Xbox 360 Backwards compatibility list revealed

[MKE]

I thought the 360 architecture was like that of the original xbox, just more pumped up?

actually, the 360's architecture is on the complete opposite sides of the spectrum...the xbox is an intel x86 and the 360's cpu is ppc based, so it's like a mac vs intel thing...

but hey, atleast we can still play all the great games, like Barbie? Horse Adventures? Wild Horse Rescue? ...

[Nico0020]

so many of the xbox live games I have arnt on the list *yet*. No doom 3, conker, Phantom dust, PSO, worms, and a few more i cant remember right now. Oh well, hopefully M$ showers us with emu updates from the begining.

[Specially Cork]

but hey, atleast we can still play all the great games, like Barbie? Horse Adventures? Wild Horse Rescue? ...

I get the joke, but it wouldve worked much better using a FIFA game.

[Lartrak]

Sorry, let me rephrase that.

I was hoping that the backward compatibility would be atleast as good as, or better than the ps2 to psx compatibility. I understand it's emulation and won't be perfect, however one can expect a better job by the people who actually developed the system. I know the list is probably far from done, but I'm hoping that once the 360's released we're not always referring back to the list to see whether or not our games will work.

Are there any PSX games that don't work on the PS2? I've never really looked into it. But, the PS2 doesn't even use emulation - it actually has PSX hardware in it from my understanding - much the GBA has a GBC in it.

I do quite like it when they do that, personally. It's quite nice being able to play my PS1 games on my PS2 (and with PS2 controllers at that).

[DaMadFiddler]

This reminds me a lot of Bleem!Cast and when, for quality guarantee reasons, they ended up splitting it into individual-game iterations.

[atf487]

Sorry, let me rephrase that.

I was hoping that the backward compatibility would be atleast as good as, or better than the ps2 to psx compatibility. I understand it's emulation and won't be perfect, however one can expect a better job by the people who actually developed the system. I know the list is probably far from done, but I'm hoping that once the 360's released we're not always referring back to the list to see whether or not our games will work.

The PS2's psx 'emulation' is done at the hardware level, xbox 360's is software.

You aren't going to get any better than what the PS2 has.

[saber07]

This is kind of dipping into dark waters, mod can delete if needed, but would the emulator be able to be ripped and ran on a pc?

[|darc|]

No chance. Different architectures

but what about a PPC Mac?

[impetus]

That's a much better list thatn what I was expecting (the top 10-20 A-list games).

It may not be comprehensive, but it's nice to see that the games covered include some of the more obscure ones.

[Caboose]

Are they going to sell the emulator per game, or one emulator that plays those games?

[|darc|]

Are they going to sell the emulator per game, or one emulator that plays those games?

I am pretty sure it just comes with the console

[MKE]

Are they going to sell the emulator per game, or one emulator that plays those games?

I am pretty sure it just comes with the console

no, only the halo and halo 2 emulator files come with the console...you have to get all the other updates through live silver/gold subscription, or you can download and burn them to a cd on xbox.com

[Quzar]

Are they going to sell the emulator per game, or one emulator that plays those games?

I am pretty sure it just comes with the console

no, only the halo and halo 2 emulator files come with the console...you have to get all the other updates through live silver/gold subscription, or you can download and burn them to a cd on xbox.com

o_O To me that effectively translates to 'not backwards compatible'. Since getting the emulator means you would need either a PC with a burner and internet connection or 360 live or whatever it's called.

[Lunchbox]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwar ... lityqa.htm

Xbox.com: How is your backward compatibility solution going to work?

Todd: As you?ve heard from us before, backward compatibility on Xbox 360 is done through software. Now that we?ve solved the technical challenge and the emulator is working, we?re certifying each original Xbox title by hand to run on Xbox 360.

What I?m really proud to tell you and your readers is that it?s easy to get the emulation software, and it?s free. We?ll give gamers a choice?you can get the latest software updates from Xbox Live, burn a CD from xbox.com or sign up on Xbox.com for a CD that can be delivered to your home at a nominal shipping and handling fee. Once you get the CD, put it in your Xbox 360 and you?re ready to go.

