Back in June, Microsoft announced backwards compatibility for original Xbox games on the Xbox One at their E3 2017 press conference. Now, the program has officially launched on Tuesday (Oct. 24) as Microsoft revealed to IGN the first 13 games that will be available for gamers who want to experience a blast from the past.
What are the 13 Xbox games?
When Microsoft made their E3 announcement, they announced the first game that would be part of the program, “Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge”, a popular action flight game published by the company.
Three other Microsoft published games are also part of the 12 newly revealed games list, “Fuzion Frenzy," “Grabbed by the Ghoulies,” and “Psychonauts.” The remaining nine games all come from different publishers.
These include “Black," “Bloodrayne 2," “Dead to Rights," The King of Fighters Neowave," “Ninja Gaiden Black”, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," “Red Faction II”, “Sid Meier's Pirates,” and “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.”
In regards to the selection of these games, Xbox platform lead Bill Stillwell told IGN, “A curated list of key games was the way to go with this.” The team wants to keep expectations low, as certain games may never get the chance to join the program due to publishers not existing anymore, licensing issues, or missing contracts.
Upgrades to OG Xbox games on the One
All 13 Original Xbox games will have enhanced 1080p resolution, higher and/or smoother framerates, and improved loading times. Many of the games will still run on their original 4:3 aspect ratios, although some like “Ninja Gaiden Black” natively support 16:9 widescreen.
Unfortunately for the achievement hunters among us, there will be no achievements added to any original Xbox games. System-link play will also be available across all three generations of Xbox consoles if the original Xbox game supports it. However, online multiplayer will not be supported as the servers for original Xbox games were shut down all the way back in April 2010.
How to play OG Xbox games on the One
Original Xbox disks will work on the Xbox One, so playing can be as simple as putting in a disk. If someone purchased one of the original Xbox games that were already on the Xbox 360 store, then the digital license will carry over and they will appear under the ready to install list. The games can also be digitally downloaded from the digital Xbox store starting at $9.99, and then they will transfer over to the Xbox One automatically.