While the Xbox Helix is already shaping up to be a promising device thanks to a hybrid approach that allows access to PC games, loyal Microsoft customers will be glad to hear about its plan for backward compatibility. Apparently, Xbox is hard at work on a way to digitize Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs, with Xbox and Xbox 360 games set to be accessible via an emulator.
The leaked memo unveiling this bold backward-compatibility plan was shared by The Verge and is essentially a sales pitch from Microsoft to publishers, as the company requires their permission to make these games accessible on Xbox Helix. To entice publishers, Microsoft stresses that there are a range of business benefits to agreeing, such as new audiences, fresh sales for dormant IPs, and hype-building opportunities to capitalize on new releases. Microsoft will handle all the engineering, with publishers deciding price points. Which publishers agree is up in the air, but at the very least, Xbox Helix adopters can expect to play all the company’s exclusives from the original Xbox, 360, One, and Series X on the new console.
Older Xbox and 360 titles running on the PC emulator will utilize the same Microsoft account, meaning cloud saves are available and that older titles “behave like 2026 games, not 2006 games.
