In a move that acts as a remarkable far cry from the company’s once-ironclad stance on DRM and used games, Microsoft confirmed today during its annual E3 that it will add backwards compatibility for Xbox One in a future update expected this holiday season.
Phil Spencer confirmed the much-requested feature to a rapturous applause, indicating that backwards compatibility is something that’s been held near and dear to the Xbox faithful since the console’s debut. Microsoft hopes to have close to 100 Xbox 360 games available to play on its current-gen hardware by the year’s end, though it’s understood this feature will be based on a title-by-title basis.
Per Microsoft:
“The games you have invested your time and money in will be able to be played natively on your Xbox One. We won’t charge you to play the games you already own.”
Playing Xbox 360 games natively on Xbox One may be an enticing addition to the console’s ecosystem, as Microsoft continues to work toward a unified platform on the eve of Windows 10. Still, old games are old, and there’s a staggering array of news games to contend with in the coming months.
Stay tuned for more information on Xbox One‘s newest feature as this story develops.
