Reaction: As The PS3 Store Closes, Xbox Reminds Us How 'Critical' Game Preservation Is

As a lifelong Nintendo fan, I’m still sad that the Switch never got a Virtual Console service. I bought so many Virtual Console titles on the Wii, and it stings that I can’t even redownload games I purchased in the past. Plus the fact that the Switch got so many full priced Wii U ports, rather than just letting us redownload Wii U games we already bought on the Switch.

Game preservation is very important to me. My last Xbox was the 360, and when I purchased the Series X, I was over the moon to see I could download the same games I purchased on the 360 years ago for free. Nintendo and Sony could learn a lot from Microsoft’s approach to backwards compatibility. Godspeed to Microsoft.

"Listen, we're not on a mission to bash PlayStation or anything.. "

It often seems like Pure Xbox thrives on exactly that tbh.

@Atreus97 I've noticed that aswell with a few articles as it draws in the numbers and it's always the same sad people that join in on that bashing.

Tbh playstation probably have numbers to back up their decision such as monthly ps3 and vita software purchases and Sony have deemed it to be so low that its more convenient to just shut them down and they are still letting you downlaod any ps3 and ps vita games you have already bought

I mean some commitment is better than none. That's why I'm glad that I'm starting to buy more games on Xbox simply because of their focus on preserving games. Not to mention the fact that Microsoft isn't trying to make their new consoles vastly different from their predecessors. They're trying to keep the fundamental structure the same in order to create an infrastructure similar to PC. If you now buy a new Xbox, you can expect all games that you've already bought on Xbox One to carry over to Series X/S, which is exactly how it should be. The problem, both for Sony and Microsoft, is that they didn't plan this far ahead with PS1, PS2 and PS3, and OG Xbox and 360 respectively. But the fact remains that Microsoft is the only one out of the two that have added games from those two systems on the list of BC games. And I have no doubt in my mind that they're planning for another wave of BC titles to come soon. I just think they're gathering as many as they can first in order to add them regularly over time.

Either way, it's all about having the right attitude. Sony doesn't, Microsoft does, it's as simple as that.

100% agree with Microsoft here. I absolutely love there commitment to backwards compatibility. I love the older games.

I'm with those who value game history and preservation. It's great to have access to legacy titles in their best shape possible. I hope Nintendo could have more consideration for their costumers who want to build a persistent library with them, as well.

@UltimateOtaku91 You're probably right. How many people in the grand scheme of things are actually buying PS3, PSP and Vita games today? I bet it's miniscule. (Also, who the Hell is developing and/or releasing a Vita game in 2021 and expecting a return on their investment?)

The only issue I would have is if Sony were cutting off people's access to content they've paid for. But this isn't just a digital storefront issue; this is an issue that's encompassing more of the industry as a whole as more games rely on servers to exist. One day, that copy of Destiny, Anthem or any other live service game that you own physically is also going to be useless; we'll all be locked out of accessing that content regardless.

One of the reasons I switched from PS4 to Xbox One last Gen was because of how I loved Microsoft's attitude to old games.
I love new games, but I also love old games. The key difference between Phil Spencer and Jim Ryan is it seems that Phil Spencer actively plays and loves games. As someone who plays and loves games, why wouldn't you want masterpieces like KOTOR to be as accessible as possible?!

As for those who say Pure Xbox is just Sony bashing... Pointing out and celebrating things that Xbox does over its competitors is just acknowledging and giving credit where it's due. Not everyone's world revolves around a constant Sony fanboy battle 🙄

The PS3 store closure hurts for sure. Like if its not profitable for you, at least get a third party partner to run things or find a way to monetize these legacy stores. Yes, the majority of gamers aren't buying games from legacy stores but many still are, including myself and a few of my friends. Its not like Sony was exactly keeping the store up in tip top shape and they definitely stopped pursuing having sales on these stores so that also hurt them. At least the 360 still has support for its store and services. And I will continue to support the system till it decides to die. Keep it going Microsoft!

SONY give a ***** about it's heritage and MS preserves what it doesn't have. That's funny. Sony is really loosing here. They should do something

When Nintendo closed the Wii store, was everything lost?

Can you even re-download your Wii purchases anymore?

I don't think previous WiiWare purchases carried over to the Wii U.

