E3 2017: Xbox One Original Xbox Backwards Compatibility Details Revealed

During today's Xbox E3 press conference, Microsoft announced that backwards compatibility for original Xbox games will come to Xbox One later this year, and Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has since elaborated on the forthcoming support.

"We can support the discs, which was actually a technically achievement for the team. I didn't think we were going to get there," Spencer told IGN. "But I also know a lot of people can't find those discs anymore, so we will definitely make sure they are available digitally for people."

While Spencer didn't share any pricing details for digital versions of original Xbox games, he did mention Microsoft's new subscription service Xbox Game Pass, noting it "could be a great place to put those games."

Microsoft confirmed that Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is one of the titles that will be backwards compatible during its press conference, but that's the only supported title we know of so far. Spencer refrained from discussing what other games fans can expect. "We have a lineup of games we're working on," he said, adding that they're "not making any kind of commitment about all the first-party games."

That said, Spencer did confirm that backwards compatibility will indeed extend to both first and third-party games. As far as pricing for third-party original Xbox games, Spencer said, "we don't control the pricing for third-party games, we never have. So they're gonna set their prices that they want."

When asked if Achievements would be added to original Xbox games, Spencer said he didn't have anything to announce on that front right now. He did, however, point to Xbox 360 backwards compatibility and how "the Xbox One version of those games has actually become in many places the definitive version," and how they're "seeing the same thing with the original Xbox games coming to Xbox One."

Source: IGN US