The next Xbox console may have cross-generation games for a while after it is first released, suggests a new report. The next-generation Xbox may share several games with the Xbox One as Microsoft keeps developing its operating system.

A new article by Windows Central suggests that the next Xbox will have a new operating system, built on Microsoft's Windows Core OS. Players can expect an "all-new dashboard" that is quicker and easier to use and the console will be backward compatible with Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox games. Analysts do expect backward compatibility to be a very important part of the next-generation Xbox and this article would confirm that.

However, this new operating system could mean that the next Xbox console has cross-generation games for several years. "There's a possibility that, at least at launch, there will potentially be a period where new Xbox Game Studios titles launch for both Scarlett consoles, and original Xbox One consoles," says the article. Cross-gen gaming for the next Xbox "potentially pertains to the completion of Game Core," it explains, as the completion of Game Core is tied to the development of the Windows Core OS. The article also says that "finer details on this are very scant, so take it with a pinch of salt."

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Cross-generation releases when a console has first launched are to be expected and they can give fans of a game a way to play through it again, but with better graphics. Several PS4 exclusives are expected to be PS5 cross-gen games, such as Death Stranding, Ghost of Tshushima, and The Last of Part 2.

Sony has also confirmed that PS4 and PS5 players will be able to play multiplayer games together because of this backward compatibility tech. So, it's not strange that Microsoft would be doing the same.

However, many will want to know how long this period of cross-gen releases will last. If developers have to create games for the next Xbox and the Xbox One, they may feel the need to cut back on some features. When developing the game, they will have to think of what the new and old Xbox consoles can do, not just what the better hardware is capable of. With the next Xbox rumored to be incredibly powerful, many won't want to see that happen, as they will hope that any game released on the console will use all of its specs to the fullest.

Source: Windows Central