Xbox.com: Will there be any benefits to playing original Xbox games on my Xbox 360 console?

Todd: Absolutely. One of the great things about gaming on Xbox 360 is the satisfaction of knowing that every game will be playable in high definition. We are now proud to reveal that this extends to the original Xbox games as well. Every original Xbox game will be upscaled to 720p and 1080i, and will take advantage of Xbox 360?s anti-aliasing capabilities, delivering a picture that is clearer and crisper than anything available on Xbox.

Xbox.com: By what date do you plan to have all original Xbox games backward compatible?

Todd: We're continuing to work hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible; we'll be adding to the list regularly.

Xbox.com: What criteria do you use in choosing which Xbox games will be backward compatible on Xbox 360? How far back into the Xbox game library are you going to go?

Todd: When we say Xbox library, we mean the entire Xbox library. This ranges all the way from our launch in 2001 up to games that haven't even shipped yet. As we've said before, we prioritized the top-selling titles and those games with a large Xbox Live following for launch, and we're going deeper into the portfolio every day.

I hope they can get Burnout Revenge and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory in before Christmas

[abydos1000]

Half my library isn't there yet.

I'm not impressed with 360's anti-aliasing capabilities.

And I hope they put the emphasis on getting the xbox games to run correctly instead of adding fancy crap. Only time will tell.

That was one thing that Sony did manage to get right...I would have preferred a hardware approach.

[Tall Israeli]

Just keep your Xbox for christs sake. It's not like theyre going to give you anything for it at EB or Gamestop. That list is also the first phase and will obviously be updated with support for new games.

[toastman]

* Call of Cthulhu?: Dark Corners of the Earth?
* Crimson Skies?: High Road to Revenge?
* Fable?
* Fable?: The Lost Chapters?
* Halo?
* Halo? 2
* Worms 4 Mayhem
* Worms? Forts: Under Siege

Out of that list, the games that interest me and aren't available on another platform. And the games that I really wanted to play on the XBox, aren't listed.

The 360's backwards compatibility list is crap.

[abydos1000]

Just keep your Xbox for christs sake. It's not like theyre going to give you anything for it at EB or Gamestop. That list is also the first phase and will obviously be updated with support for new games.

I don't trade things in anyway for that reason (you get nothing), plus I'm sure there will be some games that will never be compatible; a lot of people are trading their old xboxes in at my local store regardless

[Ex-Cyber]

Are there any PSX games that don't work on the PS2?

I'm pretty sure that there are. I can't tell you specifically, beause I haven't heard and Sony only keeps a list of titles which "may perform differently on the PlayStation 2 system than they did on the PlayStation console, or may not perform properly on the PlayStation 2 system". The list apparently just got a lot bigger with the latest revision to the PS2 BIOS...

But, the PS2 doesn't even use emulation - it actually has PSX hardware in it from my understanding - much the GBA has a GBC in it.

. The IOP contains some kind of superset of most of the PSX hardware, but I'm pretty sure that the PSX GPU is emulated.

[abydos1000]

Are there any PSX games that don't work on the PS2?

I'm pretty sure that there are. I can't tell you specifically, beause I haven't heard and Sony only keeps a list of titles which "may perform differently on the PlayStation 2 system than they did on the PlayStation console, or may not perform properly on the PlayStation 2 system". The list apparently just got a lot bigger with the latest revision to the PS2 BIOS...

But, the PS2 doesn't even use emulation - it actually has PSX hardware in it from my understanding - much the GBA has a GBC in it.

. The IOP contains some kind of superset of most of the PSX hardware, but I'm pretty sure that the PSX GPU is emulated.

Correct in the IOP. I had forgotten about that... some software emulation is going on then. I have two titles on that list: Final Fantasy anthology and one of the Midway collections... can't see what is incompatible though some may argue that FF anthology was broken from the start.