Microsoft Exec Responds to Xbox One's Lack of Backwards Compatibility
In a wide-ranging podcast interview with The Inner Circle, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer pledged to gamers that he's listening to feedback regarding the Xbox One's lack of backwards compatibility. He said he understands the value gamers see in playing older games on a new console like the Xbox One, and even teased that Microsoft may deliver a solution some day.
"Back compat is always a hot topic at the turn of a generation, and I get why, especially on [Xbox 360] so many people bought so much digital content and it means that a lot of us, we're holding on to our 360s," he said. "I get the question. I totally respect the question. There’s nothing I can say about it right now, but I’ll just say 'I hear you.' I definitely hear you and I'll continue to try to work to build something that can help people out."
Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 do not support disc-based backwards compatibility like the Wii U does. However, the PS4 does let gamers play PlayStation 3 (and even older) titles through streaming service PlayStation Now. For its part, Microsoft said back in September 2013 that the Xbox One is technically capable of delivering a game-streaming service thanks to the console's cloud servers.
Also in the interview, Spencer touched on how future games will use the Xbox One's cloud servers and the impact graphics API Direct X12 could have on the system. He said Titanfall's use of Microsoft's cloud servers to offload computational efforts is just the first step in showing what they are capable of. Looking ahead, Spencer teased that the upcoming Crackdown game will use the cloud in ways that haven't been done before, while Halo 5: Guardians will "take use of the technology" in an unspecified manner.
Overall, Spencer stressed that development teams, as they get comfortable and accustomed to working with the Xbox One's cloud network, will eventually find new and exciting ways to leverage the technology for fresh gameplay experiences.
On the subject of Direct X12, Spencer said he doesn't want to "rain on anybody's parade," but said the new API is not going to impact the Xbox One in any significant way. "DX12 makes it easier to do some of the things that Xbox One's good at, which will be nice and you'll see an improvement in games through the use of DX12," he said. "But people ask me, 'Is it gonna be dramatic?' And I think I answered no at the time and I'd say the same thing [now], but it will ease development."
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