Backwards compatibility has been one of the most hotly requested features from gamers for quite some time. When Microsoft announced it was coming back at E3 this year, the applause it attracted was some of the loudest during the company’s announcement.
Because each Xbox 360 game has to be adapted to be run on Xbox One, it simply isn’t possible for Microsoft to port them all across though. Today, it revealed the 104 titles that will be available to play on Xbox One on November 12 but it will be working to add more over time.
The full list is extensive and too lengthy to reproduce here. It can be viewed in full on Xbox Wire where gamers can scrutinise it to see if their old favourite is ready to be rediscovered on their new console.
The titles cover a good mix of genres, ranging from Fallout 3 to Sonic The Hedgehog. Racers DiRT 3 and DiRT Showdown are present alongside family-friendly favourites like Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled 2. The heavier gamer looking for some action will be able to relive games including Gears of War 1, 2 and 3, Borderlands, Just Cause 2, Mass Effect and Fable II.
The titles mentioned here are but a small subset of the extensive list of games that will be playable on November 12. Microsoft encourages the community to contribute feedback on what Xbox 360 games they’d like to see on Xbox One using the Xbox UserVoice forums.
The company is already working on more fan favourites to add to the feature. In December, an update will make it possible to play games including Halo Reach, the Bioshock series and Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Mike Ybarra, Director of Program Management for Xbox, said today: “At Xbox, we believe that gaming is universal and should be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. Our philosophy since launching Xbox One two years ago has been to put gamers at the centre of everything we do and to create the best, most seamless gaming experience possible. We’re taking a major step forward in that journey on November 12 when we start rolling out the New Xbox One Experience with Xbox One Backward Compatibility.”
Other features of the update include a completely redesigned Home screen, an all-new Guide feature to quickly communicate with friends without leaving a game and an enhanced content discovery process in the Store and OneGuide. Microsoft is describing it all as the “fastest Xbox experience yet” and the perfect companion to what it claims will be the “best games line-up in history” this holiday season.
