Xbox One backward compatibility is out right now, here’s how it works

Very smoothly

The New Xbox One Experience rolled out today, and for me and many others, the transition has been painless. I simply booted up my console, downloaded a roughly 1GB update, and the UI popped right up after a restart. I think some of the complaints regarding the aesthetics are very much ado about nothing, as the NXE feels roughly the same, but I do have one small complaint — pins are now oddly limited on-screen, which is a pain if you own a lot of games.

As of right now, backward compatibility is live, and naturally, I took it for a spin. It’s crazy how simple the process is — you just check your games and apps section, and if you own any of the 104 supported titles, they’re just…there in your list. If you want to buy something that’s supported, you go through Xbox.com.

The very first game I tried was Ikaruga (was there any other choice?). After clicking on the icon it started up, displayed a quick “Xbox 360” splash screen, and it was go time. There’s no annoying subroutine menu like the Wii U — no clunky reboot process — it works, and you’re easily able to get back to the main UI by clicking the Xbox button. You can also save media like screenshots too, which are normally supported by Xbox One titles.

So far, this rollout is going far smoother than I expected. While people have been dumping on the Xbox One constantly since its launch, it really has come a long way when it comes to functionality. Between backward compatibility and Windows 10 integration and streaming this year, I’m enjoying my Xbox One more than any other console.

Good on Microsoft for following through on this.