Microsoft may soon allow PC players to enjoy original Xbox and Xbox 360 games thanks to an official emulator for Windows. While the talk of the town is the upcoming Project Helix, a new report suggests that we might get the classic Xbox experience before the next-gen Xbox platform.
It seems like the company is exploring emulation as a way to improve backwards compatibility across platforms, especially as the company continues to blur the lines between Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.
Why Microsoft might pursue emulation
Over the last decade or so, Microsoft has been slowly pushing toward a unified gaming ecosystem that spans Windows PCs, handhelds, and Xbox consoles. And it seems that emulation could be a new part of this strategy, particularly for games that aren’t easily accessible on modern platforms.
Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s VP of Next Generation, recently revealed that as part of Xbox’s 25th anniversary celebration, the game preservation team will release classic games that can be played in “entirely new ways.” Meanwhile, the leaker Nate the Hate claimed that Microsoft’s backwards compatibility team has been working for over a year on making original Xbox and Xbox 360 games playable on modern PCs.
So an official emulator could also help fill the gaps in the company’s backwards compatibility program. While many older Xbox titles still run on newer Xbox consoles, a good number of them are still unavailable on modern systems. By introducing a PC emulator for Windows, Microsoft could potentially make more of these playable once again.