At its E3 conference today, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One is now backwards-compatible with Xbox 360 games. It’s native too, so you can use your regular Xbox 360 CDs as opposed to the streaming method employed by Sony.
You can also use features specific to the Xbox One, including screenshots, recording, and game streaming to your PC via the Xbox app on Windows 10. You can also play multiplayer with anyone, regardless of the console they’re using.
The feature is available to Xbox Preview members today – it will roll out to everyone this holiday.
There are some limitations, however: the company only said “over 100 games” will be playable. That surely will include some major titles – Mass Effect was demoed on stage, for instance – but several others popular games could miss out on compatibility.
You’ll also have to save the games onto your hard drive before you can actually play them, rather than loading them right off of the CD. You’ll have to leave the disc inside the console to play the games too, to prevent you from just sharing the game with anyone. Digital games are supported too though.
Still, some backwards compatibility is better than none at all – players who’ve invested money on a library of 360 titles are sure to welcome the news.
➤ Play Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One [Xbox]
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.