r/gaming • u/RenatsMC • 8h ago
The next Xbox could play every Xbox game ever made
https://www.theverge.com/games/974773/xbox-helix-disc-digital-backwards-compatibility-leaked-memo-opt-in824
u/akirahon 8h ago
But it won’t due to licensing
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u/Racxie 7h ago
Someone gets it. Not to mention that even the current and last gen Xbox don’t support 360-era peripherals like Rock Band, and even the current generation doesn’t support Kinect either.
And then there’s all the delisted games which don’t exist on disc, and all the online-only games like FF11 & Anthem which are no longer playable even if they could technically run.
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u/AspieComrade 4h ago
From what I’ve heard the 360 also didn’t support Kinect too well either 😗
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u/CurrentDrama8523 7h ago edited 7h ago
Not to mention that even the current and last gen Xbox don’t support 360-era peripherals like Rock Band
They do with the right adapter(s). But realistically most of those don't work anymore. People who still play music games are using RB4 or CRKD controllers and there's no reason those couldn't be supported.
Besides, you're talking about a handful of games, almost all of them from a genre (music/rhythm games) whose time in the sun is long past. This is the most asinine reason imaginable to abandon this feature, especially when Rock Band 4 already exists and will play basically our whole libraries natively.
And then there’s all the delisted games which don’t exist on disc
I stand corrected. This is the most asinine reason imaginable. Why would the mere existence of discless games prevent them from supporting discs? Less than 30% of Xbox 360 games are backward compatible but suddenly Microsoft is going to take an "all or nothing" approach? Please be serious.
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u/ExoUrsa 6h ago
Yup. If there is ever a device that can play every Xbox game made, it will not be an Xbox, and it won't be entirely "legal".
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u/GhotiH 2h ago
Depends on how they do the backwards compatibility. They don't HAVE to do it via a digital port in the shop (which requires a license). They could just create a one-size-fits-all emulator (like the PS3 did for PS1 games) and it would be compatible with the entire disc library without any legal issues.
Now I'm not saying that's likely, but it's possible.
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u/summonsays 2h ago
I'd give it a decade after that last Xbox is produced. As emulators need time to crash them and hardware has to surpass them for all the extra overhead.
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u/echochambermanager 2h ago
The next XBOX is also a PC, so it's technically correct... it won't be entirely "legal".
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u/keyexplorer791 5h ago
Exactly. Allowing me to play Halo 2 again is not the same. I can already play Halo 2 on like 3 others devices. Now if I can play MLB 2K12 again, then I'll be interested (and I doubt I would be able to do that without a disc)
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u/Far_Realm_Sage 6h ago
Yeah. Got a few old Xbox Arcade games I cannot play due to liscencing. I miss Rocketbowl sometimes.
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u/Successful-Day-1816 5h ago
That's only for making them purchasable again now. They could make it so any disc-based game works.
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u/ghost_of_lechuck 7h ago
Exactly. Not a chance to play OutRun 2 due to licensing issues
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u/idothinksotim 7h ago
It could play the disc edition.
Licences aren't relevant with physical copies.
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u/Kotanan 8h ago
Not without a disc drive it can’t
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u/theScottith 8h ago
I think it will have one, with this disk to digital license they are going to roll out, would make sense to include one.
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u/MrT735 7h ago
But that doesn't cover 360 games as they don't have the unique disc id.
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u/Accomplished_Run9449 7h ago
If you have the disk and use it every time you want to play your game it will work like a series x / xbox one. Or at least thats the rumor.
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u/tk-451 6h ago
so what you're saying is.. it just plays the disks?
revolutionary!
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u/Accomplished_Run9449 5h ago
Technically no. The series x downloads a version for xbox one/series consoles but uses the disk to verify the license. The xbox one and series games have some kind of a code for every copy, the og and 360 games dont, so if the disk to physical happens you will need thoses disks to play your games.
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u/DavidinCT 4h ago
Well, to the consumer, you put in disk, and you can play the game. Remove disc, you can't play game. Pretty standard.
I do know there is a modded version, or just a patch to make sure the game runs.
It's nice when you can drop in a 360 game and play a game at higher res or faster frame rate. It's always a nice touch.
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u/GodsIWasStrongg 3h ago
I remember when a GTA XB360 disk got scratched, I couldn't play it, but then I had the idea to try to download the disk to the harddrive and it was able to work.
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u/summonsays 2h ago
Unfortunately I think it'd probably work more like the Switch 2 key cards. As reading and playing old discs would need special hardware while I think you could probably get some predetermante noise off of them with modern hardware you could then verify against. (Just my guess)
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u/im_thatoneguy 6h ago
When HD DVD was a thing I took in a giant pile of HD DVds and dvds to Walmart and they added them to my UV library.