I'm just asking because Nintendo potentially started all of this...

I have been following Pure Xbox for some time. I exceptionally love how quickly this website covers news related to Xbox and the whole industry.

But today I decided to create an account just to say that this @UltimateOtaku91guy is REALLY REALLY annoying!

Isn't this a Xbox website designed specifically for Xbox fans to read Xbox-related news and get excited and all? This annoying guy is definitely an PlayStation fan who happens to (probably) own an Xbox as well. He always leaves negative comments about Xbox and its related news. I mean, okay, we get it, you are not that much of an Xbox fan. But please, just give it a rest boy! Grow up a little perhaps!

They are critisizing that why some articles here might bash PlayStation. I mean, who are you kids?! Have you ever visited Push Square, read their news and articles and see how they bash Xbox?

My big hope is that all the Cave shmups on the 360 get backwards compatibility. Guwange seems to be the only one who has it. Cave did so much support for the 360--although they seem to have tapped entirely out of the console market. Maybe just have to wait for more M2 releases.

Well honestly this sorta thing happens, first console to get locked down like this for me was the Wii, I got all kinds of games downloaded for it that are simply not on offer anymore. I figured the PS3 and Vita were next on the list, and to little surprise they are. Luckily I downloaded pretty much everything I wanted for those platforms a long time ago, and at this point I consider my collections for them pretty much complete.

Still, this is an issue for anyone curious about games from that era as if you didn't collect games for them by now you will pretty much be outta luck before long. This whole situation has a lot to do with why I have always loved the Xbox One, it's always had fantastic backwards compatibility and that is something I never discounted or dismissed, heck about half the games I have installed on my One X are old 360 classics that I love, I have my Xbox for playing old games as much as I have it for new games.

The sad thing is Sony used to take BC ironically even more seriously than Microsoft did at their peak with that initiative

Early PS3's pre-Slim could play practically the entire library of PlayStation games excluding PSP on one console, PSP could play PS1 games, and Vita could play PS1 and PSP in addition to Sony releasing remasters of PS2 games

If Sony actually started some sort of BC program to the breadth Microsoft is doing right now encompassing all their home consoles and maybe even their handhelds, I'd probably be all over that

Surely them shutting down these stores, especially the Vita one this early has to mean they're working on some sort of solution

@Alan_Payne Honestly this could just be me but I've legit never seen either PushSquare or NintendoLife do articles that call out the other console manufacturers

PureXbox on the other hand have steadily been increasing the amount of times they have to bring PlayStation into the discussion strictly based off how they title articles

I'm not saying other stuff like that doesn't exist but it seems super prevalent here. If you looked on PushSquare though tons of people over there are likewise pretty unhappy about this turn of events so it's not a thing that only Xbox people are dragging Sony into the mud for either. It's especially appalling how Sony handled the Vita Store's closure given there were developers making Vita games when the closure was announced and they had to subsequently cancel their projects

For me personally, keeping my library is important.

It's why I bought a BC 60gb PS3, and was heart broken why it died. I have a decent size library of PS2 games that are just sitting there on my shelf. Whenever I get the itch to play Silent Hill 2 or anything like that, I have to face the idea of digging out my PS2 and finding an analogue to HDMI converter, and even just typing it out feels like too much hassle.

I've also been a fan of picking up old titles on Steam that I missed first time, Like Alone in the Dark, and titles I played years ago and can't play on modern consoles, like Obscure.

Legacy titles are important to me, and I find it hard to support platforms that don't support their legacy titles.

@TheFrenchiestFry those Sony people are more than welcome to go pick up an Xbox and enjoy all this backwards compatible goodness with us then!

Legit, an entire generation of articles and sites completely dog-piling on Xbox for literally everything. I am not gonna complain when an xbox fansite finally gets resurrected and starts posting POSITIVE Xbox articles! I'm here for it!

@Alan_Payne what comments have I made where I bash xbox? I admit I stick up for Sony as some of the flack it recieved is unjustified and always two sides to a story

If Microsoft issue a bundle of new backwards compatible games to rub salt in the wound I will chuckle.
Just started playing Okage Shadow King on the PS4 last night. Strange game to be picked from the PS2 to be given a PS4 version. Hopefully with the PS3 store closure, the PS2 games start to come through again. I can but dream.

