(Image credit: Microsoft)
A new report from The Verge suggests Microsoft is working to bring an unprecedented level of backwards compatibility to its upcoming PC-console hybrid, the Xbox Helix. The outlet obtained leaked screenshots of an internal memo allegedly sent to publishers, asking them to opt into a new model that allows legacy titles from old Xbox consoles to be available for modern devices without additional effort.
(Image credit: The Verge)Microsoft began charting this course with the release of four original Xbox titles on PC last month that shipped with an Xbox 360 emulator baked in. That discovery led many to speculate that Xbox 360 backwards compatibility is right around the corner, too, and the memo indeed confirms it to be in the works for 2027-28. That's around the time we expect to see the next-gen Xbox Helix console as well, which may or may not have a disc drive.Recent reports suggest Microsoft wants to follow in Sony's footsteps and move away from physical discs by offering a way to digitize them. This would tie the game on the disc to a license instead, and you'd be able to access it anywhere with your Xbox account. This kind of universality is the direction Microsoft has been heading in for a decade at this point, and the memo says a public beta for this feature was coming in July 2026 (we're in August now).
