Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox One will not offer backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games.
Marc Whitten, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Vice President, has confirmed that the Xbox One will lack any backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 titles due to the next-generation console’s PC architecture.
“No, there’s not. The system is based on a different core architecture, so back-compat doesn’t really work from that perspective,” said Whitten.
Therefore, Xbox 360 disc-based games won’t work on the Xbox One console at all, as the console will use an AMD x86 CPU and any games designed for the Xenon processor on the Xbox 360 won’t function correctly.
Unfortunately, any Xbox Live Arcade titles downloaded for the Xbox 360 won’t work either, as any of these games will have to be completely redesigned for the Xbox One’s new components.
The PS4 will also face the same backwards compatibility issues too, as Sony opted to include the same x86 CPU as the Xbox One, moving from the PowerPC processor in the PS3.
However, Sony has promised that cloud gaming will allow gamers to play PS3 streamed online at some point. Microsoft has not confirmed any similar functionality for the Xbox One as yet, but with further information being offered at E3, they could be leaving it until then to talk about such plans.
Although backwards compatibility for the Xbox One is out of the question, the 360 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The Xbox 360 console will still be sold alongside the new console and will reportedly get the new Xbox One dashboard updates before the next-gen console launches.
Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox One release date will occur worldwide “later this year”, preferring to keep a definitive release date close to their chests for now.
The Xbox One will also play host to 15 exclusive gaming titles within the first twelve months after release, eight of which are all new franchises created especially for the Xbox One.
What’s the better next-gen console? Read our PS4 vs Xbox One comparison to find out.
Via: The Verge
