Backwards compatibility should be industry priority, insists Xbox boss

Date:
Fri, 16 Jul 2021 10:06:11 +0000

Description:
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has voiced concern on the state of video game preservation, insisting the industry must come together to protect its history.

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Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has voiced concerns about the state of video game preservation, insisting that big players in the industry must come together
to create backwards compatibility solutions to protect its history.

Reported by GamesIndustry.biz , Spencer touched on the topic of backwards compatibility, stating: "I do worry a little bit about losing our artform and the history of it.

"As an industry, I would love it if we came together to help preserve the history of what our industry is about so we don't lose access to some of the things that got us to where we are today and built this industry. That would be a cool thing. Best Xbox Series X games : the Xbox games you need to play How to set Up Xbox Game Pass for PC Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Now : which is the best subscription service?

Spencer added that Xbox Cloud Gaming , a feature available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, could also prove essential to preserving older games in an easily accessible place.

He went on to note, though, that games requiring specific controllers or peripherals, like the original Xboxs Steel Battalion, would present more of a challenge to maintain. Preserving the past

Spencers comments arent just hot air, especially coming from Xboxs point of view. Starting with the Xbox One, and continuing with Xbox Series X /S, the company has committed to backwards compatibility, releasing a steady stream
of Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles over the past few years. These can be bought from the Microsoft Store or played physically if you own the game disk at no extra cost.

Sony and Nintendo have made similar if lesser efforts in recent years, too. The formers PlayStation Now makes certain PS2, PS3 games available to play
via cloud or direct download, while the latters Nintendo Switch Online subscription service allows for the playing of a collection of NES and SNES titles. (Image credit: Nintendo)

Xbox has certainly set the standard, however, with certain backwards compatible titles benefiting from performance improvements and crisper textures. Not to mention that load times are vastly improved when played on the Xbox Series X/S thanks to the consoles rapid SSD.

There have been some concerns with how Nintendo, in particular, handles game preservation. The company struck gold with the Wii and Wii Us Virtual
Console, a section of the consoles storefronts that let players download
games from tons of older systems (even non-Nintendo ones) at reasonable prices.

Thats now been greatly scaled back on the Switch, with a relatively limited amount of NES and SNES games playable exclusively over an internet
connection.

Clearly more needs to be done in order to preserve a much wider scope of
older titles with an affordable, perhaps more centralized format. Efforts
such as Mini consoles have proven popular in the last few years, but they are expensive novelty items prone to the wrath of scalpers. Heres hoping the industry can form a coalition of sorts in the near future, as older consoles and games grow increasingly difficult to come by. Nintendo Switch OLED
release date, price and is it 4K?



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/backwards-compatibility-should-be-industry-prio rity-insists-xbox-boss/


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