@papahefe I'm a Sony person. I love backwards compatibility, but I also don't feel the need to pick up an Xbox because there are just very few of those older titles I care about

When some of us say Sony should try their hand at the same thing it's because they make titles that appeal to us. I don't really care about franchises like Forza, or Gears, or Halo. The only Xbox exclusives that interested me also came out day and date on PC, and now that they've announced BC is being added to xCloud I probably have even less of a reason to invest in a console that would be great for that kind of stuff, which is why I'm still going with PS5 this generation alongside my Switch and PC

I'd personally rather that PlayStation set up a similar program because they've done it before and they just have more legacy content I actually want to play

@TheFrenchiestFry

Let’s start then here I’ll show you some PushSquare Articles-

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/03/is_rpg_octopath_traveler_coming_to_ps5_ps4

What was the point of this article?

Or this one after the PC and Stadia exclusivity I mean?

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/03/is_rpg_octopath_traveler_coming_to_ps5_ps4

Would you like me to dig up more?

Here’s another one-

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/07/random_8bitdos_xbox_cloud_gaming_controller_sure_looks_familiar

It’s literally what all three sites do...

I can find more if you’d like

@mousieone The Octopath one is a weak as hell example considering it was just a speculative post about whether the game would come to more platforms since the game was already on PC and Xbox when it was initially advertised as just a Switch exclusive

I will admit though NL have done more than a few articles about third party controllers resembling the Joy Con but it's not limited to Xbox either

@Carck Where did I imply I was defending them? I'm just as pissed off about this as other people are? Some of us aren't blind shills for a single company, especially since we own more than one platform. Now you're totally strawmanning

I literally stated multiple times I hope the Store shutting down meant they were working on a solution of their own because if they weren't then thousands of games just got locked up and probably never to be available again

@TheFrenchiestFry Okay then this one?

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/05/the_medium_scorn_to_skip_ps5_for_now

The dev said it was exclusive at the MS showcase, so you need to announce that on a Sony website? That literally happens 8/10 Xbox gets and exclusive. I didn’t see the article where Push Square complained that Disgaea 6 was a Nintendo exclusive in the West but not Japan. That seems far more news worthy.

The usual suspects crying about PlayStation bashing 🤣 time to grow up

@TheFrenchiestFry then push Sony to do better, like the Xbox community did for years. And what are you doing trolling the comments section of an Xbox fansite if you don't like Xbox to begin with?

Oh, wait, think I answered my own question lmao

@Carck I haven't been complaining about xbox, in this article I gave my opinion on why I believed sony took down there online stores. On the gamepass article all I stated was that Sony came up with the subscription model first and wasn't much different to gamepass apart from adding exclusives day one, and Microsoft improved upon it, and I stated that xbox without gamepass would make them irrelevant which I still stick by, but that by no means I dislike xbox, I even use gamepass myself and much prefer it over playstation now. Seems like 50% of the time I'm praising xbox and 50% of the time I'm sticking up for Sony but people on here seem only to care about the latter

@UltimateOtaku91 might be because it's hella goofy to "defend" Sony lmao they don't need y'all to fight their battles for them. Go ask Sony to give you proper backwards compatibility. That's your best course of action here. Not trolling comments on an XBOX SITE about XBOX POSITIVE news lmao

@UltimateOtaku91 we’re smaller community I’m sure we look the same to you lol.

@Alan_Payne Look @UltimateOtaku91 had a point the numbers don’t justify the store staying open. What they don’t justify is the way Sony gave the devs no warning and sold dev kits to them.

I do agree with @TheFrenchiestFry 100% and that’s what pissed me off. That’s just wrong !!! It’s callous and almost mean.

@TheFrenchiestFry I have seen numerous articles on PushSquare being critical of MS and/or Phil Spencer. Making snide comments about Game Pass and its sustainability, buying up studio's etc etc.

Admittedly, they have also done articles comparing PS5 to Xbox in a way that highlights where they feel MS has an advantage and what Sony should be doing too. However there are numerous articles that take a dig, and some that even contradict themselves - how a higher Resolution or slightly better frame rate can be a MASSIVE boost for PS users but insignificant advantage if the 'numbers' favour Xbox.

