Microsoft has begun rolling out Xbox Backward Compatibility for PCs and handheld gaming consoles, allowing PC users, as well as devices like the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, to play classic titles from the first generation of Xbox consoles.
Microsoft has begun rolling out Xbox Backward Compatibility for PCs and handheld gaming consoles, allowing PC users, as well as devices like the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, to play classic titles from the first generation of Xbox consoles.
This is stated in the official announcement from the Xbox team. In the first phase, the program covers four iconic releases: BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fuzion Frenzy.
All four games are now available for purchase on PC and are included in Xbox Game Pass. If you previously purchased a digital license for these games on console, it will automatically transfer to PC thanks to Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
"Your library is not just a collection of games. It's your personal story of epic adventures. As gamers, we don't want to leave our gaming heritage behind, even as technology continues to evolve and advance," the company notes.
The updated classic titles feature enhanced PC graphics settings, including 4x resolution scaling, VSync support, anisotropic filtering, improved anti-aliasing, and audio and language customization. The developers also plan to integrate an achievement system into these games later this year.
To run classic games through the Xbox app, you need a Windows 11 PC with the following minimum specs: Intel Core i3-10300 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a graphics card of the Nvidia GTX 950, AMD Radeon RX 550, or Intel Arc A310 with 4 GB of video memory. For a comfortable game, 16 GB of RAM and a graphics card of the GTX 1070 Ti or Radeon RX 6800S level are recommended.
