It’s finally happening: The first 13 original Xbox games will be made available on Xbox One via Backward Compatibility starting tomorrow.

Instead of just announcing the news, Microsoft instead allowed a single video game publication, IGN, to reveal the information exclusively, which I feel is unfair. But here are the details:

13 games. Microsoft is releasing 13 original Xbox games to Xbox One Backward Compatibility:BLACK, BloodRayne 2, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Dead to Rights, Fuzion Frenzy,Grabbed by the Ghoulies, The King of Fighters Neowave, Ninja Gaiden Black, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Psychonauts, Red Faction II, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I actually owned at least half of those back in the day.

Enhanced for Xbox One. Each of these games is “enhanced for Xbox One” (not to be confused for “Enhanced for Xbox One X”), meaning that each plays in 1080p and offers higher and/or smoother frame rates than was the case on the original console.

Your discs will still work. If you still have any of these games on disc, you can insert them into your Xbox One and it will just work. Ditto for digital purchases.

Multiplayer works across platforms. You can play multiplayer games with these titles across console types, but only in System Link mode. The online multiplayer servers for original Xbox games were shut down long ago, apparently.

You can buy them all now. Each of the games is available for purchase now from the Microsoft Store digitally for $9.99. I actually purchased Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge over the weekend in anticipation of this move. (You can use the links above.)

You can start playing tomorrow. The first original Xbox games arrive via Xbox One Backward Compatibility tomorrow, October 24.

Good stuff.

Tagged with Backward Compatibility, original Xbox