I get it, these are primarily sites dedicated to one brand and in general, they do tend to be more Bias. Some times, to make a point, you have to look at what the 'competition' are doing. If the competition are doing something perceived as 'worse', that can come across as bashing, but the reality is to demonstrate. Like I said, PushSquare recently did an article about where Sony are 'slacking' (for want of a better word) compared to the 'noise' coming from MS.

I don't really know too much about the store closures and what that may mean long term but its not as if Sony don't have ANY preservation of older games - they do have PSNow. I know that you can't necessarily play the games you already bought, but its not like all the games are 'lost' to history now. I don't know whether PSNow has a similar percentage of games available to play on PSNow as Xbox has BC OG & 360 games - after all, only a quarter of the 360 games are 'preserved' and much less OG Xbox games. Whether you can 'buy' them or not is almost irrelevant if you don't have Hardware that can run it and as far as I know, PS3's, Vita's, 360's etc are no longer in production.

You can argue as much as you like about whether 'Streaming' old games or playing them 'Locally' matters. Maybe Streaming will preserve the 'original' experience and Locally may well enhance that - better res, frame rates, HDR etc. I personally couldn't care less if Fifa 06 for example isn't preserved when there is a new one every year but maybe someone will.

Anyway, I own both PS5 and Series X, just like I owned a Pro and X, a PS4 and XB1, PS3 and 360 etc etc and still have all those consoles and games. If I want to play ANY of my games, I can - whether that's on the Console they were meant to be played on or a newer console. If I haven't bought games released more than 8yrs ago by now, I can't be too upset if the opportunity is removed...

@mousieone I agree not warning developers who have games in the making for ps vita is pretty screwed up, I fully understand shutting down the ps3 store but Im dissapointed with the closure of the ps vita store, I was planning on picking up the Hyperdimension games next pay day but oh well.

Also why diensnt Nintendo get the same fuss made about them? The switch has no backwards compatibility with anything, and charges full price for straight up wiiu ports but that's fine it's sells millions and no one hasn't even talked about it? No articles on it? Not even on nintendo life. Begs the question is backwards compatibility all that a big of a deal in the long run? Will it effect console sales? I doubt it will and that's probably why sony don't give a damn about the small few playstation players who are complaining

@GateCrasherUK funny that if I was to bash xbox I'd be swarmed upon by people moaning about me bashing xbox 😂😂

@UltimateOtaku91 Pointing out the advantage of a system over the competition is not bashing, Dry your eyes mate

@TheFrenchiestFry I have nothing against you mate, but this just has to stop. Actively mentioning that Pure Xbox is calling out other console manufacturers in every single article makes it look like you're trying to cause trouble, especially when considering that this time it absolutely makes sense to compare PlayStation and Xbox. When I read the interview with Craig Duncan over at Xbox Wire and he was asked about the preservation of video game history I immediately thought of the recent news about Sony shutting down the PS3, PSP and Vita stores. So you can absolutely make the connection there, there's no "calling out".

I just find it so interesting how both you and @UltimateOtaku91 said in the PS Now article from last week that Pure Xbox is trying to start console wars and yet here both of you are once again contributing to a toxic environment and fulfilling exactly that you're accusing PX of doing. You're literally arguing with everyone in the comment section, you're no better yourselves.

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/07/xbox_boss_takes_more_shots_at_ps5_exclusives_saying_fans_wont_be_forced_into_next-gen

What about this article...

What makes me laugh is that Jim Ryan believing in 'Generational' cut off with 82% of the Push Square voters also expecting generational exclusives at launch - and then Spider-Man: MM released on both, Horizon: Forbidden West is expected on Both...

Even the way the 'article' is written is very ignorant and FANBOY!!! One of the worst pieces of Journalism and complete Bias - but I expect that from Sammy as he has always been a FANBOY!

Phil did NOT attack Sony, he just stated that 'unlike others, MS has a different approach to this gen' - nothing catty at all. The whole article is an attack on Phil Spencer and MS on a Playstation Site that had no 'need' to report on Phil Spencers comments which were only talking about what MS were doing!

@VenomousAlbino
I would say fans like you are the problem, because they defend every stupid decision their favorite company does.

You really talk bad about developers and say they are stupid when they where developing games for the vita? When these developers has been the only ones who produced games for this platform for several years because sony stopped long ago do it themself?

