The Xbox One game library is about to grow exponentially. At its E3 2015 media briefing, Microsoft announced that its next-gen gaming system will soon be compatible with both your old Xbox 360 game discs and Xbox 360 digital downloads.
According to Xbox Chief Phil Spencer, all players need are their old Xbox 360 discs to unlock downloadable digital versions of the game on the Xbox One, or have a previously purchased digital copy registered to their account.
"We won't charge you to play the games you already own," said Xbox Chief Phil Spencer to a loudly applauding audience.
There are currently around 950 games on Xbox 360, though Microsoft is playing it safe by saying about 100 will be available to download and play on next-gen hardware by December 2015.
This latest update makes Xbox One the only next-gen console to support backward compatibility natively, for free, and according to Microsoft will even include all with next-gen features like screenshot, broadcasting and Game DVR when it launches later this year.
In the last six months Microsoft has made up for some serious lost ground in the race against Sony's PS4 and today's announcement could be the boost that gives the Xbox One an edge.
Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.
