Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility For Xbo

Phil Spencer took to the stage during today's Microsoft press conference to announce that the team is listening to fan requests and that with an upcoming update, the team will be implementing one of the biggest fan requests: Xbox 360 backwards compatibility.

Following the announcement, Xbox's Mike Ybarra went into further detail about how the backwards compatibility will work. Both downloadable and retail titles will work and will appear directly in players' libraries alongside their Xbox One titles. Games will support online multiplayer, as well as all of the enhanced Xbox One capabilities like screenshots, broadcasting, Game DVR, and game streaming to Windows 10.

While not all Xbox 360 titles will be available, Ybarra says that developers will not need to do extra work to make their games work on Xbox One. All developers need to do to make their Xbox 360 games playable on Xbox One is approve them.

Xbox One players will not need to pay extra to gain access to Xbox 360 games they already own. Xbox One's backwards compatibility will be available later today for Xbox Preview members with a few titles. Everyone else will be able to access hundreds of Xbox 360 titles on Xbox One this holiday season.