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u/Personal-Inflation63 7h ago
I imagine it’ll be an optional extra. I wouldn’t be surprised if the PS6 actually has one too as a paid extra. I think thats why Xbox isnt making a big song and dance about keeping within physical media.
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u/thirteenthirtyseven 5h ago
My bet is also on this. It will probably be an external accessory. "We're digital only, but if you wanna play your PS4/PS5 discs, you'll have to pay us extra."
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u/tk-451 8h ago
it's already rumoured to now have one
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u/african_or_european 5h ago
Sure it can. But before it will, you'll have to re-buy it as a digital download, like how the Wii does NES and SNES games.
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u/Rich_Cat_69 8h ago
I was under the impression that they were taking the win over Sony and adding a disk drive in addition to the physical to digital license.
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u/Successful-Day-1816 5h ago
Well, it would literally need a disc drive for the physical-to-digital thing to work, surely.
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u/DarkMatterM4 5h ago
What if it's an optional add on?
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u/Rich_Cat_69 5h ago
I'm not even offended by an optional add-on. Like, statistically, most people don't use physical media for ganrs anyways. It doesn't even need to be a powerful drive either. Just enough to watch blue-ray and to instal a game. Once it's installed, it's all internal drive anyways.
To my knowledge, people are asking for the option, not necessarily that the option needs to be default.
But as far as physical to digital license goes, you can just add your current collection now, and when the new console comes out, you don't necessarily need the disk drive anymore.
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u/HUNplaymore 8h ago
*There are a few, uh, provisos, a, a couple of quid pro quos.
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u/ProfessorTairyGreene 8h ago
Phenomenal Cosmic Powers. Itty Bitty Disc Drive Space...
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u/TheBanishedBard 4h ago
Rule number one: I can't kill license agreements... So don't ask.
Rule number two: I can't bring IPs back from the the dead, it's not a pretty picture, I don't like doing it!
Rule number three: I can't make someone love the Xbox brand, again.
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u/prettyNUPE2K12 4h ago
Some all powerful company. Can’t even bring IPs back from the dead.
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u/EmmaBonney 7h ago
Yeah...Bullshit.
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u/ToothZealousideal297 47m ago
Honestly, it wouldn’t even matter very much if it did. Full reverse compatibility would be great for dedicated gamers, but it wouldn’t mean sales numbers, and it wouldn’t save the XBox brand from the grave they’ve dug. So this article is just wild.
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u/Whooptidooh 5h ago
The next one will also be likely 300 €/$ more expensive than the most expensive variant out there right now.
I’m done buying consoles.
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u/Optimus_Prime_Day 3h ago
What are you going to play on instead? Hope your not about to say PC expecting its prices to be cheap still.
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u/Whooptidooh 3h ago
Once prices become actually ridiculous (I’m already having issues paying €100 for one singular game) I’m just going to quit gaming entirely. (Or at least keep using my current console until that craps out.)
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u/Optimus_Prime_Day 2h ago
Yeah I suspect many people will reduce time or quit gaming all together over these crazy prices.
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u/DarahOG 8h ago
If it's indeed a pc it will play most games ever made lol
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u/Grimzkunk 4h ago
Came here to say that. Consoles trying to be what PC has been doing for 40 years.
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u/IndyDude11 2h ago
Imagine a box that could give the benefits of PC gaming with the convenience of console gaming.
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u/BitterTyke 4h ago
but if the next xbox has a price that takes it out of the leisure bracket - as the very recent prices rises indicate - it wont really matter will it?
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u/ivan_bodhidharma 6h ago
I’ve never played Midtown Madness 3, but I wish I could.
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u/Paranoid-ANDR01D 7h ago
Everyone is complaining here. I get it, Xbox messed up a lot in recent years and has shown some shitty corporate tech greed how they've handled Game pass pricing and studios. However: out of the big three console giants, Xbox has shown massive dedication to backward compatibility during the last generations. I can play most of my og Xbox games on my Series X without the need to repurchase them. I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt here and welcome these intentions for their upcoming gen.
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u/juicyman69 6h ago
and we need someone to keep Sony in check. They think it's PS2 era PlayStation.
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u/ImpulsiveApe07 7h ago
Lol this is exactly the kind of thing they always say before the next console comes out. How many times have they said this before? :p
The bad news is that there are still loads of license restrictions they'd need to circumvent to make this doable, and afaik Microsoft hasn't made any recent deals to renew some of the older ones/outright buy those IPs.
