Xbox sets up a new team dedicated to game preservation

Though Xbox hasn’t been having the best time dealing with Sony’s PlayStation 5 this generation, it should be a given that the gargantuan isn’t going anywhere. In fact, as per Windows Central, Xbox president Sarah Bond is increasing efforts on backwards compatibility specifically, which is great news for legacy gaming.

Windows Central recently received genuine Microsoft emails where Bond discussed her plans for Xbox in the short and long term, and backwards compatibility was one of the key topics.

“We have formed a new team dedicated to game preservation,” said Bond. “We are building on our strong history of delivering backwards compatibility to our players, and we remain committed to bringing forward the amazing library of Xbox games for future generations of players to enjoy.” More information on this particular development should be coming in as part of the June Xbox Showcase, according to Windows Central’s sources.

Xbox president promises a healthy future for backwards compatibility

Though the “feature” is taken as a default and given on PC, backwards compatibility on consoles is anything but. All three major industry players (Sony, Nintendo, and Xbox) have their own takes on what constitutes “backwards,” and “compatibility.”

Setting aside Nintendo’s own take on backwards compatibility, Xbox is the superior platform compared to PlayStation in this regard. Hundreds upon hundreds of classic Xbox 360 and Xbox One games are playable on Series X/S devices by default, and though there’s something to be said about Sony’s remastering and re-releasing efforts for PS5, they pale in comparison.

“We are moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation,” Bond said in her message.

There are no two ways about it, then: Xbox seems set to continue providing backwards compatibility options for the foreseeable future, hopefully including the ability to play legacy Xbox titles on future-generation devices. Excellent news indeed, especially for those who are keen on keeping their libraries around for as long as possible without having to keep multiple consoles plugged in simultaneously.

The specifics are still unknown, yes, but this is good news across the board, and the June showcase should be fairly interesting if Bond and her team decide to talk more about all this.