Microsoft patches Xbox Backwards Compatibility on PC, but some problems remain

Microsoft patches early Xbox backwards compatibility bugs on PC

Last week, Microsoft launched Xbox Backwards Compatibility for PC, releasing the feature with four original Xbox games as an “early release”. With this early release, Microsoft’s plan is simple: address bugs and build a stronger foundation for a broader launch later this year.

While Microsoft’s original Xbox emulation works well for an “early release”, Digital Foundry uncovered a series of issues with Microsoft’s emulation. This included a Windows DPI scaling bug, graphical issues, and frame pacing issues.

With its first updates, Microsoft has addressed their Windows DPI scaling bug. This bug removed resolution upscaling when Windows DPI settings were set above 100%. Digital Foundry has also noted that graphical issues in Fuzion Frenzy, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live and Reloaded have been addressed. However, further fixes are in development to address further issues. See how character lighting has been fixed in Conker: Live and Reloaded below.

(Image from Digital Foundry)

Frame Pacing Issues remain a concern

The one major issue that remains unfixed is frame pacing. Many of Microsoft’s early Xbox backwards-compatible games are locked to 30 FPS. Unfortunately, frametimes are not a consistent 33.3ms. Digital Foundry notes a combination of 16.7, 33.3, and 50ms frametimes. This makes games feel juddery and less smooth than they do on Xbox Series consoles. In this regard, Xbox Backwards Compatibility works much better on Xbox consoles. Hopefully, these issues will be addressed with future updates.

(Image from Digital Foundry)

The good news is that Microsoft has been able to quickly roll out improvements for its Xbox PC backwards compatibility solution. In time, we expect Microsoft to expand this solution to cover a larger number of original Xbox games and perhaps newer Xbox consoles.

Microsoft’s new backwards compatibility solution gives Microsoft a long-term solution for game preservation. If they maintain PC backwards compatibility, classic Xbox games will remain playable forever on Windows-powered desktop PCs, laptops, and handhelds. That said, it is unlikely that Windows PCs will ever be able to simply run original Xbox/360 disks.

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