Dear microsoft... a letter to MS about backwards compatibility.

[diceone]

I wrote a letter to MicroSoft wondering why so many of the games I own aren't supported on the 360 yet?

This was submitted via the web based contact form:
I am trying to find out when certain games are going to be added to the backward compatible game listing, and if they are not planning on being supported, why?

I own over $1000.00 of games and accessories that are currently of no use on the new xbox 360 system.

I am curious as to why Microsoft has done such a poor job maintaining its loyal consumer base and supporting it's existing xbox titles and products?

I even understand development on yet ANOTHER xbox like product has began. Slated for release in 4-7 years.

Is it Microsoft's method to create a false sense of product longevity and support and then issue new products that intentionally do not support previous software, forcing users to re-buy over and over?

after dismantling an xbox 360 there is literally almost no physical difference in it from the previous xbox.
more power in graphics and processor, maybe, but it is still a cpu based system, on dvd media with live service support.
There are no differences that should not permit full compatibility with xbox titles, unless intentionally engineered to create the incompatibility via system software.

The reply I received:
Mr. Gallagher,

Thank you for writing Xbox Customer Support!

We appreciate your feedback. Although we can't respond to your suggestion individually, we, at Xbox Customer Support, apologize for the inconvenience.

We consider all of the suggestions and comments sent in by our members, and we maintain an internal database of suggestions that we consult and prioritize.

Customer satisfaction is our main goal and we will improve our service in the future. Again, In behalf of Microsoft Xbox Customer Support, we deeply apologize for the inconvenience.

For further assistance, please don't hesitate to write back or call Xbox Phone Support at 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) at your earliest convenience, and we will be happy to help you. We are open everyday from 9am to 1am EST/ 6am to 10pm PST.

To expedite service, please provide Service Request Number 1032053010 when you call.

Good News! You may link your console to your Windows Live ID, and check repair status online at the web site: http://service.xbox.com.

Sincerely,
Jon
Xbox Customer Care Team

[SSaxdude]

As much as I want 100% Xbox compatibility on my Xbox 360, I kept my Xbox just in case.

[Elven6]

Well if they wanted it 100% at launch they would have had to put the old chips in aswell but rights over who owned them stoped MS from doing so. And now their going to stop making compat updates which totaly sucks, I doubt I will buy another MS console if things keep up.

[JKKDARK]

I just want PSO compatible on Xbox 360!!

[Elven6]

I just want PSO compatible on Xbox 360!!

You know their shutting down those servers right?

[JKKDARK]

You know their shutting down those servers right?

The PSOX server is hosted by Microsoft, not Sega. PSOX will be online.

[BrooksyX]

I am glad that M$ decided to use software emulation instead of hardware emulation for backwards compatibility. The 360 is expensive as it is, now throw in an extra CPU and GPU. That would probably raise the price another $50. Plus most of the good games work anyways and if you want to play a game that isn't on the list play it on your Xbox 1.

after dismantling an xbox 360 there is literally almost no physical difference in it from the previous xbox.
more power in graphics and processor, maybe, but it is still a cpu based system, on dvd media with live service support.
There are no differences that should not permit full compatibility with xbox titles, unless intentionally engineered to create the incompatibility via system software.[/I]

This part gave me a good laugh. Just because something looks similar does not mean they work the same way. A 360 motherboard looks just like my PC motherboard. That doesn't mean I can pop a 360 game into my PC's dvd drive and expect it to work.

The CPU in the Xbox 360 is way different then the original Xbox CPU. The original Xbox uses a x86 (same as a PC) CPU, so to be able to get Xbox 1 games to run on a 360 the 360 has to pretend that it is an original xbox. This requires large amounts of code and will only work at playable speeds for certain games. M$ has already spent millions of dollars on getting your old games to work on you new hardware. So its not like they are making money when certain games don't work. So please don't come here and whine about it to us.

[Arun70]

I don´t care if things a backwards compatible... sometimes you just have to set new standards. It´s often too much complicated to make hard- or software backwards-compatible.

[beetroot bertie]

I agree, it's not essential but it is a big bonus and I'm sure it was (along with the inclusion of a DVD player) one of the main reasons the PS2 was so successful. It was a clever way to build on the PS1's success.

Prior to that Backwards compatibility wasn't such a big issue. From what I remember, the N64 couldn't play SNES carts which inturn couldn't play NES carts and the Megadrive couldn't play Maser System carts either.

I suppose there were some systems that were backwards compatible but the only ones I can think of were older machines like the BBC 128k or the Amiga 1200. Not too sure about the Atari consoles/computers.

It only seems since the PS2 that it's become so valued. I have to admit it is preferred - it's allowed me get some cheap Xbox games to enjoy - but not essential. It's a good selling point and helps keep a user base if they already have loads of games (even if they don't play them).

However, if was planning on getting a PS3 then I would be hacked off with euro model minus the PS2 chip. Especially at rip off Britain prices.

[JKKDARK]

Prior to that Backwards compatibility wasn't such a big issue. From what I remember, the N64 couldn't play SNES carts which inturn couldn't play NES carts and the Megadrive couldn't play Maser System carts either.

megadrive can play master system games with the Power Base Converter