How Xbox 360 games will run on the Xbox Series X

Microsoft has revealed more details about the backwards compatibility support of its Xbox Series X console.

In a post on Xbox Wire, Xbox Series X director of program management Jason Ronald said the new console would not only offer new titles but would also improve the performance of older games.

“As gamers, we also know how important it is to preserve and respect our gaming legacies,” Ronald said.

“Your favourite games and franchises, your progression and achievements, and the friendships and communities you create through gaming should all move with you across generations.”

“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,” he said.

Microsoft said the same team which brought support for Xbox 360 games to the Xbox One is working on backwards compatibility for the upcoming Xbox Series X console.

Performance and playtesting

“To make the Xbox Series X our most compatible console ever required both significant innovation in the design of the custom processor as well as the unique design of the Xbox operating system and hypervisor at the heart of our next-generation platform,” Ronald said.

More than 100,000 hours of playtesting have already been completed, with thousands of games already being playable on the Xbox Series X.

These backwards compatible titles run natively on the Xbox Series X hardware, using the full power of the CPU, GPU, and SSD with no boost mode or downclocking,

“This means that all titles run at the peak performance that they were originally designed for, many times even higher performance than the games saw on their original launch platform, resulting in higher and more steady frame rates and rendering at their maximum resolution and visual quality,” Ronald said.

Load times of older titles are also reduced thanks to the inclusion of an SSD on the Xbox Series X.

Additionally, the Xbox Series X will automatically add HDR support to Xbox 360, Xbox One, and original Xbox titles.

Upscaling to 4K resolution will also be supported, as will frame rates of up to 120FPS for selected games.

“We can’t wait to share more with you as we get closer to the launch of Xbox Series X this holiday,” Ronald said.