Home Gaming Xbox One backwards compatibility won’t cover the entire Xbox 360 library

Xbox One backwards compatibility won’t cover the entire Xbox 360 library

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Xbox-Backwards-compatibility

When Microsoft announced that it was finally delivering backwards compatibility to their Xbox One, people lost their minds. Now that was the kind of feature that people had been waiting for, because nothing says next-gen like being able to play old-gen games.

It’s undoubtedly a system-seller of a decision. But there is a catch attached to it: Namely that the various publishers and developers who created games on the Xbox 360 platform need to give permission for their titles to be emulated on the Xbox One.

And that’s the primary reason why the entire back catalogue of games isn’t being thrown at gamers just yet, as Microsoft’s corporate vice president Kudo Tsunoda explained to OXM:

So, we’ll start with 100 titles this autumn, and we’ll be adding titles as time goes by. At some point we’re going to need to get – obviously – the permission of the owners of the content, the publishers and the developers. So 100% is always a hard thing to achieve in anything.

So far, that list of games isn’t exactly…overwhelming. While games such as Perfect Dark and Kameo are still fine examples of which titles to emulate on the Xbox One, the rest of the selection isn’t exactly focusing on blockbuster titles from the past.

Not yet anyway, as Tsunoda explained that Microsoft was working on getting some big names involved:

There’s a possibility for some outliers, but we’re really going to work on getting the biggest catalogue of games on any platform onto Xbox One via not only our exclusive blockbuster titles that we’re delivering this fall, [but also] our indie games plus backward compatibility.

Again, that’s just enormous value for gamers.

Look, there’s only one game that really needs the backwards compatibility love here. And that’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. All those other games can wait until I get me some of that sweet Zan-Datsu.

Last Updated: July 30, 2015

34 Comments

  1. I expect the big ones, like Mass effect, will depend on whether or not the publisher thinks they can squeeze more money out of us with Semi HD remakes of games that looked like HD anyway to my untrained and uncaring eye.

    Money talks, publishers hoard, gamers game (just not the one that we want, 000,000,000 Ohh)

    Reply

    • Bryce Keller

      July 30, 2015 at 13:28

      Mass Effect is already available to preview members

      Reply

      • Brady miaau

        July 30, 2015 at 14:26

        Yeah, but not 2 and 3, just one. I wonder if that was deliberate. (well, last I checked)

        Reply

  2. Brady miaau

    July 30, 2015 at 08:14

    “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance”

    Is that any good? Seems bit too FPS for me. Mass Effect I can handle

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 30, 2015 at 08:15

      It’s pretty good, but it’s not a FPS at all, more like Devil May Cry type of game.

      Reply

    • WitWolfy

      July 30, 2015 at 08:43

      Think DMC meets ZOE.. best way to describe it..

      It’s alright, I guess. But I dont see it as cannon though.

      Reply

      • Brady miaau

        July 30, 2015 at 08:48

        @hammersteyn:disqus as well

        So, more twitchy then? I struggle with those, total gamer that I am.

        But I keep hearing about it.

        Reply

        • WitWolfy

          July 30, 2015 at 08:59

          I wont lie the last boss battle had me twisting my PS3 remote bad so it can get quite frustrating at times..

          It’s not bad.. But it isnt not good either..

          Reply

    • DrKiller

      July 30, 2015 at 14:21

      “Is it any good?”

      What :O Its probably one of THE best games I’ve played… Its like an easier version of DMC but it was really fun to watch the guy slicing all the enemies 🙂

      There is a lot of sequence fighting in it

      Reply

  3. Dutch Matrix

    July 30, 2015 at 08:19

    Meh. I sold my 360 for a reason. Whatever was worth playing, I played. And whatever was good enough to replay, I got on PC.
    So this is still zero incentive for me to buy a One

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      July 30, 2015 at 08:50

      How much did you sell it for?

      I have mine still, not been on since I bought the One (TM).

      I want to keep it to play Mass effect again, I know I will do that. If I can play Mass Effect on Xbox One, I am also thinking of donating Xbox 360 and all games to worthy cause, like childrens home or something

      Reply

      • Dutch Matrix

        July 30, 2015 at 08:51

        I sold mine for R3K with a stack of games. Went towards funding an amazeballs holiday I had in Croatia

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          July 30, 2015 at 08:57

          R3k is a fair whack.

          Still thinking the decent thing to do is donate BUT, will it cause more problems? I called the orphange I typically give stuff to and they said rather not, such things have cause complications in the past (orphanage has court placed kids from damaged homes, so the children are sometimes difficult to manage).

          What do you think?

          My wife does a ROAK Random Act of Kindness thing on Facebook cloth nappy groups sometimes.
          maybe just do that to a single person, here on this site.

