I think I should clarify my point about backwards compatibility. I brought it up not to suggest that it was a hallmark of the 8-bit era, but rather, to suggest

I think I should clarify my point about backwards compatibility. I brought it up not to suggest that it was a hallmark of the 8-bit era, but rather, to suggest that backwards compatibility (via emulation, via hardware, etc.) is the only thing that'll allow us to keep playing today's games when today's consoles become obsolete. This was a supplementary point to the parent post about how old hardware can still be played today, while today's hardware won't be playable in 10 years. I can see how my comment, as phrased, led to a lot of misinterpretation. My apologies on that.