Convenience. Nothing more to it. I don't think I would not buy a console that doesn't have it, but I do like to have it.

Other than the fact that there are some really badass games throughout history, it's nice for times like this where the games library isn't huge, and you can play older stuff on newer hardware. Some people don't want to collect every console, makes sense really. If I didn't have a PS3 or a PS2, I'd be really bothered that I couldn't play Capcom vs SNK 2 anymore.

I have no idea, maybe they have it all backwards?

Backwards compatibility is important to me because:

- I only have 2 HDMI ports and one AV port, and I can't be arsed to change the ports all the time
- I only have a couple plug sockets
- Standby energy consumption
- Only enough room for four consoles
- I don't own the original Xbox, Gamecube or PS1. No problem! I have the sucessors

If my Wii U, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS2 all didn't have backwards compatibility, I'd need a Gamecube, Xbox and PS1 as well.

Right now, I'm clocking more hours on the Wii part of my Wii U than the actual Wii U part

It allows you to properly move on each generation, the 3ds comes out and I can still play my DS games in it so I can put the old DSlite onto the shelf along with every other old handheld I have in my collection. Got a Vita... still have tons of Psp games I need to finish so I still need to keep my psp handy all the time, also the Vita mp3 player removed the ability to put a sleep timer on music so I also still have to leave music files on my older PSP to hook into my speakers when I'm going to bed.

Basically if the new console can't replace the older model in every way then it will be in competition with it as well as rival companies machines. You still see 10-20k psp's being sold each week because there are certain games which have never and will never appear on the psn store (Every Extend Extra for me is worth the extra piece of hardware alone) so yeah people have to buy the older gen hardware because the Vita can't do it. How many new DS's are sold each week? we don't know... because it's not worth tracking since anyone who wants to play any DS/3DS game has bought a 3DS and added to it's massive sales figures.

Convenience. That's about it. Then again it's something we are now used to, before if PS1 to PS2 never did it, no one would ever care because it isn't expected, now it is. I have 2 machines under my TV currently, come later this year/early next, I'll have 3, t just takes up space. :P

This said, by mid to end of the 7th gen, I didn't really play on my PS2 at all, occastional PS1 game but that's about it,

And you can be sure that you're not part of a majority doing this.

Judging from the amount of people on VGC complaining that they have already sold their last gen console.... apparently yes.

Don't understand why though. There are several hundreds of last gen game worth playing and I doubt that anyone who sold their console played nearly that many games. Also they're cheap as hell.

I finished about 250 7th gen games and still have a huge backlog including Batman Arkham Origins, The Witcher 2, Rayman Legends, GTA V, Mass Effect 3, Devil May Cry, Metro Last Light, Gears of War Judgement, Max Payne 3, Darksiders 2 to really really only name a few.