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Xbox One will not play Xbox 360 games; used game policy still unclear

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:41PM EST
Xbox One Used Games

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Bad news, Xbox fans: Your current collection of Xbox 360 games will not work on Microsoft’s new Xbox One, and the company’s used games policy is very unclear. The company finally took the wraps off its next-generation video game console on Tuesday and while there was plenty of good news to be had, there were also some some troubling announcements.

UPDATE: Everything we currently know about Microsoft’s games sales and used games policies can be found here.

For one thing, it looks like used games are still a big question mark.

Wired reports that Xbox One games are installed to the console’s hard drive from the disks, not played from disks. Once installed, the game’s serial number is tied to the user’s Xbox Live account during the registration process. If another Xbox Live account tries to install and play the game, the console will prompt the new user to pay an additional fee to install and play the game.

Can games be de-registered, sold, and then repurchased as used games? Microsoft hasn’t clarified its policy yet, though its online FAQ says Microsoft is “designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games,” which is certainly promising.

Microsoft also confirmed that older Xbox 360 games will not be compatible with the new Xbox One console, which is more bad news for gamers. So if you’re planning to sell your old console to help pay for the One, you might as well sell all your old games along with it.

Microsoft did not announce pricing or a release date for the Xbox One, though the company did say it will launch this year.

UPDATE: Microsoft has confirmed that there will be no fees associated with used games.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.