Four Classic Xbox Games Now Playable On PC

Xbox has announced that backwards compatibility for its classics library is finally coming to PC, starting with four games — Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Fuzion Frenzy, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Conker: Live & Reloaded.

"Rolling out today, Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC launches in early release," VP of Next Generation Jason Ronald said in a new blog post. "This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve Xbox games from the past and bring them to PC over time. And we are not just enabling you to play them on PC. We are also adding new features to make your gaming experience better than ever."

Achievements Are Coming To Original Xbox Games

All four games are included with each Xbox Game Pass tier, and if you have already purchased the games digitally on console, that license will carry over to PC and handheld. As explained in the blog post, not only have the games been ported, but they also include new customizable graphics settings, 4x resolution upscaling, VSync support, fullscreen and windowed display modes, anisotropic filtering, enhanced antialiasing, customizable language and audio settings, and more.

"We plan to add even more features to Xbox Backward Compatibility games in the future," Ronald continued. "I'm excited to share that later this year we will be bringing one of the top fan-requested features to select original Xbox games on both console and PC: achievements. The first four games releasing in preview today will be updated to include achievements in the coming months."

It has been rumored for some time now that Microsoft was looking to finally implement backwards compatibility on PC in preparation for Project Helix, ensuring that its classics library would also be available alongside current-gen titles. That's because Project Helix is a gaming PC and console hybrid, rather than a continuation of the Xbox One and Series, meaning that it would not automatically support original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles out of the box. This initiative seeks to change that.

As Ronald put it, "Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC is another step toward preserving the games from the past and making it easier for you to enjoy and play more of the games you already own across the devices you use every day."

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