HappySqurriel on 08 February 2012
While I wonder how many people take advantage of backwards compatibility, I do believe that backwards compatibility is a much larger selling feature than some people give it credit for ... Ultimately, it is a feature that ties gamers to particular manufacturers; and I don't think that it is all that surprising that the two times in recent history where the leading console manufacturer has changed (Nintendo to Sony with the Playstation, Sony to Nintendo with the Wii) were also generations where the leading console manufacturer did not provide backwards compatibility.
Although I don't think it is a powerful enough feature to determine the outcome of a generation on its own, I think it has an impact on how well the system sells.
