Updates to the list were provided from Microsoft as part of regular software updates via the Internet, ordering a disc by mail from the official website or downloading the update from the official website then burning it to either a CD or DVD. In order to use the backwards compatibility feature on Xbox 360 a hard drive is required.
Microsoft's final update to the list of backward compatible titles was in November 2007 bringing the final total to 461 Xbox games. The Japanese market had the fewest titles supported at launch with only 12 games. When the Xbox 360 launched in North America 212 Xbox games were supported while in Europe 156 games were supported. Instead backward compatibility was achieved using software emulation. An official hard drive is required to play emulated Xbox games.Īt its launch in November 2005, the Xbox 360 did not possess hardware-based backward compatibility with Xbox games due to the different types of hardware and architecture used in the Xbox and Xbox 360.