Sony even sold sdk's (as pushsquare reported) recently and did not told the developers about the closing of the store, how nice of sony.

@UltimateOtaku91 Nintendo is an entire beast on and of itself. We all could spend hours debating them for one their issues with Melee Community (which was an article) or Dexit? I mean there is a big big list with Nintie that no one is ready to tackle on day. However Nintendo does to BC they just make you pay for it. It is Mariopoclypes today.

@LtSarge I'm not being toxic though, in my first comment I agreed with the guy above me and then stated why I thought sony got rid of the ps3/ps vita stores, then everyone came out of nowhere to be toxic towards me, looks like if you stick up for Sony on this site for any reason you must be prepared for the onslaught to follow

To be honest, this article could have been written without any mention of Sony or Playstation, and still have gotten the point across. There have been a steady uptick in the number touchy subjects being posted lately, sadly this does draw plenty of bias and seems to be a problem across all the sites. Whatever gets the most attention I suppose...

Yes, this is one of those purexbox article where Sony fan(boy)s can't hold themselves to not respond and i love it.

Funny how people digging at me saying Im toxic yet half the commentors on here being toxic themselves all because two people gave their own opinions that went against their xbox beliefs, if you can't accept someone's opinion the keep quiet....

Yeah and looks like one of those "sad" idividuals replied 😂

@UltimateOtaku91 You're contributing to a toxic environment in the comment section by actively making provocative statements and turning what would have otherwise been a normal comment section to a battlefield. Just like in the PS Now article where you stated, and I quote "Lol nice article to promote console wars 👍". There was no "console wars" going on until you mentioned it and provoked people and you're doing the exact same thing in this article as well. You don't need to constantly accuse the staff of this site to have some hidden agenda, just write a normal post that's contributing to a healthy discussion and you're all good. But if you're going to look for trouble, then you're going to find it and therefore inadvertently cause a stir, which is just as bad. Because let's be honest, I've seen you post here for quite some time. You're no troll, you do participate actively in discussions in mostly a decent manner. But in these two articles you have without a doubt been behaving in a poor way.

@LtSarge I agree maybe I wash a bit rash with my original comments and I by no means have a problem with fraser I think he's doing an amazing job with running this site by himself.

My first impression is was that these articles in someway promote console wars, there's always a few guys on here who bash sony in the comments even when it's just unnecessary and I'm not just talking about the last two I'm talking over the last several months mainly from senua and keltic and my comment today about "sad" people replying was mainly aimed towards them.

I will still give my honest opinions on here but il just dial down the heat, I play across all three systems and enjoy them all so Im dissapointed i let myself get this riled up

If I were MS, even if I weren't planning on modernizing the X360 store and keeping it active, I would be planning it now. It may not make money. It may cost money. But the optics gained from "Xbox does everything PS doesn't", long term, are a kind of optics money alone can't buy.

Ironically, the new PSN is hosted on Azure, so they're kind of shutting down the old network so they can make sure to move only to the Microsoft hosted one....Maybe MS can help them get their BC going, too?

As for the fans, every fan site is going to have those die-hard "I bleed this team's color" fans. There's a few here. There's hordes of them on PS and NL.....it's just part of the wallpaper. On PS there's the countless, predictable, "Microsoft wants to turn everything into GaaS" "Game Pass is unsustainable" posters as well.

@UltimateOtaku91 There's plenty of complaining on NL about the full price ports. And complaining about the complaining about the full price ports. It's not easy to miss that. The BC....that's a mixed bag. There were complaints about that, but for anyone knowledgable that's something that's unpleasant but understandable due to the hardware. You cant stick DVDs in a handheld. And an ARM running Android can't run PPC games. So it's an acceptance of the hardware reality.

For PS, there was the same acceptance with PS4 not running PS3. We all knew Cell was a strange bird and understood PS4 didn't have the power to emulate that, so we accepted it for what it was. PS5 doesn't have as good an excuse, and either way, killing the stores is still silly while MS is focusing on the BC.

