| makingmusic476 said: Edit: Hell, I still have my n64 hooked up, lol. |
That's Hardcore, man.
Thinking about the issue some more, BC is great during the transition period inbetween consoles. HappySquirrel had a nice summary, but I feel this is important only for the first year or so, before momentum can't be changed.
Developers get to keep working on their old projects, instead of cancelling them the second the new system is announced. But afterwards they finish the projects and move on to the new system.
Retailers can spend the year burning out their old store stockwhile getting the new stuff. Then they sell new games and toss the old ones in the bargain bin.
Consumers, hmm. Looking back at my playstyle, there are only a handful of uber classics I hold onto while I trash everything else. While the new system builds a library the consumer can play the old stuff. Once the library is large enough most consumers switch and never look back.
For the console manufacturers, BC helps quickly build up a massive userbase for the new system. This is important during the critical first year, when a console has to establish itself.
I feel that BC is very important, but only for the first year, during the transition. Thanks for the innovation, Sony.
There is no such thing as a console war. This is the first step to game design.
