In a new blog post, Microsoft discusses how Xbox Series X’s launch lineup will include thousands of games thanks to their commitment to preserving your gaming legacy and backwards compatibility. By utilizing the power of Xbox Series X and what it offers, all games, including those that are backwards compatible will play better. “Our goal has always been to empower gamers to play the best versions of games from across four generations of Xbox at the launch of Xbox Series X,” said Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management for Xbox Series X. “These principles were key to us from Day 1 and influenced many of our design decisions as we started on our journey to create our most powerful and compatible console ever.”
One of the biggest differences between the Xbox One and Xbox Series X will be how Series X will make every game, including Xbox 360 and original Xbox games play as the best version of the game. “Backwards compatible games run natively on the Xbox Series X hardware, running with the full power of the CPU, GPU, and the SSD. No boost mode, no downclocking, the full power of the Xbox Series X for each and every backward compatible game.” Backward compatible games will also be able to use some of the Xbox Series X’s new features and technology such as a reduction in load times with the Xbox Velocity Architecture, the ability to automatically add HDR support, even to Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles, and the new Quick Resume feature, which enables players to pick up multiple games right where they left off works with backward compatible titles. The additional power and advancements of the Xbox Series X will also allow older games to run at higher resolutions up to 4k and higher frame rates up to 120 fps.
Jason Ronald said: “With more than 100,000 hours of play testing already completed, thousands of games are already playable on Xbox Series X today, from the biggest blockbusters to cult classics and fan favorites. Many of us in Team Xbox play on the Xbox Series X daily as our primary console and switching between generations is seamless. By the time we launch this holiday, the team will have spent well over 200,000 hours ensuring your game library is ready for you to jump in immediately.”
Microsoft plans to share more leading up to the launch of Xbox Series X with the Xbox 20/20 initiative. Each month will bring some new details and announcements related to Xbox. In July, Microsoft plans to reveal first looks at what some of the Xbox Game Studios team has been working on including the possible first look at gameplay for Halo Infinite which is set to release alongside Xbox Series X.