          Basically people comment if they want it and bang, it goes to a random person (who sometimes pays shipping, my wife normally picks up that tab). Something for a group, if interest?

          Reply

          • Dutch Matrix

            July 30, 2015 at 10:35

            Giving someone a 360 for free will make their day. Plus seriously add to your feel goods!

  4. mongoose1

    July 30, 2015 at 08:34

    While I always enjoy reading a fair, unbiased article, Microsoft never claimed it would be 100% BC with all titles. They’ve (uncharacteristically) been brutally honest about that since E3. Regardless, I really enjoy the X1.

    Reply

    • WitWolfy

      July 30, 2015 at 08:44

      I dunno I’m sure I heard Phil said “all 360 games.” I just dont have the bandwidth at work to search for the video clip to see if I only heard what I wanted to hear.

      Reply

      • mongoose1

        July 30, 2015 at 08:59

        During E3, or I should say shortly after, there was a broadcast on X1 featuring Major Nelson and a programmer where they discussed the limitations of BC and that it would be limited depending on publishers and licensing rights.

        Reply

        • WitWolfy

          July 30, 2015 at 09:00

          I totally get though. All I’m saying is MS shouldnt count their chickens before they hatch.. Thats all.

          Reply

  5. WitWolfy

    July 30, 2015 at 08:42

    Phil kinda lied a tad bit then… He said at E3 “Play ALL your Xbox 360 games on Xbox One.” Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      July 30, 2015 at 08:51

      I do not think so. I think they said play select games, which is why I thought it was a technical piece of work on each games and far too much effort.

      I learnt later that it is, essentially, an emulator and therefore much more viable to get as many games on as publishers will allow

      Reply

      • WitWolfy

        July 30, 2015 at 09:04

        I wouldn’t actually call it an emulator really… I had to download the ENTIRE Mass Effect game consisting of 7 GB before I could play it. I call it being able to play a “Remaster” of sorts… Without being forced to buy it again.

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          July 30, 2015 at 09:07

          You play the game in what the the game thinks is Xbox 360, that is why elements like multiplayer are still supposed to work. You need the whole game on fixed disk, to read / write from. They said trying to support disks was a challenge in an article I read months ago.

          Reply

          • WitWolfy

            July 30, 2015 at 09:14

            It doesnt read or write ANYTHING from the disc.. Maybe it verifies the Xex extension ID to see if it is indeed Game X in the drive. But thats about it…

          • Brady miaau

            July 30, 2015 at 09:16

            Yeah, they said, annoyingly, the disk is only for DRM.

      • WitWolfy

        July 30, 2015 at 09:04

        I wouldn’t actually call it an emulator really… I had to download the ENTIRE Mass Effect game consisting of 7 GB before I could play it. I call it being able to play a “Remaster” of sorts… Without being forced to buy it again.

        Reply

  6. Zubayr Bhyat

    July 30, 2015 at 09:25

    As long as Dark Souls 1 is here I have no reason to be upset.

    Reply

  7. Matthew Holliday

    July 30, 2015 at 09:34

    ofcourse it wont.
    covering all games would be a logical assumption, since when has logic played any part in developement?

    Reply

  8. Francois Knoetze

    July 30, 2015 at 11:22

    Just give me the gears games, mass effect trilogy, halo reach, witcher 2 and alan wake and I will be happy.

    Reply

  9. ImTheMetalLord

    July 30, 2015 at 13:24

    This article and it’s comments look like it was written many months ago when this was first announced. People Mass Effect is already BC for the preview members so it will be available when this option launches. Also there is no way it will be 100% but you know there will be plenty jumping on (as many publishers already announced they are on board with this) due to the fact that it’s just another platform they can sell their wares on.

    MGR Revengeance? Are you kidding? There are so many better titles than that. There is a feedback page where you can go up vote the games you want to see and this game is way down on that list.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      July 30, 2015 at 14:25

      Mass Effect 2 and 3 are not currently included.

      I wonder if they will be.

      Reply

      • ImTheMetalLord

        July 30, 2015 at 14:45

        If I was a betting man I would bet they will be. How better to promote the next Mass Effect.

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          July 30, 2015 at 15:38

          Yeah, but I was thinking, Hmm, remaster a bit, sell to the punters for R600 a piece on new platform. Hmm.

          Reply

    • Shawn

      August 14, 2015 at 16:03

      Many publishers but not every,publisher, way too much time and resources would be wasted chasing this. It will be an after thought just like the BC feature on the 360.

      Reply

  10. Sovereign

    July 30, 2015 at 16:54

    MGR

    That was a good choice.

    Reply

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