Backwards Compatible: Microsoft No Longer Guaranteeing After Scorpio Product

We are hitting the age of video gaming where graphics are jumping forward by leaps and bounds, far outstripping the previous generation of gaming we’ve been accustomed too. The existence of games that are now capable of using 4k technology speak to how far we’ve come – especially when I consider side scrolling games such as Mario or Sonic that took up the many days of my youth.

That said, with Project Scorpio – Microsoft’s newest product – we have yet another system that is ready to bring us high end graphics for our future gaming needs. In fact, it’s getting to the point where Microsoft itself believes that it’s entering into a time where they no longer think they will keep rebuilding older games for their newest consoles.

Phil Spencer himself, head of Xbox, tweeted out that while backwards comptability is an important factor that should be preserved for as long as possible.

@Andrew_Gilletti It’s challenging to predict the future but for me compatibility is a feature we should preserve as long as possible. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 26, 2017

This tweet doesn’t inspire confidence that the future Xbox consoles will still have the capability at the fore front of their capabilities. That said, it’s a completely fair decision for those of you complaining about how backwards capability should always be a thing for Microsoft.

While annoying that we have to buy future consoles every couple years, the fact remains that gaming evolves and so does the technology. The hardware changes, and specs only evolve forwards. Unless you’ve invested in a beautiful run PC, which is worth thinking about, than as gamers this is what we’ve come to expect. As even Sony has stopped running backwards compatibility on their own consoles, it can only be seen as a kindness on Microsoft’s part for them to keep reworking older games on our behalf.

All that said, keep this in mind when your buying any consoles past Project Scorpio. That isn’t to say future Microsoft consoles won’t be worth their weight in gaming fun, but rather a fact to weigh when deciding between the different systems available.

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