@GamerDad66 Nintendo starts a lot of this stuff, but in fairness to Nintendo, the Wii store was slightly out of their hands due to their own incompetence with online anything, and bad decisions they made earlier. Namely farming out the store to a third party company, Gamespy. Which then got bought out by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (via IGN). And then went bankrupt and shut down. Technically Nintendo didn't kill the store. The company they sold it to closed shop so it simply vanished. They didn't repeat that mistake with WiiU where rumor says EA was going to take on that role via Origin and Nintendo bailed out last minute.....though it sounds like they're using some Ubisoft framework to host it, so who knows. Their systems are always behind, or at least before Switch, were behind both MS and Sony, so who knows how compatible it all is. They closed the "limited" stores that were unique to small regions, where MS and Sony don't have separate limited stores for small regions. I assume those were hosted by a third party.

@UltimateOtaku91 Yes I agree that there are some "passionate" users on this site. I don't condone these people's behaviour, but I understand why they are acting like they are. As long as their behaviour don't get out of hand, then I don't see the harm if most people are fine with it.

But yeah, keep writing like you always do man. I'm a frequent user of all three brands and so I like reading people's different opinions about each one. It makes for more interesting discussions.

@SegataSanshiro I used to own a game store and imported a copy for a customer. IIRC Mushihmesama Futari (along with some other shmups) was conveniently region free.

@SegataSanshiro Deathsmiles CERTAINLY had a US release as I still have a sealed CE with a 360 faceplate! I hope they never stop expanding the BC library as there are many titles still in limbo.

@LtSarge For years it seems like it's always been the Sony fanboys that pick fights in every other gaming community. There is just something about that fanbase where I always see them trying to invade other communities just to push a bunch of negativity and general toxicity. It's also a big part of why I actively avoid Sony communities, I have had a PS4 since it launched but I never like to be around the community because they are always so aggressive all the time, the type of people where they seem to expect you to like all the same things they do or how dare you. Life is too short of be around people like that all the time.

@SegataSanshiro As someone who owned a game store around the same time I too remember being painfully broke, lolol.

Xbox is by far the best out all the gaming companies at preserving their history..

I will celebrate the day Jim Ryan no longer leads PlayStation, he is their version of Don Mattrick. They have been puking all over themselves recently and I think we are best served as gamers having strong Xbox and PlayStation ecosystems.

@Murray Whoa, cool your jets, mate. I don't have a favourite company, nor am I "defending" any company's decision to do anything; I have no horse that I'm backing, now or ever. I had a Vita, it was great and I bought tons of games for it, but the writing was on the wall with that thing: Sony stopped supporting it and bugger all people bought it. If any developer making a game for it didn't cancel it years ago, I'm sorry but that's on them.

What happened to Outrun?

I still think Sony is doing this in order to launch their own version of Game Pass, starring their enormous back catalog.

@armondo36 They already have something like that and it's called PS Now. Basically a bunch of PS3 games that you can stream.

XBox has 19 OG Xbox games and 500 out of 2000 Xbox 360 BC games. That's better than PS4/PS5, but that's still the majority of their back catalog is missing. There are over 300 PS3 games on PS Now, which needs to improve and no PS1/PS2 games is a huge miss. Nintendo currently has about 80 BC games with Nintendo online. Nobody is going it great when such huge portions of their libraries are MIA.

I really hope Microsoft continues their effort to keep these older digital releases available. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about all the XBLA games that are 360-exclusive and what their ultimate fate will be. 😰

Those two that wanted to start trouble over at the 'PS Now for $1' article are at it again. This time they actually managed to derail a discussion about a perfectly newsworthy article regarding an Xbox Wire announcement, and how this new Xbox initiative contrasts with a rival platform's stance on preserving legacy content. Now this comments section looks like it came from Push Square. Thanks a lot. 🤨

@spartyon98 At least one is trying. 😎

Right now Microsoft is leading the way in terms of BC, hands down. That said, there are still some games I would love to see get the BC treatment that haven't yet had it:

1) Daisenryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics XBox
2) TimeSplitters 2 XBox
3) TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect XBox
4) OutRun 2006: Coast2Coast XBox
5) Namco Museum Remix XBox 360

I missed the party yesterday but let me just say I have been gaming since 1991 and legacy games are important to me. Since I got XSX back in November 2019 all I've been playing and buying are old games. Having more fun with them than new releases, too.
However, I'd be happy if Sony got their head out of their a** because there are many games from the PS2 and PS3 era that will simply be forgotten and lost in time. Like tears, in rain... (yes, I love Blade Runner, both the film (1982) and the game (1997))- both old and thus, in eyes of many, should be discarded following Sony's logic.

