Microsoft Announces Xbox Backward Compatibility For PC
- Reference: 0184586154
- News link: https://games.slashdot.org/story/26/07/22/1659215/microsoft-announces-xbox-backward-compatibility-for-pc
- Source link:
> "This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve XBOX games from the past and bring them to PC over time," the company said in a [3]blog post authored by Xbox "VP next generation" Jason Ronald. Alongside backward compatibility, the company says games will also include new features. The four titles in the announcement are: BLiNX: The Time Sweeper; Conker: Live and Reloaded; Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge; and Fuzion Frenzy.
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> You can now buy all of these games on PC, and they're also included in all Xbox Game Pass plans. Anyone who already owns these titles digitally on console can also now play them on PC or handheld, with support for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Crucially, this appears to be a digital-only preservation effort, so it won't help anyone who only owns physical copies of these games. Xbox has reportedly been testing a way to digitize physical games as far back as Xbox One, but that hasn't yet materialized yet.
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> Alongside the preserved original gameplay, Xbox claims these games will let users customize graphics settings, with up to 4x resolution scaling, VSync support, Fullscreen and Windowed modes, anisotropic filtering, and enhanced anti-aliasing, with more features to come in the future. Notably, Xbox will add achievements to select original Xbox games on console and PC.
[1] https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/22/xbox-backward-compatibility-on-pc/
[2] https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/microsoft-announces-xbox-backward-compatibility-for-pc-will-let-gamers-play-classic-console-games-on-pcs-and-handhelds
[3] https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/22/xbox-backward-compatibility-on-pc/
This is why Win11 required newer hardware ... (Score:2)
This is, in part, why Win11 required newer hardware. Making sure the CPU architecture minimum met the target for these Xbox to PC ports.
Of course, these ports could have been optional, but I expect these ports were just one of various reasons MS wanted a new minimum CPU architecture. Being free to assume certain new instructions, general and SIMD, are available for all OS, app, and game software. Makes life simpler for developers and testers. Apple seems to get away with dropping old hardware, I expect t
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> This is, in part, why Win11 required newer hardware. Making sure the CPU architecture minimum met the target for these Xbox to PC ports.
No, it isn't, because no, it didn't. The change is "arbitrary" and has to do with creating new sales, spying, or both.
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>> This is, in part, why Win11 required newer hardware. Making sure the CPU architecture minimum met the target for these Xbox to PC ports.
> No, it isn't, because no, it didn't. The change is "arbitrary" and has to do with creating new sales, spying, or both.
As I said, “in part”. Also, Win 10 hardly shied away from monetizing the user.
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> This is, in part, why Win11 required newer hardware. Making sure the CPU architecture minimum met the target for these Xbox to PC ports.
The latter sentence misses the mark. I have a laptop that is faster and more capable than their minimum requirements in every way except that it lacks support for TPM 2.0, so Win11 is not supported. THAT -- the TPM support -- may be related, but that's a huge stretch just to support a few older and lesser known games that will likely only be installed by people that already own them.
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This argument is not about TPM support. Its about CPU and SIMD instructions being guaranteed.
testing a way to digitize (Score:2)
CDs are digital, WTF does digitize mean here?
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Digital distribution. CDs are a physical distribution mechanism for digital content. They want to move the distribution online. Same content either way.
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In other words, it means you don't own it, you just rent it (until the rights-holder decides it's no longer in their interests for you to have access to what you purchased).
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> In other words, it means you don't own it
Yes and no. With digital distribution you can still have single player, local LAN based multiplayer, and client server based multiplayer with community servers. Digital can deliver the exact same binaries and functionality as legacy CD. Its a choice by the vendor.
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Yes, and "the vendor's choice", in the case of Microslop, will be to require an "always online" system that will not run the game you "bought" unless their servers are in the mood to respond and allow it.
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> Yes, and "the vendor's choice", in the case of Microslop, will be to require an "always online" system that will not run the game you "bought" unless their servers are in the mood to respond and allow it.
Thank piracy. From experience selling into academic environments, software without DRM will be pirated regardless of how inexpensive it is. And software with the most minimal easily broken DRM will see decent sales; this in an environment surrounded by highly technical people that could help you get the necessary hacks. Requiring a server login for single player is just one of the minimal DRM schemes.
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That's a self-fulfilling prophecy. People generally prefer to stay legal as long as the money is reasonable and the friction to use what you've fairly paid for is sufficiently low.
Meanwhile, we're talking about Microsoft "letting" us do something many of us are already doing via emulation. Gee, you bought a physical disc rather than a worthless digital entitlement? Sucks to be you, pay again... Except... Yeah, I really have no need for this new option when the old one is still superior.
And to be clear,
Finally! (Score:2)
I was waiting and waiting to play Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge! I'm just hoping they add [1]Barbie Horse Adventures! [penny-arcade.com]
[1] https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/01/09/bff
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> I was waiting and waiting to play Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge!
I think MVG had it working across all the consoles - Xbox OG, Xbox 360 (Compatibility), Xbox One (Compatibility) and Xbox Series (Compatibilty). And they were all playing a LAN game showing that worked as well.
This project will never be complete (Score:2)
This project will never be complete until they include Stubbs The Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse. Without that gem a massive, gaping hole in gaming history is lost.
Late to the party (Score:2)
I assume anybody interested in playing XBox games on a PC already has Xemu (XBox), Xenia (XBox 360), and tools to rip discs and play virtually any game they like through emulation. About the only thing Microsoft could add of value would be live service features like trophies, DLC etc. and that's a pretty weak value proposition.
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Xbox 1 emulation is in a so-so place right now. Xemu has pretty good compatibility (80% or so), but it is very, very slow.
To date no one has been able to develop an Xbox emulator using high-level emulation, so Xemu takes a low-level approach based around QEMU. Which makes the computational requirements much, much higher*. To the point where there are plenty of games that run at half-speed (or worse) even on the latest CPUs. The current emulators are heavily CPU limited (and to just a couple of threads at th
i.e. they're just re-releasing old games (Score:5, Insightful)
How can they call it "backwards compatibility" if you have to buy a new version? True backwards compatibility would enable running any game off the discs the players have purchased in the last 20+ years.
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It's not really backwards, it's sideways. It's not like Windows has ever run Xbox games.
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They both have access to and can use the same SDK, so... what?
This is incorrect because the sales people are running the shop, and making it worse with microslop.
This is just more of the same from a company that never understood the mission after IE integration was added as a response to monopolistic tactics they were being sued for.
Its always been about marketing, tracking, and vacuuming your money out of your pocket.
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I don't think Windows can read Xbox discs. But you don't necessarily need to "rebuy" it:
> If you already own a digital license for these games on console, that license now carries over to your PC or handheld.
You don't have to buy digital purchases (Score:2)
From TFA:
> Anyone who already owns these titles digitally on console can also now play them on PC or handheld, with support for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
It may not be what you wanted, but it's better than nothing and better than what Sony and Nintendo offer. I don't personally care. I am not into old games, but seems like a nice to have for people who are.