Xbox is struggling – in its latest quarterly report, Microsoft reported that Xbox hardware sales were down 13% and that Xbox content and services revenue was down 10% compared to the same period last year. The recent price hikes aren’t helping the situation either. However, the tech giant may have a plan to leverage the storied Xbox name – backwards compatibility.
In a leaked memo seen by The Verge, Microsoft tells game publishers that it is working on official emulators that will support every console generation: the 2001 original, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One and the latest Xbox Series models.
These emulators are intended to run on “Xbox PCs” as well as the next generation of console, codenamed “Project Helix”. Publishers will retain game rights, pricing and brand control, while Microsoft will deal with the engineering challenges as well as the grunt work of title-by-title certification and testing.
However, the memo suggests that game publishers have to opt into adding their past titles to the Helix catalog for emulators to run. This could leave out some titles. And what happens if you own an old game on disc? Well, that part isn’t clear.
For one, the Xbox Helix might not have an optical drive – Sony is abandoning physical media starting in 2028, while Microsoft is still debating the pros and cons of such a move. Ultimately, it will be up to publishers to decide whether a physical copy entitles you to a copy that you can play in the emulators. They might see this as an opportunity to sell you an old game for a second time.
Support for original Xbox games was supposed to go into early access last month, but as far as we’ve heard, that hasn’t happened. The full launch is scheduled for October. After that, Microsoft will focus on Xbox 360 titles with a predicted launch in 2027 or 2028. Helix will run original next-gen titles too, but given the memory crisis, it could be a long while before the next-gen console arrives (2027 is the optimistic timeframe).
Again, this comes from a leaked memo and hasn’t been made official yet. However, Microsoft previously revealed that select titles from previous console generations will run on PCs and handhelds (e.g. the ROG Xbox Ally). More details on that here.
