Xbox backward compatibility team originally had to reproduce bugs

Backwards compatibility is one of the Xbox brand's biggest strengths. But Microsoft was faced with lots of resistance when first starting the legacy-supported initiative.

The Xbox One backwards compatibility program had a rocky launch. Developers weren't originally enthusiastic about Microsoft emulating their games and gave explicit instructions not to meddle with their creations. Publishers, developers, and IP holders all had the same sentiment: Don't touch our games and keep them the same. That meant re-creating everything the original game offered, including game-breaking bugs and other issues.

This actually proved to be tough for the Xbox back-compat team. Microsoft got so good at emulating older Xbox 360 games that they had to dial back certain things to reproduce certain errors found in the legacy games. In a recent podcast with Dealer Gaming, Xbox exec Bill Stillwell gives an interesting perspective on what it was like when BC first started, and how developers eventually warmed up to the idea of their old-school games looking and playing better on modern hardware.

"When we first started the program, developers we really nervous, like 'do not change my game.' We even got to a point in emulation where games that had bugs, we needed to make sure that the bugs reproduced in the emulator the same way it did in the game. Not only could we not fix the bugs, the problem is when you run into a game...the bug was maybe 1 out of every 100 times on the Xbox 360 version.

"And then when we emulated it we get the bug every single time because we're just more efficient at it," Bill Stillwell, who was part of the original Xbox One backward compatibility team, said in a recent podcast with Dealer Gaming (about the 51 minute mark).

"And then it was like 'how do we make it closer to the reproduction rate on the Xbox 360?' Because we couldn't fix it. Developers were very clear with us that it was their IP, they built it a certain way, and they don't want us making any changes to it."

Read Also: Full Xbox One backward compatibility list of games

The Xbox BC team didn't stop there, though. They weren't content with just getting old games to run on the new hardware. They wanted to innovate, to add a new dimension to backward compatibility. The Xbox One X's native boost mode and upscaling tech was born, something that'll carry forward to the Xbox Series X.

"Then if you remember about halfway through the generation one of the engineers actually made games play at 4K. You did it through supersampling and then some tech we then used on a set of games like Halo 3, Red Dead Redemption, where we made them effectively 4K games on the Xbox One X as part of that enhanced program we ran for a while."

"That team has never stopped looking at and I think at that point most of the industry made the switch and went 'Oh, why wouldn't I want my game to take advantage of HDR? Why wouldn't I want my game to look better?' We applied that same tech by the way on all the original Xbox games so that they looked better. Because they really didn't look great when you put them on a newer console."

Stillwell makes a good point that the games industry is kind of like a stubborn old curmudgeon that's set in its ways. Change is slow and gradual, and backwards compatibility was originally seen as a potential threat. Now it's an incredible business model that sparks legacy game sales while folding into subscriptions for extra revenues.

"I think what you have to realize is the industry is reluctant to change because they have a model that works. It takes sort of these seismic shifts in consumer behavior before people say 'Oh I guess it's okay for my back compat library to be available on a new console. I guess Game Pass is an okay subscription that won't crater my business.'

"It takes the industry time to get around to new methods of monetization, new methods of access, new methods of reaching customers. You have to go through these sort of steps."

The Xbox Series X will push backwards compatibility to new limits. The next-gen Xbox will play four generations' worth of Xbox games--original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and eventually, Xbox SX games--better than any console before it. Some games like Gears of War 4 Ultimate will be natively upscaled to 4K resolution on the console without any optimizations. Other games like Gears 5 can get enhancement patches to run at Ultra-equivalent GeForce RTX 2080 preset settings with ray tracing effects on.

Microsoft promises that any game that's playable on the Xbox One can play on the Xbox Series X, and these games will look, feel, and ultimately play better on the powerful next-gen system.

Xbox Series X is due out by Holiday 2020. No pricing has been announced.

Check below for confirmed specs and details, and a huge content listing of everything we've heard about Xbox Series X so far:

Xbox Series X confirmed details (Formerly Project Scarlett):

• 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU
• 12.15 TFLOP Navi GPU on RDNA 2 architecture
• 7nm+ AMD SoC
• 16GB GDDR6 memory
• 2x Xbox One X's 6TFLOPs of GPU perf
• 4x CPU power of Xbox One generation
• Can deliver up to 40x more performance than Xbox One in specific use cases
• Adaptive sync supported
• Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
• Supports 8K resolution (likely media playback)
• 120FPS gaming
• Variable refresh rate (adaptive sync/FreeSync)
• Variable Rate Shading
• Raytracing confirmed with dedicated raytracing cores
• Backward compatible with thousands of Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games
• New controller with a dedicated share button
• Compatible with Xbox One accessories

Xbox Series X coverage:

