Xbox backward compatibility has often been touted as one of the main advantages Microsoft was able to build over Sony. Having practically the entire Xbox library at one's disposal, including the games made for the original Xbox, is certainly a feature much appreciated by a lot of gamers.
Starting today, however, Microsoft is extending Xbox backward compatibility for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to xCloud. This means you'll get to play the following sixteen titles on your smartphone or tablet, and the library should grow soon.
Backward Compatible Games Playable with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta)
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Banjo-Tooie
- Double Dragon Neon
- Fable II
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Gears of War 2
- Gears of War 3
- Gears of War: Judgment
- Jetpac Refuelled (touch controls enabled)
- Kameo
- Perfect Dark
- Perfect Dark Zero
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Viva Piñata (touch controls enabled)
- Viva Piñata: TIP (touch controls enabled)
With the list above featuring seven classic Rare games, Microsoft also had Studio Head Craig Duncan explain his excitement for Xbox backward compatibility going to the cloud.
Being able to play your library of games on the device you want is a wonderful promise, be that on console, PC, or on a mobile phone or tablet. I believe it offers real freedom of choice in terms of where you play, but as cloud gaming on mobile grows it’s exciting to think that that might be where someone discovered their first Rare game.
Viva Piñata, its sequel Trouble in Paradise, and Jetpac Refuelled also support touch controls, which Rare helped implement, according to Duncan.
We took the lead from the Cloud Gaming team, as they did the implementation and shared with us to play and test. It’s always tricky, as touch is different than a controller and certain games with fewer inputs do lend themselves better to a touch experience than others. Jetpac Refuelled is a good example of fewer inputs, but if touch is the way you as a player want to play any game, we want to make sure it works as well as it can. Of course, we also welcome feedback from our players.
Are you happy that Microsoft is extending its Xbox backward compatibility program to the cloud? Let us know in the comments.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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