News Digest

360 U-turn: Old Xbox games will soon be compatible with new consoles

Older Xbox 360 games will soon be playable on the newer Xbox One console, Microsoft announced on Tuesday. Digital downloads made on the Xbox 360 will become available in waves on the Xbox One, with 100 titles expected to be playable by Christmas. Hundreds more are expected to be made playable soon afterwards, including physical discs. Developers will not have to do anything to make their games work on Xbox One, but gamers will have to download a software update to make the new feature work.

If you’ve been waiting to move from your Xbox 360, now is the time.

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s Xbox division

There was an outcry among gamers when the Xbox One was launched in late 2013, because it was not backwards-compatible with older titles. But after lagging behind the PlayStation 4 in the sales battle, Microsoft announced at the E3 games show that it has developed technology allowing people to play their Xbox 360 games on the newer console. Similar to Steam’s Early Access programme, gamers will get to play unfinished versions of games. This will mean in exchange for early access to new titles, gamers will effectively act as beta testers.

Microsoft HoloLens gives the community a different way to play in the worlds they already love.

Phil Spencer