At E3 2015, Microsoft revealed backward compatibility would be a big push for Xbox One going forward. The company promised around 100 games available as the functionality launched that fall, with many more to come on a regular basis. The promise seemed lofty, maybe even improbable, at the time. We poked some fun at the marketing, but at the end of the day, Microsoft has not only delivered on its promise, it has exceeded all expectations by adding new titles at a blistering pace.

Unlike its competition from Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft's backward compatibility is built into the system's operating system itself thanks to Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform. That means not only are games you already own on Xbox 360 completely free to play on Xbox One once they are added to the backward-compatibility list, but they automatically appear in your library alongside your Xbox One games if you own them digitally. This simplified approach to backward compatibility is a breath of fresh air. The idea that "it just works" harkens back to what makes consoles so attractive in the first place.

This is a far cry from PlayStation 4, which has no native backward compatibility. Instead, if you want to play PS3 games on your PS4, you need to load up PlayStation Now and purchase the ability to stream that game from Now's servers. For games from PlayStation 2, you need to repurchase the download license altogether - if the game you want is available in the store.

Nintendo has traditionally done a good job with backward compatibility with the Wii playing GameCube games, Wii U playing Wii games, and its handhelds playing the games of the prior generation the vast majority of the time, but Virtual Console has been a strange case. Taking your Wii Virtual Console games to Wii U incurred a small upgrade fee for each title, but the Switch's Virtual Console future is unknown at this time, and on the digital front, the 3DS charges full price for the same game, even if you already own it on the connected Nintendo account.

In addition, with Microsoft's Xbox Live Games with Gold program giving subscribers bonus game downloads at no additional cost, each player's personal backward compatible library steadily grows. That's because Microsoft has intentionally targeted backward-compatible titles when it selects which Xbox 360 titles are offered in the program. This is a fantastic way to not only offer players a second chance to play beloved titles, but also a way to introduce hidden gems and niche titles from last generation to a broader player base. I also love how when Microsoft holds a digital sale, I can browse Xbox 360 titles included in the promotion and immediately add them to my games library on Xbox One.

This comes up with my purchase strategy as well. Microsoft has made it clear that a major goal of its Universal Windows Platform is both backward and forward compatibility – much like we see in PC gaming. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has specifically addressed this notion. "Basically, every time a new generation shift happens in console gaming, it's had a tendency to invalidate every game you've ever purchased and require a whole new purchase motion, which isn't great for gamers," he said at Xbox's Spring Showcase in 2016.



[GameInformer]