David Reid, a member of the team working on the backwards compatibility, took the time to answer some questions on what is going on with the compatibility.
1. Q: “I’m a big fan of (game X), when can I play it on the Xbox 360?”
A: The team is working extremely hard on the list, and to be honest, some games are harder to do than other games. If your favorite title isn’t working, chances are, it’s honestly just taking longer. Stay tuned, though, because there’s a team of very smart folks trying to get as many titles as possible to work.
2. Q: “Are you intentionally trying to keep (game X) off the list because you want us to buy the 360 version?”
A: Nope. The team is probably working on (game X) right now, even as you read this post.
3. Q: “How come you guys prioritized (this one Xbox game you don’t like) over my game (insert Xbox game here)? I’m sure more people like my game. . .”
A: Dave said something really interesting about this, and how the team went about it. We focused on certifying top sellers like Halo 2, GTA, KOTOR, and when the when the emulator for those worked, they brought a number along with them “for free.” That is to say, certain games on the list (I’m not listing any) aren’t as massive an undertaking, as say, Halo 2. But when we got a Halo 2 to play, other games came along with it. These games had similar technology or engines, and were easier to certify.
So there you have it. Get back to playing Live Arcade games and Xbox 360 games while you wait. Like there is not enough new content to keep you busy until they get all the old ones working.