Anyone thinking about buying the upcoming Xbox Series X will be happy to know the company is planning to launch the console with access to thousands of games, thanks to a gamer-friendly Xbox Series X backwards compatibility policy.
Xbox Series X game backwards compatibility
In a blog post, the company has made it clear that not all previous games will run on the Xbox Series X, so there will be some limitations. However, it did announce that a large selection of games from the original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One would work with the upcoming console.
It sounds like Microsoft needs to test the games in order to make sure they’re working properly, so it’s not as simple as just saying a game runs and having it play. In fact, the company said, “With more than 100,000 hours of playtesting already completed, thousands of games are already playable on Xbox Series X today, from the biggest blockbusters to cult classics and fan favorites.” By the time the console launches, Microsoft intends to have spent over 200,000 hours testing backwards compatible games.
The biggest thing about Microsoft’s announcement is that all games will be improved when they’re playing on the Xbox Series X. Microsoft says games will see higher framerates, faster load times, improved resolution, and better visual fidelity. For example, games that ran at 30fps can see bumps to 60fps, and games that run at 60fps could jump to 120fps. Anyone with a 4K TV that supports HDR will see support for those technologies with many games, which should make older games look much better.
Importantly, the company also said developers wouldn’t have to do any work to get their games running on the Xbox Series X.
While Microsoft announced that thousands of games would be backwards compatible, the company didn’t actually reveal any games from previous generations that would play on Xbox Series X, so we’ll have to wait and see which games work with the upcoming next-generation console.
In a statement to IGN, Xbox Series X Director of Program Management Jason Ronald spoke about whether all Xbox One games would work with Xbox Series X backwards compatibility. Ronald said, “The goal is definitely the thousands of titles that run on Xbox One today. If the game runs on Xbox One, it is our goal to get that to run on Series X. There might be some one-off exceptions here or there.”
Ronald mentioned that there could be licensing or technical issues that prevent games from coming. Outside of those exceptions, it sounds like we should get to play the games from the most recent generation of consoles on out new (probably expensive) boxes.
More backwards compatibility goodness
Accessories and peripherals from Xbox One will also work with the Xbox Series X, which is great for anyone who owns a bunch of controllers and other accessories for the previous-generation console.
In addition, all first-party games would still come to its Game Pass subscription service on day one when the next-generation starts. That means Halo Infinite will be available as part of the subscription, which should keep Game Pass a pretty good value.
