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FAQ: How to play Xbox games on the new Xbox 360

By Randolph Ramsay on 27 February 2006

The Xbox 360 may be fun and all, but sometimes you just feel like having a good ol' Covenant bashing session playing Halo 2. Maybe you're keen on visiting the land of Faerun again by spinning your Fable disc. Or perhaps you're keen to test your skills (and patience) by playing Ninja Gaiden. Thankfully, the 360 can play many Xbox 1 titles.

But before you stick your copy of Forza Motorsport into the 360, there are a few things you need to know. Check our list of frequently asked questions below for hassle-free gaming!

1. Can the Xbox 360 play all Xbox 1 games?
The simple answer, sadly, is no. Only about 200 Xbox 1 titles are able to be played on the new console, although Microsoft says more games will be continually added. For a full list of compatible games, click here.

2. What's the big deal? I thought the 360 was supposed to be backwards compatible. Why can't it play all Xbox 1 games?
The Xbox 360 is a powerful machine, but to be able to play Xbox 1 games it needs software emulators for each individual title. What that essentially means is the 360 needs a little software program to tell it how to play that old Xbox 1 game, and that's something Microsoft's programmers are still in the process of doing for all Xbox games. Expect more updates from the big M on this in the coming months.



Halo 2

3. What do I need to make the 360 play compatible Xbox 1 games?
First and foremost, you'll need the hard disc drive accessory plugged into your Xbox 360 to play old Xbox games. If you've bought the 360 Core System - which doesn't come bundled with the 20GB hard drive - then you're out of luck (unless you buy the drive as an extra, of course).

You'll also need to download and install an update to your 360. This can be done either by updating through Xbox Live, burning the required file onto a CD or ordering the update disc from Microsoft direct.

4. I'm on Xbox Live. Where do I find the update?
To get the update, all you need is to have your 360 connected online and logged into Live. Insert an original Xbox game into the 360's disc drive, close it, and the update should begin automatically. Being on Xbox Live is the most hassle-free way to make sure you can play Xbox 1 games, as the system should automatically update each time support for new games come out.

5. I'm not online with Live. How do I get the update?
You have two options - either order an update disc from Xbox.com (which will be sent by mail and incur a small fee) or, if you have access to an Internet connection and a CD burner, you can download the update yourself.

To download the update yourself, visit this Xbox support page. The download itself is roughly 2.5MB. Simply unzip the downloaded file, burn it onto a blank CD or DVD (it must be the only file on the disc), and insert it into your 360. The process should begin automatically.

Click here for CNET.com.au's comprehensive Xbox 360 Launch Centre.

Topics: game, 360, compatible, xbox, play, emulate, backwards, old, games

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Comments (33)

  • Dan Da Man commented on 22/06/2009 21:13 Report abuse

    ive allways wanted an xbox 360 but from all the coments it sounds like a waste of money... the normal xbox 360 games cost to much so i just wanted to be able to play xbox games on xbox 360 cuz everyone says xbox 360 owns all.

  • Sad Panda..... commented on 10/06/2009 08:35 Report abuse

    I'm trying to play halo 2 on my 360....i've down loaded the update and everything but when it asks me to sign in on exbox live it say there was an error. So, i click "Troubleshoot" which brings to the dash board and auto-signs me in to xbox live without a problem...then i try to play the game again and it repeats.

  • golden flamer commented on 13/04/2009 14:24 Report abuse

    i really miss playing tenchu now that i figure out xbox360 cant play nearly as many xbox games as there is.i have an xbox but one of my cords that lets you hear and see the screen is missing.I MISS TENCHU =(

  • Guest commented on 19/03/2009 07:49 Report abuse

    Do you think you could play Star Wars Battle Front 2 on 360

  • RICKINKY commented on 02/12/2008 17:25 Report abuse

    microsoft should hav stuck witth nvidia and then we could play all the original xbox games without dowwnloading anyhing

  • BiG-DoG commented on 10/06/2008 21:36 Report abuse

    Are you able to play xbox 360 games on the regular xbox??

  • mrvent commented on 12/02/2008 19:35 Report abuse

    I have had an Xbox 360 for six months. This machine has a great <a href="http://www.aftermarketperformanceparts.com/rancho-shocks.html">rancho shocks</a> WOW factor - it's nicely detailed and the peripherals feel well made. Which Mag said the controller was the best around and although the feedback can be a bit weak and sometimes unrelated to the action - I can see why. The steering wheel also has great feel but needs firm support to operate - Microsoft missed a trick by not giving it a '[url=http://freecarloansearch.com]Free Car loan search[/url]' arrangement which almost works with current table clamp but not quite. When it comes to the games the graphics and realism are fantastic - you have to say WOW. HOWEVER, the darn thing is unreliable - my first machine refused to move after only two days and now after six months the second also freezes to the point that you don't want to bother starting - so it has gone back for rectification - estimated four weeks. In an idle moment I then read these reviews and lots more on the net and was staggered to find how common this unreliabilty is - the recommendation has to be - use someone else's just to be able to say WOW .......but DON'T BUY ONE until Microsoft have sorted out these reliability problems.

  • tim900 commented on 31/01/2008 11:49 Report abuse

    im playing true crime la on my 360 but i cant enter any of the old cheats...whats up

  • tay08 commented on 14/12/2007 05:35 Report abuse

    can madden 08 for xbox play on 360

  • Wayne commented on 20/11/2007 07:39 Report abuse

    I borrowed the wireless steering wheel from a friend with the PGR3 driver disc, however when I load the disc it will not give me an opyion for apdates and so cannot connect the wheel. how do i get past this. hellllllllllllp

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