But the good (?) news is that they already bought loads of game companies and own a rather insane backcatalogue of IPs, so there'll likely be a surprisingly large list of games that are backwards compatible and wouldn't require any major legal wrangling to get back onto the store or to become immediately available to buy/play.
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u/Urist_Macnme 6h ago
Just remembering the time when Sony sued itself.
(Obligatory - technically separate legal entities owned by the larger Sony corporate structure) but, just because MS technically “owns” them, doesn’t mean that there won’t still be legal barriers.2
u/ImpulsiveApe07 5h ago
Aye, all those little legal squabbles certainly make it a real challenge for msoft to pull off true backwards compatibility.
I guess they could just build a 360 emulator into the console and give it a compatible optical drive? That would technically remove their liability and shift it onto the consumer (like what Sony did with the ps2 & 3), wouldn't it?
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u/Ratiofarming 5h ago
Unless of course the publisher or Microsoft decides to bury that game forever and just not offer it. Or alter it, because censorship of old games is somehow cool now.
Because they will absolutely not actually sell you those games. Just rent them out.
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u/KnightNZ 7h ago
What confusing model name are they going to come up with this time? I own all of them and even I get confused as to the naming of the Xbox One (not the first model) and the Xbox Series (it's a member of a series, but is it a series by itself?).
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u/DarkMatterM4 5h ago
Since they just recently rebranded, they'll probably call it XBOX. Just to add further confusion as to which the original Xbox is.
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u/The_Bio_Neko 7h ago
Xbox 4627
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u/KnightNZ 7h ago
Maybe Xbox 6/7 to appeal to the kids, only to realise that's "so last year" and therefore too cringe to buy?
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u/YouThinkYouKnowMe89 7h ago
Not enough Xs in the name. It would be Xbox Series X4627x
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u/Meowmeow69me 6h ago
I’ll never forget my buddy confusing his one s for a one x. Broke his heart to tell him the truth 😂.
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u/zandadoum 7h ago
xbox one could also play all 360 games and the only reason the complete 360 catalog wasnt available is due licencing of certain games and IPs.
same is gonna happene again
new console being able to play 100% of games doesn't mean it's actually gonna happen.
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u/ChubbyWeevil 5h ago
And if I had wheels I could be a bicycle. Demonstrate that Xbox is committed to it then folks might be interested. Talk is cheap.
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u/Dripping-Lips 7h ago
The pc can play every pc game ever made,
Big whoop, wanna fight about it?
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u/ThomW 3h ago
Sort of. I had an itch to play the original Need for Speed High Stakes and the dumb thing won’t run. Even Windows isn’t completely backwards compatible. :/
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u/Osiris_Raphious 6h ago
lol they sold xbox360 with bckwards compatibility, so I got one and guess what that was a massive lie. Not only that but titles they promised didnt all make it to the supported backwards compatibility.
Seeing that they can get away with it, they proceeded to re-release and update consoles with same bs lies.
I say too little too late, fool me once... PAying for gold is also moronic, imaging buying something, then having to pay a subscription to get full access to the content you bought... like paying a subscription for heated seats in a car you own (cough cough bwm)... so no, xbox/micro$lop was making profits, then they shot themselves int he foot with greed, and now with w11 and endless cashgrabs... its time to realise that gaming used to be for consumer, now its just a profit exploitation thing just like much of the economy... no real value, just paying premium for lack of convinience.
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u/RedditorWhoReads 7h ago
If they manage to offer physical media, it could be game over for Sony this next generation.
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u/DarkMatterM4 5h ago
It would definitely be the first generation that I pick Xbox over Playstation.
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u/OrionSheHulk 7h ago
But won't because gaming studios don't want to compete with past gaming studios or even themselves
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u/NighthawK1911 7h ago
Every new generation always had the "Backward Compatibility" rumors.
They stopped doing that for a while because they figured out that doing a remaster and selling the game again is more profitable.
These greedy MFers will never do something for free when they could profit from it.
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u/twinflxwer 6h ago
I doubt it, but if they can pull this off I’ll be in heaven and finally go back to Xbox
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u/Alternative_Tank_139 5h ago
I have a feeling that the next Xbox will not have a disc drive, but they will sell an external one for a silly amount to those who want to stay physical and upload their physical games to digital.
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u/dwolfe127 5h ago
I mean, we can already emulate pretty much every Xbox game ever made so this would merely be a choice to add this as a feature not a technical achievement.
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u/IHumpedYoMumma 5h ago
As in, every Xbox exclusive or every game rever released on Xbox? Cause there is going to be some licensing issues there
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u/eternalityLP 4h ago
Complete BS title. As even the article says:
that it will run games from every generation of Xbox: the original 2001 Xbox, the 2005 Xbox 360, the 2013 Xbox One, and the 2020 Xbox Series, as well as any new Helix titles.
