Wow, four Xbox generations can play Crimson Skies together with system link

Now THAT’S Brisk…er, backward compatibility, baby!

This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen all year, and a bright gaming spot in an otherwise rough 2020.

As Modern Vintage Gamer has pointed out, it is possible to run the system link feature across four generations of Xbox. As in, the original Xbox console, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, and the Series X/S. That’s 19 years of backward compatibility with features like local multiplayer on top of already running the game.

Modern Vintage Gamer goes over the entire process in the video below, using Crimsons Skies‘ system link to connect all four generations. Back in my day you used to have to make your own 50-foot crossover CAT-5 cable to play Halo between two consoles (yes, I crimped it myself and everything).

Having run many multiplayer LAN parties before (you haven’t lived until you’ve played Mario Kart Double Dash to its true potential), this is an amazing achievement, and would make the logistics of those get-togethers so much easier. I’ve commended Microsoft again and again for sticking to backward compatibility and game preservation, and now I’m doing it again today.

Bravo.