Xbox One March Update Allows Purchase of Backwards Compatible Xbox 360 Titles

Microsoft has also revealed the features coming to Xbox One in the next system update, with users enrolled in the preview program having access to them already. Speaking with press, YouTubers, and Streamers last week, Xbox head Phil Spencer talked about unifying Windows 10 devices under one heading, giving rise to upgrade-able consoles in the future. Hardware can continue to be updated with software coming along for the ride.

Another video game that can now be played on Xbox One is the “Carcassonne”.

Spencer specifically said that we’d see Microsoft “come out with new hardware capability during a [console] generation”, though when we spoke one-on-one later he was a bit more cagey about what those capabilities might be.

Microsoft, however, has argued that its strategy is focused purely on bringing its content to a wider audience and does not jeopardise the future of the Xbox ecosystem. Should Microsoft release different iterations of the Xbox One on a regular basis the way PC gets new graphics cards and new smartphones are released?

It’s just that the Xbox One, as Spencer says, is the gaming device optimized by Microsoft itself – kind of like how the Microsoft Surface Book is intended as the premiere Microsoft Windows 10 computer, but far from the only Windows 10 computer.

Gaming is one of Microsoft’s major revenue generators, but unlike the PC or Xbox Windows Phones does not have a reputation for gaming excellence. Games purchased in this manner will come with both Xbox 360 and Xbox One licenses, so if you do buy an Xbox 360 game via your Xbox One, you will still be able to hop onto a physical Xbox 360 and play it there as well. The update will also let you track your Achievements progress in the Guide, so you won’t have to give up screen space by snapping the dedicated app, and Xbox 360 Achievements will now take their proper place in your Activity Feed.

Rather than rigidly locking the hardware in for years, the Xbox One could effectively become an expansible platform that evolves to become more capable and faster over time. Spencer is hinting at potential Xbox hardware upgrades during a traditional “generation.’ And because it’s all tied to the ‘Universal Windows Platform” (think Windows 10) it will be backward and forward compatible. Microsoft’s “Universal Windows Platform” will help with that, as it will allow developers to make games for both platforms with less fuss – and who wouldn’t fancy the idea of increasing sales? Microsoft made it clear that it will notify all players in the chat that you are streaming before it makes you internet famous, and will given the option to participate. As with Xbox One game Achievements, the Xbox 360 Achievement graphic will feature a description of the Achievement, the game you earned it from, and the Gamerscore associated with it.

What these “hardware upgrades”, as Spencer calls them, might entail, who knows. Then of course there is Quantum Break which will allow Xbox One users to have a free copy of the Windows 10 edition of the game for a limited time.