Xbox One Could Offer Backwards Compatibility Through The Cloud

Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox One may be backwards compatible one day, thanks to its Azure cloud servers.

In an interview with Gamespot, the company's senior director Albert Penello acknowledged there were a wealth of functions that the cloud could be used for, though Microsoft is yet to settle on which it wants to explore.

When asked if the cloud could offer backwards compatibility through streaming as Sony plans to do with Gaikai, he responded, "Yeah, absolutely. That's one of the things that makes [the cloud] at the same time both totally interesting and hard to describe to people. Because what the cloud can do is sort of hard to pin. When you say to the customer, we want the box to be connected, we want developers to know that the cloud is there. We’re really not trying to make up some phony thing.

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We just have to figure out how, over time, how much does that cost to deliver, how good is the experience.

"But there are so many things that the servers can do. Using our Azure cloud servers, sometimes it’s things like voice processing. It could be more complicated things like rendering full games like a Gaikai and delivering it to the box. We just have to figure out how, over time, how much does that cost to deliver, how good is the experience."

Though neither the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will support backwards compatibility initially, Sony has previously suggested that it plans to use Gaikai's streaming technology to make legacy content available on the PS4 at some stage. It's comforting to know that Microsoft is looking into replicating this, though it does mean that all the Xbox 360 discs you've collected over the years still won't work in the new console.

Don't rush to throw them out just yet though; in case you missed it, Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it has plans to continue support for the Xbox 360 for another three years before slowly phasing out support, with over 100 new games to come before then.

The Xbox One will be available globally on November 22.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com