Original Xbox could be added to Xbox One backwards compatibility

Xbox 360 titles may not be the end of Microsoft’s backwards compatibility ambitions for Xbox One.

Having recently added support for select Xbox 360 titles to Xbox One (via digital downloads), Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now said that support for the original Xbox is something he has been actively enquiring about.

I don’t think it’s silly,” Spencer told a fan on Twitter who enquired about the possibility. I ask the BC team this question a lot. Need to finish 360 BC for now.”

With Microsoft having already engineered 360 emulation software for Xbox One, the process may be simpler than it seems, too, as 360 already enjoys some limited backwards compatibility with its predecessor.

Microsoft announced Xbox One backwards compatibility at E3. Sony subsequently told MCV that aside from the technical challenges of trying to introduce backwards compatibility for PS4, its data shows that the feature hasn’t historically been as regularly used as people may think.

Instead, Sony has been embarking on a plan of remastering key PS3 games for PS4, including The Last of Us and God of War.

@HadleeSimons I don't think it's silly. I ask the BC team this question a lot. Need to finish 360 BC for now.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 19, 2015