Microsoft blurs gens: Xbox One games now labeled as just Xbox games

Microsoft's console games are now branded as simply Xbox games, signifying a big convergence of multiple console generations.

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Xbox One games don't exist any more. Now they're just Xbox games.

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Microsoft is changing how it labels its console games. In a bid to solidify Xbox as an ecosystem and not any particular console, Microsoft is converging of its generations together in a single banner. From now on there won't be Xbox One games. There's just Xbox games, or one game that's playable across multiple hardware gens. This new change-up is prompted by the Xbox Series X's hard pivot away from next-gen exclusives.

There won't be any first-party Xbox Series X exclusives. Games like Halo: Infinite and Hellblade II won't be locked to next-gen. Instead, Microsoft has made performance exclusive to Xbox Series X, not the game. First-party games will hit new thresholds like ray traced visuals, native 4K, up to 120FPS gaming, and all sorts of graphical wizardry and ultra-fast loading. Microsoft is also mandating all games must be playable on the current Xbox One family, PC, and next-gen Xbox Series X consoles (and possibly the rumored Xbox Series S, aka Lockhart).

So this new re-branding is a logical step to reinforce that higher-end performance is exclusive to next-gen hardware, not the game itself. The new Xbox covers show all the pertinent info, including a strip that confirms playability on Xbox Series X and Xbox One. There's also the rather gaudy and over-sized Optimized for Series X badges that confirm special next-gen optimizations not available on Xbox One hardware.

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Read Also: Xbox Series X SSD is revolutionary, changes Xbox gaming forever

This move fits perfectly with Microsoft's ultimate goal of a cross-platform ecosystem of services and games.

The company cares most about unification of hardware and using the Xbox framework as a bridge to monetize across multiple platforms. Think of Xbox not as a console but as the core of a planet: platforms like PCs, consoles, and mobile phones are the layers, and the services and software is the atmosphere and stratosphere. Everything's connected but the Xbox LIVE infrastructure and cloud network are the main core of the whole enterprise.

The entire reason to release a new console is to push the generation forward and to create a brand new gateway to long-term revenues, sales, and monetization via subscriptions and microtransactions.

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Microsoft plans to eventually embrace Xbox Series X exclusives, but it won't sunset the Xbox One family for a while. Longevity and legacy support has given Microsoft a tremendous advantage over Sony. The extensive backwards compatibility functionality spreads all th way to the original Xbox era, and the Xbox Series X will play four generations worth of Xbox games when it ships this holiday.

I personally don't see Microsoft moving away from the Xbox One line until the next Xbox Series line is established. That could happen soonish, though, as the company is rumored to announce the Xbox Series S at a special event this August.

The Xbox Series X will release Holiday 2020. No pricing or exact release date has been revealed. Check below for more info:

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

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

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