Apple used PowerPC processors until they switched to Intel in 2005 and famously cited during a keynote that, despite their long relationship, IBM could never break the 3GHz ceiling in the G5 as well as being unable produce a mobile G5 processor 1. If switching from PowerPC to x86 processors sounds familiar, that’s because it’s happened before. PowerPC processors are RISC-based, Intel and AMD processors are x86-based, two very different architectures.
The consoles aren’t restricted or held back, rather the lack of backward compatibility is down to the same reason why you couldn’t run Mac OS 9 on an Intel Mac.īoth the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are based upon PowerPC-based RISC architecture, the Xbox 360 uses IBM’s Xenon PowerPC processor and PlayStation 3 uses the Cell processor which was developed by, amongst other companies, IBM – the company responsible for producing PowerPC processors. In fact, Xbox One even runs a variant of the Windows 8 kernel.
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are based upon the same x86 architecture that your Mac or PC uses. In terms of the technology behind the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it’s just not possible in a way that wouldn’t be detrimental to the gaming experience. The outrage online would have you believe that somehow Microsoft and Sony are giving gamers the finger. It’s only really been the PlayStation 2 that started this trend by supporting original PlayStation games yet there have been more consoles that didn’t support backward compatibility than those that did or do. The Genesis (Mega Drive) did offer an optional adapter to support Master System games though that was the limit of backward compatibility. Nintendo’s early consoles, from the NES / Famicom to the Nintendo 64 as well as Sega’s Dreamcast, Saturn and Sega CD offered no backward compatibility. The same criticism is also applicable to the PlayStation 4 which also won’t support backward compatibility for PlayStation 3 games, but hey, let’s not jump between bandwagons. One such criticism was the lack of backward compatibility, meaning Xbox One is unable to play Xbox 360 games. After that it was you can and it’ll be free. At first it was definitely no, they can’t. The internet has flip-flopped several times about the ability for Xbox One to play used games.
The criticisms of the Xbox One have been quite fierce and numerous ever since it’s announcement.