backward compatibility
Sign in to saveAlso known as downward compatibility, retrocompatibility, retrocompatible, backwards compatibility, backward-compatible, backwards-compatible, downward-compatible
property of a system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especially in telecommunications and computing
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
An original model Wii produced from 2006 to 2011 with the GameCube's controller, memory card and game disc, showing backward compatibility with its predecessor.
In telecommunications and computing, backward compatibility (or backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, software, real-world product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “backward compatibility” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.