When you have to have a list of games that will be backwards compatible on the new Xbox, you've already lost my interest. Without looking too hard, i see that Kung Fu Chaos and D&D Heroesaren't on there (yet, i guess?). I also don't like the sound of this: "Note: A software emulator is required for each original Xbox game you play on your Xbox 360 console". I'm not sure what that means (an emulator on a console?), but i know it means i'm not just firing the games i want to play up without additional nuisance.

Found the list via Penny Arcade, who say:

The issue is that playing old games isn't what I use backwards compatibility for. I know there are "peeps" who need constant Halo 2 infusions, but I don't look back - I think of the original Xbox as a damned place, a Sodom and/or Gomorrah. What I need is a technology that will ease the middle period, while the old box is still a viable development target at retail. My audio/visual shelf is already a treacherous, high-stakes game of Jenga as it is. There's no physical space for some Goddamn artifact up there.

Not for me. I need to be able to play all the old games. In fact, for the past few days, i've been thinking it's about time i started re-playing Battle of Olympus. We have piles of video game consoles by our TV, too, and that's why we need backwards compatibility. I won't be happy until there is one system that will play all our games with no hassle. In fact, let's make that our next priority. Before they release one more Madden football game, the video game industry is hereby required to create an uber-compatible system.

all that may be true, but you have to admit one thing. those barbie horse adventure jokes are funny as hell.

basically the way the emulation works is you pop the game in, the xbox 360 goes online to download an emulation profile for the game that it uses to run. So...as long as your xbox is connected to the internets it is basically just a matter of putting the game in and playing. The problem is, you're in the minority as far as replaying old games goes. Most people don't whip out an old PSX game. The only old games I've replayed have been SNES games ;). I have a stack of PSX games I played once and never thought of again, hell I have a stack of PS2 games I never even finished that I haven't ever thought of again. Backwards compatability is nice, don't get me wrong, but the majority of players, I think, clamor for it, then never use it (you excluded of course!).