For those that play their video games on an Xbox One, some big changes are on the way, the most notable being backwards compatibility, meaning that you will be able to play Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One. This feature is not currently available for everyone but will be soon.

 

Previously, it was impossible to play games from the Xbox 360 on the Xbox One, and you had to completely start over on your game library. Now certain titles will be released for use on the Xbox One. The games that will be made available will be released at the discretion of the company that owns the game. If you own a game that is backwards compatible, you will not be charged for installing it. Like other Xbox One games, you can either download the entire game and own it digitally, or put the disk in to install the game.

 

Currently, members of the Xbox One Preview Program have access to backwards compatibility. The list of available games is a little bit limited at this time, but it isn’t a finished product yet. Some of the better known titles now available are Gears of War, and Mass Effect. As of now, there is not a specific public release date for backwards compatibility other than the vague window of fall 2015.

 

The Preview Program is a beta testing community. Unfortunately, it will not be taking very many new members. As mentioned before, the preview program gives access to backwards compatibility, as well as work in progress games, or game expansions.

 

One example is the Battlefield 4 Community Testing Environment, which includes the game’sbasic multiplayer maps re-made to be night time, as well as an all-new community-made arena. EA plans to eventually implement these maps into Battlefield 4 as free downloadable content. This is just one of the numerous advances offered in this package.

 

I will admit that the Xbox One, like any gaming console, has problems, but Microsoft is working to appease its customers by fixing the worst of them. It is a comforting thought that many of the games that will be released in the next few months will have been tested by the player community. We can all look forward to seeing backwards compatibility released to the public and to see the list of Xbox 360 games available grow.