Earlier, Sony made the surprise announcement of the PlayStation Classic console. The PlayStation Classic is a smaller version of the original PlayStation that launched in 1994 and comes with 20 different games pre-loaded including Tekken 3 and Wild Arms. Sony even revealed the console's price, confirming that it would cost $100.

While most PlayStation fans have reacted positively to the news of the PlayStation Classic, Sony's closest competitor is using it as an opportunity to have a bit of fun. Earlier today, the official Xbox UK Twitter account appeared to shade Sony by reminding its followers that they can play more than 500 classic Xbox and Xbox 360 games on Xbox One "totally free" through the backward compatibility feature.

Some were delighted to see Microsoft take a little jab (albeit a lighthearted one) at Sony. This generation the companies have enjoyed a healthy rivalry, right from the announcement of the Xbox One in which Sony released a video criticizing Microsoft's plans to support game sharing on the Xbox One. Things have gotten a little more heated recently, with Microsoft slamming Sony's lack of crossplay support but in general, these things have been done without malice. The console war is more of a playground brawl these days but fans seem to enjoy the rivalry nonetheless.

However, some have pointed out that Microsoft's attempt at shading Sony is actually a little untrue. While the backward compatibility feature technically comes at no extra cost, Xbox One users will still need to own or purchase the backward compatible game in order to make use of it. Xbox Game Pass does include backward compatible games and there is a free trial of the subscription service but this is just semantics. After all, players will also have to purchase an Xbox One in the first place so this isn't exactly a freebie.

Regardless of whether people think the tweet is "shady" or not, it does highlight that Microsoft is watching its competitor closely. Some may well be wondering if Microsoft plans to release its own Xbox Classic console in response to the PlayStation Classic. Backward compatibility has been a huge hit but what if people can't afford the Xbox One or the giant library of games needed to unlock the BC version? Nothing is confirmed for now but many longstanding Xbox fans will have their fingers crossed that Microsoft stops dissing its competitor and decides to follow in its footsteps instead.