When the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 emerged all those years ago, it was always assumed that both would offer backwards compatibility with the titles of their respective predecessors, but in the run-up to the current-gen machines – particularly Microsoft’s Xbox One – it quickly became apparent that things wouldn’t be so clear-cut. Since the Xbox maker’s latest entertainment machine landed late last year, gamers have been in limbo with regards to eventual support for Xbox 360 titles, and now some encouraging news has been revealed to suggest that this may, in future, become a possibility, which follows on forward from an earlier report that suggested the same thing.
Moreover, it seems that Microsoft could offer backwards support by means of a software update. But while it’s something that the Windows maker appears to have on standby, those hoping for said update to arrive soon are probably going to be left disappointed for the time being.
With some new Halo titles on the way for the Xbox One, offering backwards compatibility would make very little sense so soon in the new console’s life, and while it may be something that occurs one, two, or maybe even three years down the line, it’s very unlikely to happen imminently.
This means, for now, folks wanting to play Xbox 360 games will have to keep two boxes beneath their TV sets. This is a bit of an inconvenience, of course, but you can hardly blame Microsoft for keeping this feature under lock and key – especially given the early deficit in sales versus Sony’s PlayStation 4.
Back at the BUILD developers event, it emerged that Microsoft was considering backwards compatibility, and Xbox head Phil Spencer has once again echoed these sentiments. But with the big E3 gaming expo now well and truly on the horizon, it seems far-fetched that any announcements will be made in this regard beyond a few more murmurings, and instead, we’re better to focus our attentions on what Microsoft may or may not unveil.
Thanks to a significant leak back in May, most of Sony’s big surprises appear to have already been divulged, but for Microsoft and the Xbox One, we’re certainly eager to learn of what’s in store.
The event kicks off next week on Tuesday, June 10th, and we’ll have feature-length coverage on all of the major announcements, so stay tuned!
(via: NeoGAF)
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