News Xbox 360 backwards compatibility confirmed

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/05/20/xbox_360_backwards_compatibility/

 

Surely if games have to recompiled, that means they're not backwards compatible.
To me, backwards compatibility means taking my XBox disk and putting it in the XBox360, and being able to play it.

Or am I missing something here?

 

I agree. Having to recompile the game to run on a new system, which more than likely requires me to have to re-purchase the game, doesn't make the console backwards compatible. Backwards compatibility is taking my old disc, slapping it in the new console and having it run. Couple that with the rumored price tag ($400) plus the fact that games are alo rumored to be on average $10 more than before making "premium" releases upwards of $65 - $70, and I'm not that excited about buying one anytime soon.

 

First of, wasn't this confirmed a while ago? Secondly i think (or at least this would make the most sence) that the console itself will recompile the game on the fly, i mean it has the power .

Death

 

Yea, it was confirmed a while ago, but if memory serves correct, the compatibility was due to emulation, not a recompile.

 

They can't recompile on the fly. The Xbox discs store the binary files, not the source code itself. Recompiling involves rebuilding the binaries from the source, and they can't do that on the platform unless MS is willing to send the code using Live (or something) and risk people cracking the disk format. They'll never do it unless they can actually DE-compile the code, which is an incredibly complicated process.

Backwards compatibility is the one thing that would've swayed me into buying this. I'll wait for PS3 and be ensured of it.

 

http://www.majornelson.com/2005/05/19/no-you-do-not-need-to-recompile-your-xbox-games/

Who?

 

i would believe that post...if it wasn't coming from someone who was bill gates' personal lapdog...

once it comes from the mouths of someone who isn't paid by microsoft, who gets paid to review hardware and give non-biased reviews, then i'll consider it viable information...

same thing with those bogus numbers from the "360 vs ps3" thread on that site...

until the boxes go live, i'm, personally, trashing any spec competition or proposed "we're 360 we're better" or "we're sony we're better" bullcrap...

--j

 

Wow...I'm a bit surprised that someone from microsoft who is the head of a department would just post his phone number up on his site and ask random people to call him...wtf??

 

I don't doubt that it will be backwards compatible. If they were to say it was and then have it turn out that it isn't (so confusing) then they would have a riot on their hands and they wouldn't reach their target market of /dr evil/ One Billion Users

On a side note. The caption for the pic 3+6+0=9. WTF was that all about?

 

Yeah but gets me, is on MTV it showed them playing Halo 2 on the 360, what's up with that?

 

i think they have already compiled some of them.

 

I see, that would make sense. I wonder how much it would cost to buy these recompiled versions???

 

Man i can't wait for this system... Kinda a toss up between X360 and PS3... Prolly BOth!

As for the games... Maybe 20 bucks like the greatest hit's titles??

 

I for one know i'll be getting all THREE
20 is to much imo, esp to rebuy a game you already have just to play on a newer console.

Death