Thanks to a new important update to Developer Mode, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles could run PlayStation 3 games before Sony implements proper PS3 backward compatibility on PlayStation 5.
As reported in a new video by Modern Vintage Gamer that highlights how the Xbox Series S, in particular, is still an emulation beast despite changes made in the past few months, Developer Mode was recently updated with Mesa (OpenGL/Vulkan) support, which, in theory, could make PlayStation 3 and even Nintendo Switch emulation possible. As of now, this new development has made it possible for the Nintendo 3DS emulator Citra to run on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S relatively well for being in alpha stage, so anything could truly happen in the coming months.
It would certainly be weird to see, for example, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots run on Xbox Series X and S, but unless Sony implements proper PS3 backward compatibility, this has now become a very real possibility. It is being rumored that it will be possible to play PlayStation 3 games on PlayStation 5 at some point in the future, but there are multiple indications that suggest how PS3 games support would be limited to a small selection of titles due to the technical challenges in emulating the console's complex Cell architecture.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Developer Mode is a special mode that can be used to develop and test software with a retail unit. More information on this mode and how to access it can be found on Microsoft's official website.