I love the effort and passion they put into their BC. Not making everything available, but enough. Can't wait to experience the benefits of the older games, on the Series'.
Now hopefully they put the same verve into exclusives. If so, the Series' might be the best gen.

@AtlanteanMan I have that outrun game. Awesome game. Love it. But I think it has more to do with sega and Ferrari licensing agreements. Same with the simpsons and the xmen arcade games. Imagine THOSE 3 coming back to the Series'/xbo again.

The Forza games say hello.
Microsoft to be honest does a good job with BC but it’s far from perfect and plenty of games have vanished on their watch.

What they are saying is.. we will do “better than nothing”

Also Pure Xbox - can we cut down on the Sony bashing -loads of us own Sony and Xbox and Nintendo machines and aren’t massive fanboys. We just like games.

@Atreus97 Xbox does what Playstadon’t...

Keep it up anyone who can't handle facts can run back to their Sony Fanboy safe space.

@Stocksy this article isn't bashing Sony for the sake of it. It's not bashing Sony at all; it's merely a writer offering his opinion on a subject that (judging by the heated discussion) a lot of fans of videogames feel passionately about one way or the other. Would you rather the website isolate itself within its own little bubble away from the rest of the industry? Because that sounds a lot like fanboyism to me...

It's nice to see Craig Duncan appreciating Rare's legacy for the first time since he is Rare's boss! It's quite shocking that Nintendo and Sony are literally killing legacy games while Microsoft is making them available for purchase and as part of Game Pass. Naturally, Pure Xbox needs to reflect on this awkward situation and Nintendo Life and Push Square should do it, too. Nintendo Life is doing it and I appreciate it.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/04/xbox_says_its_more_important_than_ever_to_preserve_gaming_icons_and_classics

The quality of Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft's first-party games is subjective but it's a fact that Microsoft is best at preserving games and being consumer-friendly.

@PhhhCough Licensing issues are definitely a problem in the hobby's long-term interests. The solution could be as simple as making such agreements (such as music tracks or licensed IPs, like Ferrari or Marvel) apply in perpetuity. The asking price to do so would no doubt be higher, but would prevent games like the Forza Horizon series to be taken off the store. As for existing retro titles like OutRun 2006: Coast2Coast, hopefully somebody at Microsoft, Sega, Ferrari, or wherever can make it happen, if for no other reason than because they're awesome games which would still be appreciated by gamers. Not saying that I expect corporations to ever behave in anyone's interests other than what financially benefits themselves, but then good PR never hurts the old bottom line, either.

@VenomousAlbino outside of the US and UK the vita actually sold decently like in Asia. Vita was a damn good piece of hardware with no backing from sony(ultimately one of its downfalls, is sony didnt use the product correctly or promote it or use non proprietary cards…idk why sony just doesnt do what MS has done offer backwards compat and allow people to buy and play ps3 games on their ps5 there are some damn good ps3 games out there…o wait the ps5 doesnt do auto HDR and doesnt make older games look better like the xbox does so that may be a reason not to. I have both ps5 and series x and my ps5 is a pain in the ass to use right now with a lot of its artificial limitations so its straight up collecting dust.

@Blessed_Koz I'm not sure what you think I'm saying, but I'll reiterate what I said yesterday: I'm not defending anyone nor do I have a horse in this race that I'm backing. I'm merely stating facts along with my opinion on the subject.

It's not me who's all too eager to jump down the throats of anyone who disagrees with me, defend my choice of console (this gen, Xbox Series X) and, ironically, come across as every bit the slavering, mindless fanboy. You and too many other commenters have that base covered already.

@JayJ i know that, but they're either going to relaunch PS Now as a direct competitor to Game Pass (making most if not all of the games downloadable) or an all-new service that more closely copies it. the major difference will be that Sony focuses on it's vast historical library.

@Atreus97 Learn to call spade a spade and always demand better from these companies. It’s cuz of blind toxic fangirls like you who come here right-away to defend their favourite overlord that these huge corporations get away with so many anti-consumer malpractices. Honestly it’s not the fault of PureXbox to point that out.

@Senua
Interesting choice of words because going by your comments on this site, the only "blind toxic fan girl" is you.
I own both consoles so stfu and have a great day.