In some very good news, Microsoft's backwards compatibility and Cloud gaming efforts are synchronizing. Today, Microsoft announced that 16 backwards compatible Xbox and Xbox 360 games are joining Xbox Cloud Gaming, including a host of fan-favorite titles such as Fable II, Perfect Dark Zero, and three Gears of War games. If you're tired of waiting for The Elder Scrolls 6 to release, you can hark back to the days of Oblivion too.
This comes just a short time after several Bethesda games were added to Xbox Game Pass, with Bethesda Softworks now a part of the Xbox first-party development studio slate – making the addition of The Elder Scrolls III and IV to these cloud-supported games all the more understandable.
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Microsoft has truly led the way with backwards compatibility in the past console generation, and it shows no sign of changing track now. But what's most exciting is how Microsoft is connecting its various services, bringing cloud gaming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a combination subscription service that also bundles together Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold.
The addition of these backwards compatible titles makes it easy to drop in to classic games from the first two Xbox console generations, and we only expect to see more added down the line.
Here's the full list of games newly supported through Xbox Cloud Gaming:
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Banjo-Tooie
- Double Dragon Neon
- Fable II
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Gears of War 2
- Gears of War 3
- Gears of War: Judgment
- Jetpac Refuelled
- Kameo
- Perfect Dark
- Perfect Dark Zero
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Viva Piñata
- Viva Piñata: TIP
Additionally, three of these games will support touch controls: Jetpac Refuelled, Viva Pinata, and Viva Pinata TIP.
How can I play them?
Right now, Xbox Cloud Gaming is limited to Android devices. Microsoft has announced its intent to bring this game streaming support to iOS devices and PC at some point in Spring 2021, so hopefully we'll learn more about that soon.
Even if you're not on Android, you may want to consider signing up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to get ready for the eventual multi-platform support for this cloud functionality – and all the great games that entails.
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