Microsoft has continued to roll out its new Xbox 360 emulation layer for the Xbox One, with support for another 16 games dropping today as an early Christmas present. The new titles contains some significant hits and a few duds, but it’s a solid expansion of the existing library. We’ve added average Metacritic scores for each title. The list is as follows:
Braid (93)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (89)
Doritos Crash Course (74)
Fable III (80)
Halo: Reach (91)
Hydro Thunder (75)
Iron Brigade (82)
Kane & Lynch 2 (63)
Motocross Madness (73)
MS.PAC-MAN (unrated)
Peggle (89)
Portal: Still Alive (90)
Spelunky (87)
Splosion Man (84)
Ticket to Ride (70)
Zuma’s Revenge! (76)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (89)
Doritos Crash Course (74)
Fable III (80)
Halo: Reach (91)
Hydro Thunder (75)
Iron Brigade (82)
Kane & Lynch 2 (63)
Motocross Madness (73)
MS.PAC-MAN (unrated)
Peggle (89)
Portal: Still Alive (90)
Spelunky (87)
Splosion Man (84)
Ticket to Ride (70)
Zuma’s Revenge! (76)
Remember: You still need to own any game you want to play through emulation, either by downloading it from the Xbox One’s digital marketplace, or by buying a physical copy. The Xbox One can read Xbox 360 discs, so there’s no problem with taking either approach.
Reports on game performance have varied from title to title, but the emulation layer is capable of delivering impressive results. Digital Foundry tested Fallout 3 on the Xbox One and reported that “there’s actually a fairly compelling argument that Fallout 3 could be one of those rare titles that produces an improved experience on Xbox One. We noted a number of instances of the Xbox 360 version stuttering as we traversed the wasteland and roamed the town of Megaton, while in like-for-like situations, the Xbox One game seemed unaffected.”
Extending this emulation approach for the long term could solve the orphaned console problem, at least for Microsoft. The Xbox 360’s backwards compatibility with the original Xbox was hit-and-miss and Sony has no plans to implement backwards compatibility with the PS3 as part of the PS4. (There are some significant technical reasons why this may not be possible, mostly related to the Cell processor’s unusual architecture). Sony hasbrought some early PS2 emulation to the PS4, but hasn’t promoted its efforts as aggressively as Microsoft.
The most common method of achieving backwards compatibility with new console hardware has been to integrate old hardware directly into a new chassis. By preserving purchases across a digital library, maintaining disc compatibility, and offering strong emulation support, future Microsoft consoles could maintain significant library support from Day 1 — particularly if MS sticks with x86 processors and AMD-based hardware for future console generations. The company also claims to be listening to player feedback on which titles to emulate next, so if you’ve got a particular favorite, visit XboxUserVoiceand vote for it.