Microsoft recently confirmed that thousands of its original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games would be backwards compatible with the release of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this November, and according to boss Phil Spencer, the company is also already thinking well into the future of the program.
Speaking as part of the Dropped Frames podcast earlier this week, Spencer highlighted that at the time of the recording, he'd just finished a meeting discussing that very topic with Technical Fellow Andrew Goossen.
"We were literally talking about back compat seven years from now. That was the topic of our conversation."
"One of the things we've become known for is how we respect the games that have been built previously on our platform, and we want that to be a key component of where we're going."
With the recent announcement, Microsoft now has over 3000 games in total that are backwards compatible with the new systems, including 42 for the original Xbox and 577 for the Xbox 360.
For those that are still missing, the company recently indicated it was "investigating" whether it could still add more titles to the program, but also warned of the technical and licensing challenges involved.
How important is backwards compatibility to you on Xbox? Give us your thoughts down below.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 25
I'm not surprised considering the fantastic way Microsoft has approached backwards compatibility since the One.
But I am happy to hear it!
Hell yeah, BC FTW!!!
This was such a pro-consumer move with a really open minded approach.
Waiting for Freedom Fighters.
There are so many great games that you want to replay besides with improved graphics thanks to the new technologies of the Xbox Series
MORE BC TITLES FOR THE SERIES X/S PLEASE!
I am really hoping for Mechassault!
Backward compatibility is very important but what is the deal stealer is improved frame rate & graphics have to be brain dead not to see the benefit of this program. Keep going strong Xbox Xbox 360 & Xbox one X !!!
Call of Cthulhu Dark corners of the earth! It was a Bethesda game if I remember correctly.
Timesplitters !
I think it’s awesome MS is keeping BC in mind when creating new platforms. It’s nice that Sony also got it right from PS4 to PS5, but it’s a shame so many PS3 games are trapped on that old storefront. Nintendo did it from DSi to 3DS, although honestly it doesn’t quite make sense in the same way considering their platforms are extremely unique, especially by comparison. I hope MS can continue to add more and more BC games to their store, and also that both companies can keep the same basic storefront going indefinitely from this point forward. It just makes sense to keep games available to purchase.
While we’re on the subject, I’d love to see BC versions of Deus Ex Invisible War and Project Snowblind
@everynowandben Invisible War was a terrible game, but I still want it anyway.
Along with that, we still don't have Human Revolution: Director's Cut. I think the disc is BC supported but we can't purchase it digitally anymore which is a crying shame. The original is a mess, and almost unplayable ugly at this point, the DC fixed the broken bosses and made the game a lot more pleasing to look at. I really want that on Series. That and Eternal Sonata.
Support for backwards compatibility is the main reason I’m going back to Xbox this generation. I told myself that if PS5 offered great backwards compatibility, that I would buy it day one. However, it was Xbox that stepped up and offered the best support, in this regard.
@Medic_Alert Yeah, and it's concerning. It means that the list that Sony gave wasn't comprehensive. Meaning they either omitted titles or just didn't know about them. Which also begs the question, how many more titles don't work that haven't been announced or found by Sony?.
In short. I don't have faith in the PS5 BC.
Yes, great MS!!! Please bring new BC games!
@Medic_Alert That makes it sound a lot like the xbox on 360 BC, which wasn't great. Just something we put up with at the time.
It will be a nasty shock for players if it turns out the emulation is as bad as the 360 one and Sony just didn't bother to tell its fans.
I never had an Xbox One, and my 360 died a few years back, so I've been really excited to get my hands on a Series X to play old games. I think MS's approach to BC is fantastic, but I was a bit surprised when I went through my entire 360 library to find out roughly a third of it won't be playable on Series X, and that was a little disappointing. I know some of those games can be re-bought as Xbox One versions, but not all of them. It would be great to see them bringing new 360 and original Xbox games to the BC list.
We need more games even if they’re good or bad
BC is THE primary reason I am making my switch back to Xbox after a generation in PS4.
The fact that I could tell MS is dedicated to respect our investment, and make forward planning to keep current games working even on the following generation, and hopefully longer, is also reason to why I decided to start dipping my toes in the digital game marketplace for the first time outside PC.
It MS does it best to keep all future xboxes as BC as PC, or better, I might be an Xbox first player for life. If they do a 180 and change this on me, maybe I'll finally give up and stick to Steam.
I still remember when they would release the 360 games on games with gold. But when I would try to get the game, it would give me a hassle about the price. I tried everything to fix the problem to no avail. Then about 6 months ago, Xbox fixed the issue and now I can buy the backwards compatible 360 games. Good move on their part because I ended buying about 20 360 games for my Xbox one. I found the 360 games way more fun then the ones offered for Xbox one.
@Medic_Alert Indeed I am confidently removing my 360 and One from under the TV but keeping the PS4 there. Says it all.
What a coincidence, Sony is also thinking about backwards compatibility seven years from now ......
I want Gray Matter in Backward Compatible.
I hope Xbox one can continue getting it too. At least as long as its supported.
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