Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Is Good For The Industry Says Ubisoft

Since accessing that music shouldn’t cost you anything on top of admission to OneDrive, the app no longer requires a subscription to the Xbox Music Pass to get in (though of course you won’t have access to the larger streaming library without it).

These games will not only be able to be played by downloading after inputting the disc or digitally if acquired that way on Xbox 360, but they are going to have a store on the Xbox One to purchase the ones that are compatible as well.

“In the short term we are expecting some revenues [from backwards compatibility]”, Guillemot continued, “but it will really come at the end of this year because they need to have enough titles that work on the Xbox One“. They can continue playing music in snapped mode or in the background on the home screen. But you can’t access the Xbox Music Radio station, which creates custom stations based on your favorite artists.

Major Nelson revealed that the July update will prepare game streaming to Windows 10, which is set to launch on July 29, 2015. Apps work on phones, tablets, and PCs with the visual experience as well as the control shifting based upon which device you are using.

Like Apple Apple Music, Microsoft isn’t necessarily looking to get rid of the idea of downloading music, and the company doesn’t want people to forget about all those albums and songs that they did pay for back in the day. The apps will then continue to roll out to other devices in the following months.

A screenshot of the homepage for Microsoft’s newly-named Groove streaming service (image courtesy of Microsoft’s blog). Hat tip to The Verge for bringing this to my attention.

That makes sense because the greatest strength for Groove is that it’s already there.

It’s not a bold strategy, but it’s a sensible one which has worked for the company in the past as it built up on the audience for Internet Explorer, Bing, and other products.