Backward compatibility

(The 8086/8088, in turn, were designed with easy machine-translatability of programs written for its predecessor in mind, although they were not instruction-set compatible with the 8-bit Intel 8080 processor of 1974.

[8] A data format is said to be backward compatible when a newer version of the program can open it without errors just like its predecessor.

The cultural impact of video games is a large part of their continued success, and some believe ignoring backward compatibility would cause these titles to disappear.

[10] Backward compatibility also acts as a selling point for new hardware, as an existing player base can more affordably upgrade to subsequent generations of a console.

This also helps to make up for lack of titles at the launch of new systems, as users can pull from the previous console's library of games while developers transition to the new hardware.

[13] Despite not being included at launch, Microsoft slowly incorporated backward compatibility for select titles on the Xbox One several years into its product life cycle.

A large part of the success and implementation of this feature is that the hardware within newer generation consoles is both powerful and similar enough to legacy systems that older titles can be broken down and re-configured to run on the Xbox One.

[16] This program has proven incredibly popular with Xbox players and goes against the recent trend of studio-made remasters of classic titles, creating what some believe to be an important shift in console makers' strategies.

[11][12] The associated costs of backward compatibility are a larger bill of materials if hardware is required to support the legacy systems; increased complexity of the product that may lead to longer time to market, technological hindrances, and slowing innovation; and increased expectations from users in terms of compatibility.