New Xbox Compatibility Feature Leverages Appeal of Classic Gaming
The Series X and S Xbox systems have already done great things for letting players enjoy older games, but Microsoft is about to take this a step further. Announced on the official Xbox website, select compatible games will now be able to exceed their original 30 FPS cap and head into more modern and dignified territory of framerates.
Among the most popular of these titles are Far Cry 4, Sniper Elite 4, and Watch Dogs 2, all of which can now reach up to 60 FPS. In itself, this concept mirrors an existing idea held over from the last generation, in that games with uncapped framerates were effectively automatically given the same treatment. In these uncapped games, the original consoles often didn’t have the overhead to constantly hit 60 FPS, so the experience could vary widely between the 30-60 FPS mark.
“Xbox Series X” (Public Domain) by ru3chInitiative
The newer systems manage these targets without effort, and this will be the target that new game patches will chase. The differences here are that one, they’re adding increased frame-cap potential to where none existed before, and two, some games like New Super Lucky’s Tale are seeing caps rise not to 60 FPS, but even up to 120 FPS.
While a welcome development by itself, the arrival of these new systems from Microsoft raises important implications about the greater classic gaming market. We’re at a point now where gameplay of the last-gen holds up so well that quality of life changes like frame-rate can make all the difference in letting us reengage with the experience. This is a fairly new concept in widespread console gaming, but it’s not the only entertainment avenues in which we’ve seen such changes.
The Undying Classics
The concept of updating classic experiences to new ages has been an enormous feature of the modern generation, though most have a much easier path than video games. Films and television shows, for example, have continually seen re-arrivals with the progression of improved storage media. When DVDs arrived, people upgraded their older movies to see them in higher quality. As Collider explains, the same could be said with 4K Blu-rays, which again let us see more than ever before.
In a more interactive space, online casinos have taken a comparable route over their entire lifespans. Built on the ageless appeal of their base gameplay, modern online casinos like those on Bonusfinder US constantly lean on quality-of-life improvements yet have the same systems at their core. This means easy mobile accessibility, bonuses like free spins and deposit matches, and direct browser access, all systems that evolved around the central games over time.
“4K Blu Ray first seven early releases Be” (CC BY 2.0) by miamibrickell
What Xbox is doing is what movies and casino games have been doing for years. This is simply another way of showing appreciation for timeless pieces of entertainment. For decades, there’s been this idea that the new would obsolete the old, but this message has always been more marketing than reality. In the real world, we have a great deal of nostalgia and respect for the games of generations ago, and Microsoft’s latest move into backwards compatibility acknowledges this. With this move already so positively received, we can’t help but wonder if older games from generations ago might also get the same treatment.
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