backwardcompatibility
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Ubisoft pulls post about PS4 games not working on PS5, cites 'inaccuracies' (updated)
Ubisoft pulled a blog post that listed several PS4-era games that it said may not run properly on the PS5.
Microsoft clarifies which games work on Xbox Series S and X on day one
Every game that runs on Xbox One makes the cut, except for ones that need Kinect.
Sony finally reveals which PS4 games won't work on PS5
Only 10 games, including 'Hitman Go: Definitive Edition,' won't make the cut.
Xbox One X enhancements come to 'Red Dead Redemption' and 'Portal 2'
Red Dead Redemption 2 might not launch for several months, but Microsoft is giving you the next best thing. The company has added Xbox One X visual enhancements to six classic Xbox 360 games, including the original Red Dead Redemption. If you've wanted to revisit John Marston's saga on your 4K TV, this is likely as good as it gets until the sequel arrives. Not that the other games are obscure -- Darksiders, Gears of War 2, Portal 2, Sonic Generations (the first time it's available on Xbox One, in fact) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are making the leap as well.
'The Orange Box' comes to Xbox One
It's been more than nine years since Half-Life 2: Episode Two came out and, yeah, that cliffhanger still stings. Thankfully, Microsoft's Larry Hryb has announced that The Orange Box is now available on the Xbox One via backwards compatibility. That gives everyone the chance to soften the blow of Valve's contempt for its audience by once again replaying five of the company's best games. The legendary bundle combines Half-Life 2, its two episodic sequels, Team Fortress Two and some rando game about physics puzzles that'll probably never take off. It's not just The Orange Box that's now available for your nostalgia, since Galaga Legions and Joe Danger 2: The Movie are also now available.
Xbox One backward compatibility supports multi-disc games
Xbox has rolled out backward compatibility support for games that span multiple discs, starting with Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut. This means players can look forward to even more classic Xbox 360 games hitting the Xbox One via backward compatibility (Mass Effect 2 and 3, anyone?).
Xbox One adds backwards compatibility for 'Witcher 2' and more
Microsoft is keen to make its Xbox One Backward Compatibility as robust as possible. The feature, which lets users play Xbox 360 titles on Microsoft's latest console, continues to grow thanks to help from developers. A testament to this is a slew of new backwards-compatible games arriving today, including Soulcalibur, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (free until February 5th) and Counter-Strike: GO, plus a few others. What's most interesting here, though, is that Microsoft says it will now start releasing titles as they become available, instead of setting a launch date for them every month. That's a good move, if you ask us -- the sooner we can reminisce over old games, the better.
Here's how Xbox One backward compatibility works
The Xbox 360 had a dedicated spot in millions of living rooms, bedrooms and offices for nearly 10 years, and during that time, players purchased massive libraries of games. However, when the Xbox One launched in 2013, it didn't include the ability to play or transfer Xbox 360 games, a disappointment for many fans. That's why Microsoft's announcement at its E3 showcase was so exciting: The Xbox One is getting backward compatibility this holiday, with a lineup of more than 100 fan-requested Xbox 360 games to start and more to be added as demand warrants. Xbox One backward compatibility runs an Xbox 360 emulator right on the console, which is no easy feat, Microsoft General Manager of Games Publishing Shannon Loftis explains during a chat at E3.
Microsoft's working on Xbox 360 emulation for Xbox One, but 'there aren't currently any plans' to make it
Xbox-related news from Microsoft's Build conference last week wasn't just relegated to Kinect for Windows, it would seem. Redmond is having a hard time bringing the Xbox 360's considerable catalog of games to the Xbox One via hardware emulation. Last week an audience member asked lead partner developer Frank Savage if there were plans to bring an Xbox 360 emulator, as spotted by Kotaku's Australia wing, to its new console. Savage said there are, but "we're not done thinking them through yet, unfortunately." He went on to say that emulating the last-gen console's PowerPC architecture on the Xbox One's x86-based platform is actually pretty hard to do. We reached out to Microsoft for confirmation and were told, as Savage said, nothing has been assembled yet. "It is super challenging to emulate two completely different architectures, and there aren't currently any plans to build this," the Redmond spokesperson said. Just like that, our dreams of playing Red Dead Redemption with the Xbox One's controller have (temporarily) been dashed.
PlayStation 4 will not have native PS3 backwards compatibility
During today's PlayStation event Gaikai's Dave Perry revealed that the PlayStation 4 will not natively support PlayStation 3 games, and that Sony's next-gen console will instead stream PS1, PS2 and PS3 games from the cloud -- something that the company has already confirmed on Twitter. Check out our liveblog of Sony's event to get the latest news as it happens.
Sony Japan: PSOne classics coming to Vita in summer update, PlayStation 3 to get downloadable PS2 catalog later this month
If you've been aching to wile away hundreds more hours replaying Final Fantasy classics on the go, then Sony Japan's got some good news for you. It's finally revealed that the ability to play those charming, if a little dated, PSOne titles will arrive on the PS Vita's next software update, version 1.80, later this summer. This little nugget was tucked away behind the news that a handful of PS2 titles, playable on all versions of the PS3, will launch in the Japanese PlayStation Store on July 25th. The first wave of titles include Biohazard Code: Veronica, Siren and Dragon Force, all priced between 800 and 1,200 yen. No news yet, however, on when (or if) a similar retro-gaming bounty will arrive outside of Japan.
