Microsoft’s Project Scarlett Backward Compatible With Xbox One Games, Controllers

The next Xbox — codenamed Project Scarlett by Microsoft — will be backward compatible with the Xbox One, supporting existing games, controllers, and other accessories. Microsoft is already winding down backward compatibility for the Xbox One to focus on Project Scarlett, as it plans to make sure that every Xbox One game will run properly on its next console, arriving in late 2020. As for controllers, Project Scarlett will support all Xbox One controllers, including the newly-announced Elite Series 2. And in an unrelated announcement, Xbox owners can now pick any gamertag they want.

“We thought out our design for Project Scarlett, we definitely wanted to make sure that we were compatible across all the generations,” Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said during Microsoft's Inside Xbox E3 event. “Not just with the games, but the accessories. It's really us respecting the purchases gamers have made on our platform.” Xbox platform partner director Jason Ronald confirmed as much to Windows Central later.

That's a step in the right direction with Project Scarlett, especially considering that Xbox 360 controllers and accessories were incompatible with the Xbox One, unless you dabbled in unofficial hacks.

And though Xbox One backward compatibility is ending as Microsoft shifts focus to Project Scarlett, it's going out with 23 additions from the original Xbox and the Xbox 360, in addition to Xbox One X Enhanced updates for eight more games. These include Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, Far Cry Classic, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands, Skate, Syndicate, and Unreal Tournament III among others. You can check out the full list over at the Xbox site.

“We have now shifted our focus to help make the games you love playing on Xbox One compatible with future Xbox hardware,” said Ronald. “After this week, we have no plans to add additional Original Xbox or Xbox 360 titles to the catalogue on Xbox One.”

For those looking to switch to a new Xbox gamertag, you can head to Xbox's social domain to do so or use the Xbox app on your console or Windows 10. You can use a maximum of 12 characters. The first switch is free, but future changes will be charged $10 (about Rs. 700).