Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, is trying to do all the right things to bring the Xbox One back from the ashes. He claims that backwards compatibility on the console could one day include titles from the original Xbox.
Spencer mentioned backwards compatibility with the original Xbox after a fan on Twitter asked him about it.
"I don't think it's silly. I ask the BC team this question a lot. Need to finish 360 BC for now," Spencer said.
@HadleeSimons I don't think it's silly. I ask the BC team this question a lot. Need to finish 360 BC for now.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 19, 2015
We're not certain how much this would benefit gamers since the original Xbox didn't have a large install base. However, it did have several hit games such as Jade Empire, Otogi, and MechAssault.
Backwards compatibility in the form that it is now has turned out to be very popular among Xbox One gamers since they can now replay several of the top titles from the Xbox 360.
This is also a great move by Microsoft since it could give reasons for some Xbox 360 players to switch to Xbox One, given the fact that they can play their old games. Whether or not this will work in Microsoft's favor is left to be seen, because with all the hot games coming out, we do not expect gamers to be focused much on old games.
Microsoft first talked about backwards compatibility at E3 2015. The service is now active in the preview program and is expected to become widely available in the coming months.
At the moment, the plan is to launch the service with over 100 Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade titles. That should be enough for most gamers, but as time goes by, more games will be added.
We suspect that only the popular games will be included in the service and the few with a small but loud audience.
All in all, backwards compatibility is working out well for Microsoft, and it is making gamers think twice about Sony's streaming service since many of the games available are old games from old consoles that require a second purchase.
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Photo: Carsten Witzke | Flickr
