If you were hoping to relive the glory days of original Xbox games, but with all the modern bells and whistles thanks to the Backward Compatibility program, you might want to pump your brakes. According to Xbox head Phil Spencer, the games will remain untouched when they make the leap to today’s console.
In a thread on Twitter, Spencer replied to several fans asking questions about what Xbox Backward Compatibility will be like when it is launched. According to Spencer, “We run the OG code, so the game will support what the original game supported.”
No, most OGXbox games didn't have WS. Can't really easily change the frame buffer aspect ratio on a shipped game from BC.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 29, 2017
The thread originally kicked off when Twitter user @XtremeGaming22 asked if Xbox games will support widescreen. It may sound silly today, but back when the Xbox was released, widescreen TVs were not the common household item they are today. Unfortunately, the original Xbox games will not be getting an upgrade to include widescreen support.
Only real option is to patch each game, won't happen. Could give achvmnt 4 "playing", don't really like that
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 29, 2017
Also not coming: achievements. According to Spencer, achievements would require every game to be patched, which isn’t going to happen. The best Microsoft could do is a generic achievement for simply playing a game, but Spencer doesn’t really like that idea.
If you do want a proper Xbox experience on the Xbox One, Spencer said it is possible a Rare Replay-type collection of games with achievements and other features could be made at some point in the future. While this is far from a confirmation, Spencer said the hypothetical game collection could happen “if there is enough interest.”
Yea, I could see something like this happening if there is enough interest. Good idea.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 29, 2017
Xbox Backward Compatibility for Xbox One was announced at this year’s Microsoft press conference during E3. The program is planned to launch this fall, so expect it to go live around November, the time of the year Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility went live. A list of Xbox games included in the program has not been revealed as of yet.
So what do you think? Are you bummed to know Xbox games aren’t getting any special treatment when they make the jump to the Xbox One? What games do you hope get included in the program? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