• Xbox Series X SSD is revolutionary, changes Xbox gaming forever
• Full Xbox Series X specs: 3.8GHz Zen 2 CPU, 16GB GDDR6, 52CU Navi GPU
• Gears 5 runs at Ultra PC settings on Xbox Series X
• Xbox Series X's Smart Delivery game upgrades explained by Microsoft
• Xbox Series X may enhance Xbox 360, OG Xbox games too
• Xbox Series X's new Quick Resume function is revolutionary
• Microsoft: Xbox Series X's real magic is hardware and software synergy
• Xbox Series X enhancement patches will upgrade current-gen games
• Microsoft: Xbox Series X's real magic is hardware and software synergy
• Xbox Series X natively plays all Xbox games better
• Xbox Series X 12 TFLOP GPU confirmed, 4x Xbox One CPU and 8x GPU power
• Xbox Series X packs dedicated audio hardware acceleration
• How publishers will approach current-gen on PS5, Xbox Series X
• Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 pricing expected to be $500
• Xbox studio using AI to upscale low-res textures in real-time
• Coronavirus may delay PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X launch past 2020
• Xbox Series X may support CFExpress memory cards
• Xbox Series X might support UltraWide monitors thanks to Samsung
• Xbox Series X CPU is the key to next-gen frame rates, Spencer teases
• China trade tariffs won't directly raise PS5, Xbox Series X prices
• AMD unknown APU: is this the mid-range Xbox Series S chip?
• Xbox Series X SSD: DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 NVMe with up to 3.7GB/sec speeds
• First photo of an Xbox Series X prototype has leaked
• Next-gen console exclusives will be few and far between through 2021
• No, Xbox Series X won't run Steam or the Epic Store
• Ex-Xbox VP won't buy next-gen Xbox, will play exclusives on PC instead
• Xbox Series X HDMI pass-through currently not supported
• New Xbox Series X renders show ventilation and back ports
• Xbox Series X new die shot teases beautiful AMD custom 7nm APU
• Analyst: $500 Xbox Series X will take wind out of Microsoft's sails
• PlayStation 5 to outsell Xbox Series X in 2020, analyst predicts
• Xbox Lockhart going digital-only at launch would be a mistake
• Xbox Series X new die shot teases beautiful AMD custom 7nm APU
• Xbox Series X will destroy PlayStation 5 with its MUCH faster GPU
• Xbox Series X rumor: launching November 22 for $499
• Xbox Series X GPU is better than any Navi GPU released so far
• Xbox Series X may be more powerful, but will third-party devs use it?
• Xbox Series X will boost performance of previous gen Xbox games
• PS5, Xbox Series X SSD may use software-defined flash to boost speeds
• Microsoft to 'virtually eliminate' loading times on Xbox Series X
• How the Xbox Series X will look in your living room
• Clarifying the Xbox Series X name
• Xbox Series X's custom SoC built with backward compatibility in mind
• Next-gen Forza is playable on Xbox Series X, is 'vastly different'
• Xbox Series X size comparison vs Xbox One, PS4 Pro, Switch
• Next-gen Xbox controller has a share button
• Xbox Series X naming scheme leaves door open for Lockhart
• Xbox Series X may allow suspend and resume for multiple games at once
• Microsoft reveals next-gen Xbox console, the Xbox Series X
• Xbox Series X may allow suspend and resume for multiple games at once
• Next-gen Xbox Lockhart has 'significantly less RAM' for 1440p gaming
• Next-gen Xbox Scarlett specs: 12TFLOPs, 16GB RAM, 3.5GHz Zen 2 CPU
• Cheaper next-gen Xbox Lockhart targets 1440p 60FPS
• Cheaper next-gen Xbox Lockhart targets 1440p 60FPS
• Project Scarlett devkits aren't widely available yet
• PS5, Xbox Scarlett SSD may use Optane-like ReRAM to supercharge speeds
• NVIDIA G-Sync monitors to improve PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett
• Project Scarlett won't get VR gaming, Microsoft doesn't care about VR
• Next-gen Xbox Scarlett plays four generations of Xbox games
• Microsoft teases next-gen Xbox: 8K, 120FPS, super-fast SSD
• Xbox Scarlett CPU: 'no compromises', allows for 4K 120FPS gaming
• Microsoft: Xbox Scarlett will kick PlayStation 5's ass in perf/price
• Next-gen Xbox may hit 4K 60FPS in every game
• Project Scarlett to hit 1080p 120FPS gaming
• Project Scarlett trade-in program announced, but there's a big catch
• New Viking Assassin's Creed may be next-gen console launch game
• Next-gen Xbox may get room-scale VR gaming
• PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will both handle ray tracing differently
• Gears 5 developer says Xbox Scarlett has dedicated ray tracing cores
• GTA 6 on PS5, Project Scarlett to have insane hyper-realistic visuals
• AMD 'Flute': Xbox Scarlett SoC: Zen 2 8C/16T @ 3.2GHz on 7nm
• Project Scarlett's price isn't locked in yet
• Project Scarlett isn't the last Xbox console