Xbox Series X: Microsoft Believes In Generations, Just Differently Than Sony

The Xbox Series X is shaping up to be a powerhouse system when it launches this holiday season, but Microsoft is taking a very different approach than Sony is regarding game exclusivity and the concept of console generations. If you want to stick with your Xbox One for now, you can, and you'll be able to take past generations of games with you to the new console.

In a tweet on May 29, Xbox games marketing GM Aaron Greenberg stressed that "generations of games" will play on the latest hardware and that it would offer value and choice that we haven't seen from a console launch before. Because next-generation upgrades for Xbox Game Studios titles are free, you'll be able to get them later if you can't get the Xbox Series X immediately.

Microsoft is supporting the games currently playable on Xbox One for Xbox Series X, including not only Xbox One games but Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. This lineup will likely not contain every game for the older systems, as some of them aren't backward compatible on Xbox One today, but it should ensure you don't need to also keep an Xbox One system plugged in if you need the space.

The PS5 will be backward compatible with some PS4 games at launch, with at least 100 of the most-popular titles available. However, we don't expect older PlayStation consoles to be supported. The PS4 did not support backward compatibility at all this generation, though PlayStation Now and the "PS2 on PS4" digital game series did make certain games available. Greenberg's own tweet came shortly after Sony made it clear it will have exclusive games on PS5 immediately--meaning they will not work on PS4.

Microsoft is hosting a first-party games event in July that will effectively serve as a replacement for its canceled E3 presentation. Halo Infinite will be included in the lineup.

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