Backwards compatibility has always been tricky for consoles. In the distant past, we had things like a-console-within-a-console, but that pretty much fizzled out after the first batch of PS3 units. When the current gen launched, there was no backwards compatibility. Fortunately, the Xbox One team worked on a formidable solution that turned out to be the most elegant backwards compat program we'd seen. Sure, not all games are supported, but many of those that are not only work really well, but actually have enhanced graphics. Xbox Series X backwards compatibility takes things further.
It should be no surprise that all Xbox and Xbox 360 titles that currently run on Xbox One will move forward to Xbox Series X, with more added to both.
There's now an auto-HDR feature built into the console itself, where an AI algorithm will analyze the frames rendered in real time and apply HDR without an impact to the game's performance. Yes, this includes OG Xbox games, going back 2 decades! Of course, it remains to be seen how well this works. In addition, new XSX features like Quick Resume will now work with all backwards compat titles.
The real questions is - what happens to the Xbox One titles? All Xbox One titles will run on Xbox Series X natively, without any update required. Games that have dynamic resolution will hit higher resolutions, while games that dropped framerates below the cap will now stabilize perfectly. We also have certain games that had uncapped framerates - they will now likely hit a steady 60 fps across the board.
But they are taking things further with select Xbox One games offering Xbox Series X enhancements. While the Xbox One X does a great job at hitting 4K in many games, there are still quite a few that render at lower resolutions in the 2.5K-3.2K range, particularly some of the dynamic res titles. Xbox Series X enhanced titles will now all hit 4K or close to it. Anisotropic filtering will be applied automatically, and it's hinted they have certain tricks up their sleeves. Ah, and yes, they are looking to double the framerates, so games that hit 30 fps on Xbox One will now run at 60 fps; games running at 60 fps will now push for 120 fps!
Needless to say, this is before considering developer enhanced Xbox Series X titles, which will go beyond just resolution and framerate bumps. Assassin's Creed Valhalla is said to run at 30 fps on Xbox Series X. While that does sound very disappointing - what that will probably mean is far superior graphics to what the Xbox One X version of the game offers. Pretty much all of the major titles released this year will feature bespoke Xbox Series X enhancements, and maybe even some older popular titles. It's up to the developer.
What about PlayStation 5, then? Well, things are less certain. As of now, we are promised that most PS4 titles will run on PS5. That's certainly a big step forward from PS4's lack of any backwards compatibility, but it's clear the Xbox team continues to maintain a big lead in this area.
Backwards comparability is really a big plus for Xbox :) Curious to see how Series X will improve old games even further.