8. Microsoft Caving And Allowing Backwards Compatibility On The Xbox One
PR-wise, 2015 was a resurgent year for the struggling Xbox One, with some solid releases, plenty of exciting exclusive games lined up (particularly on the indie scene), and - unexpectedly - the announcement of full-on, no bulls**t backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games. Just when the world was beginning to lose hope that any console other than a Nintendo would let people play their favourite games from the previous generation, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would be updated with X360 emulation software in December (the update has just been released). Microsoft asked gamers to vote for which X360 games they wanted to see on the Xbox One, and over 100 of these are already playable on the console in excellent working order. The backwards-compatible games can be played from X360 discs or simply installed from your Xbox account if you already own them digitally. The whole process is extremely smooth, and marks the most gamer-friendly move made by any major game company this year. It's a sign of the times that such a positive move came as a surprise to the gaming community, but hopefully it'll encourage other companies to give a bit more back to consumers. It certainly puts Sony's efforts to let people play their older games to shame. What's that? You haven't heard of the PS4's 2015 answer to 'backwards compatibility'? Well, you're in for a treat...
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.