Xbox One Backwards Compatibility May Eventually Cover Original Xbox

[Steven Bogos]

Xbox One Backwards Compatibility May Eventually Cover Original Xbox

Might be a good idea to hold on to your old original Xbox games.

Earlier this year, Microsoft surprised pretty much everyone (and backwards compatibility [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/conferences/e3-2015/14180-Backwards-Compatibility-Unlikely-to-Come-to-PS4] to the Xbox One. While at the time it only worked with a selection of Xbox 360 titles, it has since been slowly expanding its offerings. Now, it looks like Xbox boss Phil Spencer wants to take things a step further, hinting that original Xbox games may be supported in the future.

"Very silly question, but if Xbox One essentially has Xbox 360 emulator, how much work would go into making original Xbox titles backwards compatibility?" asked a fan on Twitter [https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/634053409625108480]. "I don't think it's silly," replied Spencer. I ask the backwards compatibility team this question a lot. Need to finish 360 backwards compatibility for now."

While far from a confirmation it definitely is something that the team is actively thinking about, and seems to be something Spencer wants to make happen. If it does happen, it'll be the only console (except for, of course, the PC, and possibly the Game Boy advance? Correct me on this one folks) to be backwards compatible for two generations.

Xbox 360 backwards compatibility is currently only available on Xbox One for Preview Program members only, but will roll out to everyone in November. For a full list of backwards compatible games, check out the official website [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/backward-compatibility].

Microsoft really has come a long way from its infamous "if you're backwards compatible, you're really backwards" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124268-Microsoft-Exec-If-Youre-Backwards-Compatible-Youre-Really-Backwards] quote.

Source: Gamespot [https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/634053409625108480]

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[Jacked Assassin]

This sounds exciting!

....

Then I realize that the only Original Xbox games I have are Steel Battalion & Steel Battalion: Line Of Contact. And have to accept even if those 2 games were backwards compatible my Original Steel Battalion Controller wouldn't be. Because Microsoft had to find a way to copyright Xbox 360's controllers in a way to make it impossible to use the original Steel Battalion Controller.

 

[Rad Party God]

The PC's backward compatibility covers up to the 5th generation and I'm not counting source ports or emulators like DosBox or ScummVM, I mean games that were made for Windows 98 that still works on Windows 10, like StarCraft, Populous The Beginning or Shadow Man

OT: This is awesome!, if I had a big library of OG Xbox games, I'd be pretty excited!

 

[Zacharious-khan]

Being a man of my word, if this happens I will admit the Xbone to be a superior machine to the piss4 and yet is still to be 4th place in my eyes because it can't play Bloodborne.

 

[Sarge034]

Damn, is MS really trying to not be shit any more? May we, in fact, return to some sibilance of customer centered business practices? Idk... All I know is that war, war never changes... XD

In all seriousness, the Xbone architecture has a hard enough time dealing with it's own three separate moving parts. How in the hell are they going to throw up a 360 emulator, much less an XB emulator, and have it run smoothly? Good on em if they can, but could they maybe, idk, fix the Xbone's problem's first? Might help em in the long run, just sayin...

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Original Xbox games shouldn't be as hard to emulate as 360 games, since the xbone and OG Xbox are very close in hardware architecture, compared to the 360 between either of its sibblings. Only the OS differences might cause some challenges, but its only a matter of whether MS wants to bother with it. I doubt it will really make a lot of people happy, but if they did add OG Xbox BC, it's another selling point to spice up the box/website.

The original version of the PS3 did play PS1 and PS2 games. But does that count, since Sony pulled PS2 BC less than 2 years later?

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Damn, is MS really trying to not be shit any more?

I'd like it if they made an emulator for xbox and x360 that ran all the consoles respective games.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Neat, if they can manage it.

Still got a few OG Xbox games kicking around (Fahrenheit, NFS Underground 2 and a couple more) myself, so could potentially make use of it.

