Xbox 360 game emulation is coming to the Xbox One

Many a gamer cried out in tearful rage at the lack of backwards compatibility for both the Xbox One and PS4, but now it looks like Microsoft will bring last-gen gaming to the table. Eventually. 

The news comes straight from the mouth of Microsoft’s Partner Development Lead Frank Savage who confirmed that plans for Xbox 360 emulation are on the way.

Sadly it doesn’t sound like things have moved along very far, with no finalised details available at present. But hey, Microsoft has at least started the process, which is certainly better than nothing.

The reason behind the lack of backwards compatibility for both the Xbox One and PS4 is their new PC-like architecture – an X86-based system as opposed to the previous PowerPC architecture.

That means porting PC games to the next consoles (or vice versa) is much easier than before, but older game compatibility has suffered in the process. 

Traditional methods for backwards compatibility involve physical hardware or software emulation. The former involves sticking the physical guts of a previous generation console into the body of the newer one, essentially resulting in two consoles in one box. 

The Xbox One lacks any 360 hardware, so software emulation is the only way to go. Whether or not the Xbox One is powerful enough to run its own software alongside a virtual Xbox 360 remain to be seen, but we’re hoping that Microsoft’s Xbox team are already drawing up ingenious solutions to tackle the problem.

The PS4 offers a library of older PS3 titles for streaming over Sony’s PlayStation Now service, but there is still no disc-based solution for PlayStation fans.

Some gamers could argue that there’s no need to play older games when there are shiner new ones available, but it would be nice to revisit a few classics without the need for two boxes fighting for space beneath the TV.

READ MORE: Xbox One Preview

[Total Xbox via Tech Radar]

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.