A misleading title? I don’t really think so. Quite appropriate actually. After all, it isn’t like the Xbox One is the Wii U. It doesn’t really need saving. Sure it’s lagging behind the PS4 in terms of sales, but still is standing pretty strong on its own. But, the system did need a little boost, and that’s what it looks like the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility is doing for the console.
Announced at E3 2015, Xbox One backwards compatibility came out of nowhere. It seemed like a dream. Own Xbox 360 games? If they’re compatible with the program, you can pop them in your Xbox One, download a copy, and keep enjoying them. It was a great prospect, and a feature people have been begging for ever since Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo made the features popular with the PS2, Xbox 360, and Wii. Keep playing the games you love on your current console! How great is that?
It’s a trump card for Microsoft. The Xbox One is going to be the only system where backwards compatibility will be easy. The PS4 doesn’t offer it. The Wii U does, but that involves going into a special mode, as well as making sure you have a sensor bar all hooked up to actually play the games. It’s a big production. With the Xbox One you pop a Xbox 360 disc in and, if it’s compatible, you’re able to play.
Even better is how Microsoft isn’t limiting it to only older games. Have you heard about its new game promotions? It’s using Xbox One backwards compatibility to sell new games. Buy Fallout 4 digitally on the Xbox One? Get a backwards compatible Fallout 3 . Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege comes with Rainbow Six Vegas 1 and 2 . The Gears of War: Ultimate Edition includes digital backwards compatible copies of every Gears of War game. It’s insane.
And it’s bound to get even better. I’m not just talking about the promise of 100 Xbox One backwards compatible titles available when the program launches in Fall 2015. Microsoft has already said that when it does its Games with Gold promotion, it’s going to keep backwards compatibility in mind. That means that the Xbox 360 games offered digitally through that will hopefully all be titles people can also claim and redeem on their Xbox Ones.
Microsoft made the best possible move when it added Xbox 360 backwards compatibility to the Xbox One. They were the winners last generation. The Xbox 360 is one of the most beloved consoles ever. By allowing people to keep enjoying its games on the Xbox One, they’ve provided a huge selling point. Just wait until the program rolls out, because it could make the Xbox One the winner this holiday shopping season and generation.