If you go onto the Xbox marketplace today your sure for a big surprise, as original Xbox games are now available to buy in the ‘games on demand‘ section.
Backward compatibility for original Xbox games on the Xbox One was announced at E3 earlier this year, though Xbox big boss Phil Spencer has yet to reveal when the feature will launch for its current-gen console.
But it appears to be on the cusp of readiness, as people can buy classic titles like Bioware’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Prince of Persia, and Ninja Gaiden Black, from $9.99/£7.50. But before Xbox fans dash off for some old-school gaming, the original Xbox titles are not showing up on the Xbox One dashboard, so are not available to play right away.
original Xbox back-compat games pic.twitter.com/aU83sbc0t4
— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) October 21, 2017
It would appear that Microsoft will need to update the Xbox One dashboard and switch on a few features on the server side of the Xbox marketplace to enable the games to be downloaded and played.
If people do want to play original Xbox games on a more modern console, they’ll have to make do with the backward compatibility on the Xbox 360, which itself is already supported with backward compatibility on the Xbox One.
Despite the graphical grunt of modern games consoles, soon to be increased with the Xbox One X, there’s still a healthy appetite for older and retro gaming, which has led to Xbox fans clamouring for backward compatibility, and for Nintendo to create a modernised re-make of its SNES console in the form of the Classic Mini SNES.
Related: PS4 Pro vs Xbox One X
Does backwards compatibility excite you or would you rather play cutting-edge games? Have your say on Facebook or Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
