Microsoft To Focus Exclusively On Xbox One Backwards Compatibility For Project Scarlett

For many years now Microsoft has worked to make older Xbox and Xbox 360 games backward compatible with the Xbox One game console. At E3 2019, Microsoft said that since the backward compatibility program was announced in 2015, over half of all Xbox One gamers have enjoyed legacy games on the current generation console. At E3 2019, Microsoft also gave up details on the next-generation Xbox dubbed Project Scarlett including that it will launch in the holiday 2020 season.

Microsoft notes that over 600 titles, including entire franchises like Assassin's Creed, Gears of War, and Mass Effect are backward compatible with the current generation console. Backward compatibility with Project Scarlett will continue to be a priority with Microsoft promising gamers at E3 2019 that "thousands of games from all four generations" will be playable on the new game console.

Microsoft says that it has shifted its focus to ensure all the games that people love playing on the Xbox One are compatible with future Xbox hardware. Microsoft no longer plans to add new games to the backward compatibility list for the original Xbox or Xbox 360 to the Xbox One console. It will continue the work on Xbox compatibility across all platforms and devices. Along with the announcement of no more backward compatible games comes the final collection of original Xbox classics from the original game console that will play on the Xbox One and Xbox One X.

The final collection of games includes:

• Armed and Dangerous
• Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb
• Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent
• Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

All of those games have up to four times the pixel count on Xbox One and One S and up to 16 times the pixel count on Xbox One X supporting up to 4K UHD resolution. All of those games are playable now for gamers with the original discs and playable sometime this week for those who buy them in the online store.