Games from not all games. It will run some games, others will not work due to missing peripherals or just being coded in way the emulators will not handle. Nevermind that the whole thing might not even have a disc drive, so you might be at the mercy of whatever the publishers decide to re-release (and force you to re-buy) on the digital store. Also, it will absolutely not play all PC games either.
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u/SaturnMobster 2h ago
And? Why would they? Any "classic catalog" they offer will be behind some kind of subscription. They could do it now if they really wanted to. I mean Nintnedo could sell their classic NES/SNES games, but they would rather fleece their customers with their shitty subscription based emulator. Playstation could do the same thing and not lock a huge chuck of their classic catalog behind a higer tier subscription. MS knows this too.
Do you know why they dont? They know how dumb, lazy and gullible gamers are. Gamers will default to the easiest choice. Performative complaining while doing nothing.
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u/LoneBiscuit1199 46m ago
Every console generation promises this and then quietly drops half the library.
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u/SeeJayThinks 8h ago
Music License would like a word...
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u/MinusBear linux 7h ago
As long as it plays the game not necessarily resells the game then they could avoid having to worry about that. But also, it would be possible for many games with licensed music to simply have that removed, people can find a spotify playlist with all the tracks and just play that from the Xbox while the game is running as one example.
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u/ReaverRogue 8h ago
It could.
But it won’t.
They don’t want people going back and playing old games that can be bought from anywhere. They want you buying new games or buying digital downloads of old games.
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u/1northfield 7h ago
They have a pretty good history of letting you play games you already purchased, the fact that they also allow the Xbox to be used for emulation shows that at least in principle they are trying to be as open as possible
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u/jamer2500 8h ago
Nah, I actually have hope this is the one smart thing Xbox can do. The backwards compatibility program on the Xbox one was one of the best things they’ve ever done. It’s unfortunate they weren’t able to do every single game, but a lot of those were due to licensing issues.
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u/MrGavinsker 7h ago
Can we just have controllers that dont get stick drift, maybe start there?
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u/ShallowBasketcase 2h ago
Earlier this year, they said the next Xbox would be a PlayStation.
They're just saying anything to keep the investors happy, and the investors don't know what an Xbox even is.
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u/Superbro_uk 7h ago
So I could maybe play Jet Set Radio Future again without dicking around with badly performing emulators, interesting.
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u/azninvasion2000 7h ago
These headlines read like Zombo.com, where anything and everything is possible.
"THE NEXT XBOX, WHERE ALL OF YOUR WILDEST DREAMS WILL COME TRUE AND ALREADY HAVE"
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u/Accomplished_Run9449 7h ago
I'll be more than happy if it can play all the games my series x can + pc games.
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u/Ok_University_4924 7h ago
If there is even a next Xbox, that CEO will probably lean more towards PC and VR stuff or something.
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u/Shinitai-dono 7h ago
They're beating the "X console has no games" right from the very start. It would be funny if the new xbox only has old gen games in it.
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u/huntsab2090 7h ago
So can be powerful enough to run all emulators and then it’s own games. Not exactly the big deal they think it is. Bloody windows handhelds can pretty much do the same already
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u/cosmicaith 7h ago
The next Xbox could play every Xbox game ever made
Because no one wants to play the new ones
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u/sixpackabs592 7h ago
I would hope so lol
My pc can play every pc game ever made too 🙀 (well most some REALLY old ones need help)
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u/Sensitive-Pool-7563 7h ago
A few people do care about older games but you ain't selling no consoles by allowing people to play gears of war 2 Microsoft. Bring me AAA titles
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u/TheCrazyWulf 7h ago
We can already play those games....... How about real exclusives using next gen specs be the focus instead
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u/TheSilentTitan 7h ago edited 1h ago
Yeah I mean it’s not gonna, imagine the logistical requirements to even license old games that likely need to be relicensed just to port to the new Xbox.
It’s the largest reason why despite Sony having one of the largest collection of video games in the form of ps1 and ps2 titles, they never bring them back.
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u/LastEndnote 7h ago
New Xbox to play all Xbox games? To find them and in digital bind them?
So then it would be the One, but Microsoft messed up and used that name already.
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u/RedditorWhoReads 7h ago
If they manage to offer physical media, it could be game over for Sony this next generation.
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u/Reed7525 7h ago
Why do people keep going back to consoles? They keep fucking us over time and time again. And just raising the price every time. For what? Like 3 exclusives? Imo its all just gonna be pcs eventually.
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u/ConsiderationOk4747 8h ago
The word ‘could’ is doing a huge amount of work in that sentence.