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Games and Sports

Backwards Compatibility Marketing Smoke And Mirrors

Xbox chief Peter Moore is “clarifying” his statements concerning Xbox 360 backwards compatibility. Earlier he made remarks that nobody really cared about this anymore. Well, people got into a big uproar as they often do when someone has the audacity to say something that is either patently false or in this case too true for people to handle. I think Moore was right, no one really cares about backwards compatibility, its only true usefulness is as a marketing tool. Backwards compatibility is the thing that makes it easier to sell our parents, spouses, and significant others on the notion that we should be allowed to spend $600 bucks or more on a new game machine. Oh but look sweet babe, the new box will play all of my old games too, so I can clear some space here in the living room — smootch smootch.

We gamers know darn well that we couldn’t care less about playing those old games, even the ones we haven’t finished, when a shiny new box comes out. But Mr. Moore forgot that you can’t say that in public or else the marketing guys who have to move the boxes get pissed. So now that he’s been to the woodshed, we can all get on with buying that new hardware with a clear conscience!