, if rumours are to be believed, no hard drive. This would make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to play existing Xbox games on your new hardware.
You'd be forgiven for thinking this isn't such a big deal. After all, a recent poll suggested that only 10% of PS2 users ever used the machine's backwards compatibility to play old PSone games, and even then for no longer than a few short minutes. You could also argue that no one is forcing you to get rid of your existing Xbox, and despite the strain it may put on your desktop unit, there's (just) room enough for two consoles under your telly. Given that such a feature is apparently a no-go, and the fact that the newly streamlined PSone console continued to sell extremely well even when the PS2 had hit shelves, you can bet that Microsoft and assorted developers will continue to release quality games for the original Xbox long after its successor is born.
However, there's no doubt it's better to be told you can have something rather than to be told you can't, and just the perception of Microsoft not letting you play your old games on your new console may put enough to put people off. Sure, it's fine for existing Xbox owners; you can carry on playing Halo 2 until the cows come home, but what about new gamers, fresh on the market without a console to their name? Backwards compatibility would grant the Xbox 2 an instant back catalogue in the hundreds. As it is, the machine will launch with likely around a dozen pieces of software, whereas it's already been confirmed that Sony have cracked compatibility issues for PS3 so it'll play both PS2 and PSone titles. It's something the Sony PR machine will jump on in a flash.
Microsoft are adamant they'll be first to the market, and if the predicted 2005 release date turns out to be accurate, then the Xbox would have had a shelf life of just three years - compared to the meaty six year lifespan of the PS2, it's perhaps an indicator of how much Microsoft want to succeed in this sector. We've no doubt that the Xbox 2 will an awesome piece of kit, but is the public really screaming out for a successor already? And one that won't play existing games at that? We're not convinced, and we'd advise you to invest in the current Xbox, raging beast that is is, and take advantage of all the wonderful games heading to its shores this year. |
Another case of greedy Microsoft sucking up our money yet again?
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| We're not convinced, and we'd advise you to invest in the current Xbox, raging beast that is is, and take advantage of all the wonderful games heading to its shores this year. |
The only wonderful game that I know of coming out this year is just Halo 2.
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Xbox 2 looks to the future
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