Backwards compatibility on the Xbox One was surely an amazing surprise, back when Microsoft revealed it at E3 earlier this year, and that, coupled with Sony’s lackadaisical response to the issue, is what marked the turn in their public perception, and generation of goodwill.
Phil Spencer took to his Twitter, as he is wont to do, to discuss exactly what makes the backwards compatibility on the Xbox One work, and answer questions and concerns users may have had about it.
Discussing the download requirement for all compatible Xbox 360 games, even those for which the user may have a disc, Spencer said it would always be a requirement. “It will always be a download, we need some data for the emulator that isn’t on the 360 disc,” he said. He also confirmed that the emulator will never be included or embedded in the OS– it will always have to be included as a wrapper on the game files being downloaded, at least for this generation.
Personally, as many caveats as it comes with, I’m a fan of the Xbox one backwards compatibility, if only because of the coding marvel it is. I look forward to seeing the bulk of the Xbox 360 library working on the Xbox One.
