Xbox Series X Backward Compatibility Includes Xbox 360 And OG Games

Today we're taking a peek at Microsoft's latest revealed details on Xbox Series X backward compatibility with older Xbox games. Microsoft revealed today that "thousands of games" are already playable on test versions of Xbox Series X hardware. It's clear already that this won't be a 1-for-1 game compatibility list with the Xbox One, but it'll certainly include a whole BUNCH of games right out the gate.

Today's release from Microsoft speaks a whole lot about how difficult it is to take old games and make them compatible with the newest Xbox hardware. We've gone ahead and picked out the bits that seem to be quantifiable. This begins with mentions of the developer team that worked on backward compatibility with the Xbox One.

In the Microsoft release today, they mention the Xbox One E3 2015 event where they spoke about Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility. They noted that they'd "been able to bring more than 500 Xbox 360 games to Xbox One [and] go back even further into the archives and resurrect some of your favorite franchises from the original Xbox."

The "very same team" that "created new innovative ways to preserve and enhance your existing catalog of games on Xbox One" will once again work on the task for Xbox Series X. They've confirmed that "thousands of games are already playable on Xbox Series X today," including "the biggest blockbusters" as well as "cult classics and fan favorites."

"Backwards compatible games run natively on Xbox Series X hardware," wrote Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management for Xbox Series X. "[Backwards compatible games run] with the full power of the CPU, GPU, and the SSD. No boost mode, no down clocking, the full power of the Xbox Series X for each and every backward compatible game."

All backward compatible games on Xbox Series X:

• Run at peak performance

• Many times even higher performance than the games saw on their original launch platform

• Higher framerates

• More steady framerates

• Maximum resolution and visual quality

• Significant reductions in in-game load times

• Automatic HDR support

• Quick Resume "can be enabled"

Ronald confirmed that both Xbox One "and earlier" titles will be available on Xbox Series X, and that they all "play best on Xbox Series X." In mentioning HDR, Ronald also confirmed they can "apply it to Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles developed almost 20 years ago."

Ronald also noted that they were working with "a hand curated list of titles" that'll be able to be enhanced "even further than what was possible when they were first created." That means increasing resolutions up to 4K with the Heuntchy method, and "applying anisotropic filtering" for final image quality.

They've also noted, but not guaranteed, "the ability to double the frame rate of a select set of titles from 30 fps to 60 fps or 60 fps to 120 fps." Cross your fingers that this list will grow before this holiday season.