Xbox 360 backwards compatability?

I heard a rumor that the Xbox 360 will only be backwards compatable with a few games.

This is a concern since I do not have an Xbox but have a long list of regular Xbox games to buy. I was going to spring for the 360 because I thought it would do both. I was under the impression that the 360 would be backwards compatable until I read today that it will only be for certain games.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Is this information correct/current?

They seem to be really wishy-washy about this issue, but I have heard rumors that you will eventually be able to play all your old games on the new console without putting up any more cash. Software updates will be needed before all the titles will work. I think the best thing to do is wait until the console comes out and people get a chance to try it out. I'd be really skeptical about buying the version without a hard drive if you do decide to get one right at release time. You don't know what future options you're cutting out.

Ok, Ok, Ok, I have a solution to this problem...wait for ps3 and live in video game bliss.

Well looks like we're getting an original Xbox for an early Christmas present. That should free up $250 for games.

Xbox 360 will have to wait.

ok the way i have heard and read in a toy'r'us phamplet. theres 2 packages. i think 300 and 400(check prices) the 300 comes with a wire connected controller, no memory, regular noncustomizable xbox live, and no backwards play. the 400 comes with a memroy card thinggy, wireless controllers, customizable xbox live, and backwards play. i am about 96% sure on this information the phamplet is at my cuzez house i read it about 5 times i was board.

That sounds right. Probably the reason for conflicting reports. I know that the current xbox uses the hard drive to store game save status, and I didn't know how they would get around that in the 360 version that was missing the hard drive. I guess they don't plan on it.

I have found some more information that seems to suggest that the HD version will have backwards compatability so maybe I won't have to run out and buy the original. I planned one getting the 400 version anyway.

I work in the buying departmeent of a very large retailer on the east coast, wont say who. The buyer for games and consoles has told me that the Xbox 360 is 100% NOT backwards compatable.

So the answer is no, and not only will you not be able to play your old games, your old controllers and devices wont work either.

Why did Micro$oft do this (again)? Because Sony and Nintendo wont have a console to compete against it for months and months. Us sheeple will buy it anyways....

Oh yes, and Halo.

Ok I wouldn't expect controllers to be compatable but I did read this in the issue #206 of GamePro.

"Core System owners will be unable to play their old Xbox games on the quasi backward-compatible 360 unless they purchase the $99 hard drive upgrade."

So I'm still not convinced either way. I am very unhappy though that we are this close to launch and still no clarity on this issue.

Microsoft is going to have backwards compatibility for SOME XBox games, on the 360 - not all. They have said that they will actually release updates every so often to add even more compatibility (compatibility will only work with the hd attachment). And who knows, with an upgradeable console, they could have all XBox games working with the console in time.

[edit on 11-3-2005 by EmbryonicEssence]

Well I dug a little deeper and this is what is going on. It will be compatible with major titles. A list of games compatible with the 360 has been promised but is overdue on Xbox.com. Microsoft will release updates and add more and more games as time goes by. They will start with the most popular games and add as many as they can until consumers seem to lose interest. I hope they get them all.

So it looks like I'll go ahead and get one this holiday season and if I have problems with a game I want to play down the road the original xbox will be super cheap.

360 to play 200+ Xbox games
Microsoft confirms its next-gen console will play many games for its current-gen console, including Halo, Ninja Gaiden, KOTOR, Fable, GTA, and more.
After playing coy for months about the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility, Microsoft has finally come clean. The software behemoth announced late Friday that over 200 games from its current-generation console will play on its next-generation console.


As one might expect, Microsoft has made sure all the top Xbox games are supported, including Halo and Halo 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black, and the three Grand Theft Autos: III, Vice City and San Andreas. A total of 212 Xbox games will be playable on the 360 at launch, though Microsoft says that number will increase.

Friday also brought good news to Xbox Live addicts. Any of the backwards-compatible games will be playable cross-platform between the Xbox 360 and Xbox over Xbox Live. That means would-be Master Chiefs with a 360 can still own their friends playing on current-generation consoles--although the former will see the carnage in higher resolution...

Continued at:
www.gamespot.com...