New Xbox One Experience, Xbox 360 compatibility arrives 12th Nov

[HEXUS]

News of the update emerged after yesterday's Halo 5: Guardians launch.

Read more.

[Corky34]

Those 40-50 million Xbox users should help Microsoft in their bid to get 1 billion Windows 10 users by 2018.

[crossy]

It's good that they extending the list of compatible XB360 titles, but they'll have to go a long way yet before I'd consider replacing one of the two household XB360s with an XBOne. (Although if there's any good trade in deals for the older console then that might pique my curiosity further). For example, no CoD games, not even CoD4:MW? Shame!

Other thing is that this is maybe a case of too-little, too-late - PS4 seems to have the mindset, (the pester power if you will). Just returned from a US vacation and it seems to be the case over there too. I know I wasn't the only one wondering how the XBOne launch managed to miss out on at least some compatibility with the earlier console's titles.

[shaithis]

I have been surprised that either of them pulled it off TBH.

Lets not forget the general rule of thumb for emulating hardware of a different architecture.....you need 10 times the power of what you are emulating.

Obviously, you can do what UltraHLE managed all those years ago and mitigate a lot of that power requirement by making a high-level emulator but that requires all the software to adhere to standards.....I am sure many titles throw a spanner in the works with some oddball programming "tricks" that have been used....and I can only assume that due to the power available and the way that compatible titles are being added in batches, that the high-level route is the way they have gone.

Still, I can't see myself buying an XBox One any time soon. At £150 with all 3 GoWs remastered, they would get my money but I have a long wait until then! (and they have to remaster GoW 2 and 3....really disappointed to read that the UE is a remastered 1 with backwards-compatible 2 and 3 )

[Saracen]

Those 40-50 million Xbox users should help Microsoft in their bid to get 1 billion Windows 10 users by 2018.

40-50 million, minus 1.

[crossy]

I have been surprised that either of them pulled it off TBH. Lets not forget the general rule of thumb for emulating hardware of a different architecture.....you need 10 times the power of what you are emulating.Obviously, you can do what UltraHLE managed all those years ago and mitigate a lot of that power requirement by making a high-level emulator but that requires all the software to adhere to standards.....I am sure many titles throw a spanner in the works with some oddball programming "tricks" that have been used....and I can only assume that due to the power available and the way that compatible titles are being added in batches, that the high-level route is the way they have gone.

Like you, I'm kind of surprised that when they announced that some of the ole '360 titles were going to be made available. Then again, it's a very strong driver for refuseniks like me - who have large '360 title libraries to maybe be able to play that much loved oldie-but-goodie on their shiny new 'One.

There's also the flipside for the publishers - that titles that had more or less had their day can perhaps turn a further buck (or ten) as "classic" titles under this compat scheme.

Your point about the need for "following the rules" is a good/obvious one - problem I see is that I heard too many devs being quoted as saying that they needed to "bend" those rules to get the best out of the '360, which I guess means that they're going to have problems with their 'One port.

[ceejays88]

I find this really annoying actually, I am disappointed with Microsoft that they said they wouldn't be any backwards compatibility at all.
So I cried a little and boxed up my 360 and games and then cried a little more then sold it all on eBay so I could go and get an Xbox one, and then they release this info, I thought great I should be able to just download them again when they are released....I mean it obvious i own d the game, I have extensive gamer score on these games.... But nooo. You need the original disc to be able to play it. What a bummer, all them games I sold for 10 each because they were useless to me are now 20 each because they are useful again.

[Spud1]

Other thing is that this is maybe a case of too-little, too-late - PS4 seems to have the mindset, (the pester power if you will). Just returned from a US vacation and it seems to be the case over there too. I know I wasn't the only one wondering how the XBOne launch managed to miss out on at least some compatibility with the earlier console's titles.

It will be interesting to see - Microsoft have a huge advantage over Sony in the backwards compatibility stakes in that its free. No monthly subscription cost, no repurchasing a digital version of a title..you just put your existing disk in and off you go. I still have a pile of xbox 360 disks that I know i can use straight away. It works really well too for the games I've been able to try so far (mostly the rare ones from rare replay). XB360 games are also dirt cheap in 2nd hand shops - most being £2-£5 per game, so any that I had sold on I can buy back , typically for less money than I sold them for.

As every month passes the XboxOne experience gets better and better. I did initially think I had made the wrong decision, but now I can confidently say that I bought the right console for me My only real regret is that most of my friends bought a PS4 and although a few have decided to jump ship, most won't for obvious reasons (their investment in the games). Ah well, can't have everything

[crossy]

It will be interesting to see - Microsoft have a huge advantage over Sony in the backwards compatibility stakes in that its free. No monthly subscription cost, no repurchasing a digital version of a title..you just put your existing disk in and off you go. I still have a pile of xbox 360 disks that I know i can use straight away. It works really well too for the games I've been able to try so far (mostly the rare ones from rare replay). XB360 games are also dirt cheap in 2nd hand shops - most being £2-£5 per game, so any that I had sold on I can buy back , typically for less money than I sold them for.

