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| The Xbox One is now backwards compatible with 360 |
Xbox had a pretty strong E3 in 2014, but this weekend's showcase announced that they are serious about trying to win back consumers. It's fair to say Sony destroyed Microsoft when both the PS4 and Xbox One were announced in 2013. With Microsoft implementing features such as DRM and adding restrictions to play used games, many of Xbox's loyal fans 'defected' to the PlayStation 4.
So, what's brought this change in attitude? Well, not surprisingly, the Xbox One is still well behind Sony's PS4 in sales numbers. However, One tick to the (X)box of redemption was the news at E3 2015 that Xbox One would now be backward compatible with Xbox 360 games. Simply put, if you own a Xbox 360 game, you can now insert it into your Xbox One, a download will appear allowing you to save the game to the machine's hard drive.
In regards to Microsoft's game line up, it looked pretty solid. Fallout 4 players will get to enjoy PC mods on Xbox One, which means they will surely get a better Fallout experience than those playing on PlayStation. Halo 5: Guardians had a very exciting multiplayer demonstration and free-to-play Fable Legends looks like a winner. A remastered edition of the original Gears of War was announced, as was Gears 4 which got a good response from the E3 crowd.
Credit must be given to Microsoft for their pitch this weekend, although it cannot be forgotten that most of the problems they have incurred in the last two years were self-inflicted. Had Xbox presented a conference like this back in 2013 and showed they cared more about their consumers than making a quick buck, then the Xbox One would certainly have been much more popular.
Overall, E3 2015 witnessed a small step in the right direction by Microsoft but whether or not it puts the Xbox One on the path to redemption remains to be seen.