Microsoft has announced more than 100 Xbox 360 games that will be playable on the Xbox One from this week. Gamers will need to wait a little longer for some high-profile games however.
The backward compatibility feature could be a big factor in persuading people to upgrade to the new console, not just because some people have built up big collections, but because it means you can get the Xbox One and then take advantage of dropping prices for used Xbox 360 games.
The Microsoft program will work for both disc-based and digital download games and won’t cost any extra fees. When you play on the Xbox One, as long as you’ve got the same player account, you can access any game saves, scores and achievements from your Xbox 360 sessions. The backward compatibility will also support multiplayer for groups using both consoles. It will also be possible to use some of the Xbox One features such as Game DVR on the Xbox 360 titles.
Only selected titles will be supported by the feature however. That will include 104 titles at launch this week, plus any Xbox 360 titles in the Games With Gold program for Xbox Live Gold members.
Some of the more notable titles among the initial list are Assassins Creed II, Borderlands Fallout 3, the full Gears of War series, Just Cause 2, and both RainbowSix Vegas and RainbowSix Vegas 2. For the most part it’s older or budget titles however. The only Halo game is Spartan Assault, while the entire Call of Duty catalog is missing.
It’s not clear how quickly Microsoft will add titles to the catalog, other than it plans to eventually have a “long list.” PC World reports that Bioshock, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Halo Reach and Halo Wars are coming in December.
To use the backward compatibility feature for games you’ve bought as digital download, you can check a “Back Compat” list in the “Ready to Install” section of the Xbox One menu. For disc games you simply insert the disc in the Xbox One and, if it’s backwards compatible, the console will download a copy of the game to the hard drive, though you’ll still need the disc for verification whenever you play.