Sony: PlayStation 2 compatibility 'is not coming back' to PS3
Cling to that Cell-based PlayStation 2 emulator patent all you want, but Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller has some disparaging words for those wanting Shadow the Colossus to one day work one the latest hardware. PS2 backwards compatibility "is not coming back, so let me put that on the table," he told Ars Technica, soon after reaffirming, "that won't be returning." Apparently people have been buying the PS3 not for PS2 titles but for the newest games and Blu-ray movies -- and given PS2's continued dominance in sales, presumably to play those last-gen games, we don't doubt it. Seeing such a feature standard in all other consoles out there, including the first two iterations of this one, we can't help but feel burned. Still, it was less than two months ago when Sony's mantra was no PS3 price cuts, and funny enough, that's more or less what happened. So if Koller wants to go back on his word and offer PS2 compatibility further down the line, hey, we'll forgive him. [Via Joystiq]
Sony execs talk backward compatibility, PS3 comeback
One year after EGM's infamous BattleStation cover feature on the PS3's problems, the latest issue has a feature that's quite a bit more bullish about the system's chances in the coming year. Included in that feature is an interesting interview with two PlayStation executives that reveals some interesting thoughts on the future of backward compatibility on the PS3.First off, VP of Marketing Peter Dille said point blank that backward compatibility was "important" to Sony, and stressed that there's still a model on the market that offers the features (for $100 extra, of course). What's more, according to PSN Operation Director Eric Lempel, downloadable PS2 title might be possible even on versions of the system that don't support disc-based backward compatibility at all. "There are possibilities through technology and software emulation to make that possible," Lempel said, intriguingly.The entire interview is a must-read for anyone interested in a somewhat defensive take on everything from PS3 motion sensitivity to hard drive sizes and system pricing. Well worth wading into the tree-killing magazine racks of your local newsstand.
Italian PS3 owners want their PS2 soccer
While Sony may boast that over 1,000 PS2 games work on the modified European PS3, statistics don't matter much if your favorite game doesn't work correctly. Case in point, an editorial in Italy's Corriere Della Sera with the translated headline "Yesterday I bought a PS3. Today, I'm selling it." Apparently, at least one journalist is so mad about the PS3's lack of full support for Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series (Eurogamer points out that the online matches don't work) that he is willing to sell the system at a discount just days after buying it. He's not alone, either. An Italian consumer association is reportedly demanding that Sony address the compatibility issues or offer PS3 owners a free game. Hell hath no fury like an Italian footie fan scorned.[Via GameSetWatch]
Sony's Harrison on Euro PS3: 1,000 PS2 games at launch
As you can probably imagine, the reaction to Sony's newly-spec'ed European PS3 hasn't been all that warm, so Three Speech decided to hit up big Phil Harrison himself to get responses to the criticism straight from the horse's mouth. Perhaps the biggest relief to nervous Eurogamers will be Harrison's claim that over 1,000 PS2 titles will be available on the PlayStation Network at launch fully software-backwards compatible (despite the Euro PS3's removal of PS2 hardware), a list of which will be made available online on the 23rd or perhaps even sooner. However, it's clear from the way Harrison dodged a question about the importance of backwards compatibility that Sony does not place a lot of weight on the feature, instead hoping that people will go out and spend loot on games and Blu-ray flicks. One possible positive revealed by Harrison was the fact that the PS2 Emotion Engine chips being omitted from European (and possibly all future) models are not the same ones mass-produced for the PS2 itself, but rather, are manufactured specifically for the PS3 -- meaning that Sony will indeed see a significant cost reduction which could theoretically be passed down to the consumer. Want some more potentially good news? How'd you like all those legacy games to utilize the PS3's upscaling ability and add new life to your favorite classics? Well that's exactly what Sony plans to do with a firmware update this summer, claims "Rumor Reporter" Bruce Kelly, whose sources tell him that the company is looking to bring 1080i/720p support to its upcoming emulator. Kelly goes on to say that Sony will add compatibility for select games in batches of ten or so, but hopes to eventually offer support for almost every title on PSN. We'll believe this one when we see it, but if Kelly does turn out to be right, we don't think Sony will be hearing one more word about that discarded Emotion Engine. Read - Harrison interview [Via Joystiq]Read - Upscaling rumor [Via PS3 Fanboy]
PS3 needs adapter for PS2 memory cards?
Give the PlayStation 3 your PlayStation or PlayStation 2 games, your original gray PSX controller, or the first dual shock from back in the late '90s. But keep memory card to your damn self. Well, not really, but it does look like Sony will require an adapter on the PlayStation 3 to be able to read memory cards from previous PlayStation consoles, as specified by their site. Not, not really a big deal at all unless they act all, um, Sony on us and don't bundle the adapter with the console. But we'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt though, as we wouldn't want to unduly accuse them of preparing to gouge consumers on a yet-to-be-released console, right? Right, Sony? Ok, good, glad we've come to an understanding with one another.[Via Joystiq]