 

[Xerosch]

Actually, this sounds pretty great!Well, at least for me. I have a lot of Xbox games that I would really like to play through, but my console's hard drive became too unreliable to start with longer titles.

 

[Squilookle]

Gotta say, if they manage to get Mercenaries 1, Just Cause 2, both Battlefronts, Perfect Dark AND Mashed all working properly on the one console, I just may be dragged kicking and screaming back to consoles.

Keep it up Microsoft, you've definitely got my attention these days.

 

[Blazing Hero]

What the hell? Microsoft is making me excited for an XBone? What kind of bizarro world is this?!

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

*Looks shamefully at pisspoor as it skulks sheepishly back under TV, HDMI cable between its' legs*

Thanks a lot Obama Sony. Yeah, you have PS now, but it doesn't even have MGS4; the only game I want to play from last gen. Plus overpriced rentals, paying 2 days worth of game you can get pre-owned for the same price, if not cheaper.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

The XB1 doesn't emulate a 360. It cannot. The hardware is too different, the 360 is too complex to emulate in software and that's not how the backwards compatibility worked so far. Current 360 titles supported on the XB1 are the original games recompiled for X86 hardware. The XB1 can detect a 360 original disc, then will download an X86 digital version to run off the hard drive. It's not technically backwards compatibility but rather MS giving free digital downloads of X86 versions of 360 games to legitimate owners.

The original XBox is another story. That hardware was also X86 and thus there would be very little issue with running original XBox games on an XB1, not dissimilar to running Windows XP era games today on Windows 8.1. I'm sure it isn't as simple as putting the disc in, but it's not a great deal more complicated either since the hardware is based on the same technology.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

So... If they went back and began to fill out the compatibility list for the original Xbox with the games that are missing, (i.e. Timesplitters 3, Painkiller: Hell Wars, etc) and fix some games which have massive compatibility bugs, (Mercenaries) it would be just another huge reason to buy this console for me.

C'mon, Microsoft... DO IT.

 

[Eliam_Dar]

Well... as soon as I found out about BC, I actually bought one. I am really excited to play a few games I have in my XBOX 360 backlog, and some xbox one games won't hurt either =)

 

[Poetic Nova]

If Painkiller and Project 0 will run on it I would be very happy! I miss playing both games.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Others have already said it - both systems being x86-based should make it perfectly capable of running original Xbox games without having to recompile every single game. The 360 already managed it with little more than an x86-to-PowerPC codec, if I recall (basically the same thing that allowed Intel Macs to still run older software, but in reverse), and the One wouldn't even need that. Granted, a system that can run games from two generations back but not one is a little like making a Blu-Ray player that can play VHS tapes but not DVDs, but if they can do it, why not?

 

[Jorpho]

Wouldn't it be neat if someone managed to reverse-engineer the emulator and finally make feasible original XBox emulation on the PC? Everything I've read suggests that it's exceptionally difficult to pull off at the moment.
http://pulp365.com/2014/05/27/last-console-crack-depth-interview-original-xbox-emulation/

But then, there aren't mangy original XBox-exclusive games I might want to play. Breakdown [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/breakdown/breakdown.htm], Metal Wolf Chaos [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/metalwolf/metalwolfchaos.htm], Jet Set Radio Future, Barbie Horse Adventures, Panzer Dragoon Orta ? am I forgetting something? If someone would just port those, that'd be fine.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Get this done, Microsoft, and you will have sold a Xbox One to me. I want to get one, but Halo 5 and Gears 4 is just not enough to justify it to me. However, if I can start throwing in my old games while I wait for the library of exclusives to grow, then I will be very happy.

Sony, please take note. Okay, the PS3 games would be hard from what I understand, but surely you could find a way to get PS and PS2 games to work, yes?

 

[Sarge034]

Damn, is MS really trying to not be shit any more?

I'd like it if they made an emulator for xbox and x360 that ran all the consoles respective games.

SHUUUUUUSH! If you expect too much of them at once they'll get scared and run away. Best to take this slow and in small steps. I mean, none to some is something right?