I'd agree with what you're saying above but for two things:
1. What happens if you don't actually have a physical disk - because you bought the title as a digital download?*
2. The list of games (at least the one I could find here) is pretty small and seems to consist of budget titles anyway.

Like I said, I'd really hope to see at least one CoD title make it on there (although if CoD2 was there then I'd be a lot happier) and where's any of the Forza titles? The last XBox360 one was actually pretty good.

(* and at this point Saracen is hopping up and down yelling "see, I told you that digital only was a bad way to buy things")

[Spud1]

Digital only titles that you bought on the X360 will transfer over if they are supported, and will appear as being available to download - you shouldn't need to repurchase. This includes "Games with Gold" titles - and Microsoft have also confirmed that when Backwards compatibility goes live you will also be able to add future "GWG" xbox 360 titles to your collection. So essentially thats another 2-3 free games each month

They are adding support for more and more games all the time so the list will expand over the coming months. From what I have read around the internet, many of the issues appear to be licencing ones (similar to why Goldeneye didn't appear in the rare replay collection) rather than technical, but i've no official source to verify that.

[Saracen]

....

(* and at this point Saracen is hopping up and down yelling "see, I told you that digital only was a bad way to buy things")

Nooooo .... not quite.

It's bad way, generally, FOR ME to buy. Though, on digital downloads, my primary reservation is music. That, I will not do, now or ever. I want physical media, and am prepared to pay a premium for it. No physical media, no purchase. To a lesser extent, that's true of video content, too.

For most games, however, my criteria are a bit different. It's not so much digital downloads I object to but the DRM that usually implies. Since a friend here introduced me to GOG, I've sated my gaming needs mainly from there, though to be honest, I'm so fed up with mainstream gaming I just don't game much any more.

For XBox (360 or One) my main use is at a second home, which simply doesn't have a net connection. X360 allows me to play entirely net-free, on any games I have anyway. My X360 has never, EVER been connected to the net. In any way, for any purpose. Digital downloads to it are, therefore, for me an utter non-starter. As, for that matter, are any Steam games that require a net connection for installation, and certainly, for game start-up, or periodical net authorisation checks.

There is, of course, also the privacy aspect, and it's no secret I keep one beady eye on that, at all times. If I buy physical media, game or music, for cash, there is no digital transaction record to add to my profle. Therefore, I minimise that at all times and eliminate it where feasible and pragmatic, and only allow a digital record if I deem it in MY interests to do so.

So by and large, digital purchase isn't for me. That doesn't imply I think it's bad for anyone else, though. Others may not have my priorities, and almost certainly don't mirror my circumstances.

[crossy]

It's bad way, generally, FOR ME to buy. Though, on digital downloads, my primary reservation is music. That, I will not do, now or ever. I want physical media, and am prepared to pay a premium for it. No physical media, no purchase. To a lesser extent, that's true of video content, too.

I'm in agreement with you ... mostly. There's been a couple of titles that I've got that were digital only because basically I couldn't get them any other way. However, like you, I much prefer the idea that I've bought that CD-based content, not merely "licensed" some ethereal copy of it. Probably a simplistic way of looking at it, but there you go...

I originally ripped my CD library in 192kb/s VBR MP3, now I'm reripping some of the better albums to ALAC - mainly because of the price/performance you can get from storage these days, 128GB uSD for less than £30.

Likewise, a DVD can be ripped to whatever devices, (in whatever formats), I want - whereas a digital copy invariably comes with some kind of penny pinching "content control" like Ultraviolet.

Sorry, I wasn't getting at your (oft expressed) opinions, merely reminding others. And strangely enough I invoked you in a talk with my kids the other day on this very subject.

[Saracen]

I'm in agreement with you ... mostly. There's been a couple of titles that I've got that were digital only because basically I couldn't get them any other way. However, like you, I much prefer the idea that I've bought that CD-based content, not merely "licensed" some ethereal copy of it. Probably a simplistic way of looking at it, but there you go...

I originally ripped my CD library in 192kb/s VBR MP3, now I'm reripping some of the better albums to ALAC - mainly because of the price/performance you can get from storage these days, 128GB uSD for less than £30.

Likewise, a DVD can be ripped to whatever devices, (in whatever formats), I want - whereas a digital copy invariably comes with some kind of penny pinching "content control" like Ultraviolet.

Sorry, I wasn't getting at your (oft expressed) opinions, merely reminding others. And strangely enough I invoked you in a talk with my kids the other day on this very subject.

Not taken as "getting at". Not at all. And I might have commented, once or twice in the past.

As for invoking me .... modern version of the boogey-man? Be good, or he'll get you? Not so much monster under the bed, as behind the compurer screen?