XBOX CEO Asha Sharma gets yet another win amid PlayStation physical disc backlash

XBOX CEO Asha Sharma has got another win under her belt following the widespread backlash at Sony's decision to stop the production of physical discs on social media.

XBOX announced 'Introducing XBOX Backward Compatibility on PC', meaning games from the very first XBOX console will be available to play across PC and handheld devices.

It has launched in early release with four titles available and more will roll out over time. The first four games are BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fusion Frenzy.

These games are all available to purchase individually or are available through Game Pass. Achievements have been added to them too and future games added will also have them.

A release from XBOX said: "'XBOX Backward Compatibility on PC' is another step toward preserving the games from the past and making it easier for you to enjoy and play more of the games you already own across the devices you use every day."

And Sharma chipped in with a social media post of her own.

It said: "New tech shouldn't mean leaving behind old games. Today XBOX is launching new tech so you can play the OG XBOX games you own but now on PC and handhelds."

While it seems XBOX is doing what it can to ensure better backwards compatibility, this comes soon after Sony announced its decision to end the production of physical discs.

Sony confirmed it will not produce physical PlayStation discs for games releasing from January 2028 onwards. It will still continue to produce discs after that date for games released before then - but anything that releases after that date will be all digital.

There has been widespread backlash to this decision as a physical disc means you actually own a copy of that product whereas a digital purchase means you only have a license to access the content and do not actually own it.

There have been rumours the expected upcoming PS6 will not have a disc drive whereas XBOX Project Helix will, with a lot of PlayStation gamers on social media saying they would make the switch to XBOX if this ends up being the case.

And now, with XBOX taking further steps to ensure its players can access more of their libraries wherever they are and really honing in on backwards compatibility, it seems XBOX knows it has a chance to gain a real foothold over PlayStation in this area.

Elsewhere from Indy100:

• New XBOX console revealed - everything we know so far
• XBOX is cutting thousands of jobs and spinning off studios - but gamers notice one thing

How to join the Indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the Indy100 rankings.