E3 2016 Discussion

[Kriven]

Back Compat matters to me a lot, as I cycle through different generations of gaming pretty frequently. I was very put out when my 360 Arcade finally red ringed and I bought a new 360 E (I think that's what it is...) only to discover that the newer ones couldn't play OG XBOX games.

Backwards compatibility means I only need oneish console to carry the weight of two. The only exceptions being where a games' optimal performance is related to what display it's on... so I've got my PS2 (and now my OG XBOX) hooked up to a big CRT with my Wii, so I don't worry so much if last gen's consoles can play those games. Since last generation's Sony and Microsoft consoles were built with the same progressive screens as the XBONE and PS4, though, I would prefer if the modern consoles could support BC.

Honestly, I'm hoping whoever makes those Retro Duo/Trio things will step into the modern era and give us a PS2/OG XBOX/GCN/Wii hybrid box so I don't need three boxes chilling out in the living room. I also wouldn't mind just not having new iterations of the PlayStation/XBOX for another ten years. At this point I don't really understand why we can't have a universal game format. I don't need to buy a Sony DVD Player to watch The Amazing Spider-Man, why do I need a Sony Video Game Player to play the upcoming Spider-Man game? I understand that consoles have different hardware and the games are tailored towards that, but maybe things should work the other way around... let the game developers basically make games for the PC (since consoles are essentially PCs at this point anyway) and have the console manufacturers fight to make the best pre-built PC "console." Highest specs, highest compatibility. Let the consumers decide it's time to upgrade only when the AAA games start to lag too much for them to handle.