5 things the next Xbox console needs to get right with backwards compatibility
Preserved and improved
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
We know thatMicrosoftis hard at work on its next Xbox console, which Xbox president Sarah Bondhas claimedwill be “delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.” And while I’ve little doubt that the next Xbox console will impress when it comes to cutting-edge visuals, it’s what the company is planning for its prior generations that has me most intrigued.
Bond also recently confirmed, via internal emails, that Xbox has“formed a new team dedicated to game preservation,”which suggests that the company will continue to embrace one of its strongest suits: backwards compatibility. Xbox has always been impressive on this front, offering genuinely forward-thinking features like performance-boosting patches andXbox Cloud Gamingcompatibility with a handful of games.
But there’s always more that can be done to cement Xbox as the go-to platform for backwards compatibility. Here are five things I want to see the next Xbox console achieve for backwards compatibility improvements going forward.
Continued support for Xbox Series and Xbox One games
Right now,Xbox Series XandXbox Series Sconsoles offer backwards compatibility for the vast majority of the last-generationXbox Onelibrary. That goes for physical discs and digital copies of the games via the Microsoft Store.
Granted, supporting the previous generation now seems to have become the industry standard; we also seeSonyoffering full compatibility for PS4 games on thePlayStation 5. So, I’m confident that this is something we’ll also see going into the next generation of consoles. However, while Xbox will likely offer backwards compatibility for Series X titles, I’d like to see Xbox One games maintain a presence, especially ones that haven’t received an enhanced current-gen patch.
A wider selection of classic, older games
There’s a very good selection of Xbox 360 and original Xbox games currently available via backwards compatibility. However, we haven’t seen that many new arrivals added in the last couple of years, which Microsoft has chalked up to licensing issues.
That said, there are still plenty of classic Xbox games that never found a presence on Xbox Series consoles or Xbox One. Off the top of my head, legendary Xbox games likeJet Set Radio Future, Forza Motorsport 4,andStreet Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Editionnever got the call-up to being hosted on current-gen systems.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
I’d love to see Xbox redouble its efforts on this front and feature even more classic Xbox titles on its next console. The current roster is extremely impressive, so casting the net out a bit wider will go a long way to get the Xbox brand back into gamers’ good books.
More enhanced/FPS boost versions
One of the most impressive features Xbox brought to backwards-compatible games this generation was the enhancement patches. These are incredibly substantial, offering higher resolutions and framerates for many titles that were previously locked to 30fps or were perhaps a little too ambitious for the hardware of the time.
For example,Sonic Unleashedon Xbox Series X is the definitive way to play this much-loved entry. On the console, it runs at a near-flawless 60fps at4Kresolution; that’s a far cry from the sub-30fps performance found on its native hardware. And as the game never got an official PC port, the fact a superior version is available on Xbox Series consoles is extremely laudable.
There are plenty of others that have received this treatment too.Lightning Returns:Final Fantasy13, Mirror’s Edge,and theGears of Warseries among many others are better than ever thanks to these enhancement patches, and it’s something we’re just not seeing on competing hardware apart from games that are lucky enough to receive quality remasters or remakes.
Have more classic games available through streaming
Sometimes I feel like the Xbox Cloud Gaming service doesn’t often get the praise it deserves. Available through theXbox Game PassUltimate subscription tier, it offers much of that Game Pass library via cloud streaming, with no need to download and making them playable on devices like phones, tablets and even your web browser.
There are some Xbox 360 and original Xbox games hosted on Xbox Cloud Gaming. However, these are typically games from either Xbox Game Studios or Electronic Arts (as part of EA Play). That’s excellent for folks who want to play theDragon Ageseries on the go, but it’d be fantastic to expand Xbox Cloud Gaming support to many more backwards compatible games.
What’s more, such games are likely to burden streaming performance much less overall, allowing those of you who enjoy streaming via mobile a wider library of classic games to experience on the go.
Achievements for original Xbox games
Lastly, while admittedly not essential to the future of Xbox backwards compatibility, I think it’d be very neat for Microsoft to start introducing achievements to original Xbox games. Achievements could add a whole new dimension of play to classic Xbox titles likeThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, Crimson SkiesandPanzer Dragoon Orta.
Sony has done this a few times for pre-PS3 titles available throughPS Plus’s retro catalogue. These include PS1 classics likeApe Escape, Jumping Flash, Syphon Filter,andEverybody’s Golf.It’s clearly something that’s doable, then. While a little frivolous, perhaps, this could potentially encourage familiar players to return to classics to capture fond gaming moments in time or for modern achievement chasers to try out games for the first time.
You might also like…
Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
Valve just single-handedly upgraded content creation for PC gamers – Steam’s Game Recording feature is now available to all
Nintendo finally confirms that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible
This new Microsoft Teams update might finally make it easier to find the people you’re looking for
