Microsoft’s Build 2014 developer conference is on its final day today and had some interesting bit of information come up during the “Understanding the Xbox One Game Platform Built on Windows” session. After the session finished, Frank Savage took some Q&A from the crowd and here was the very first question:

Q. Are there any plans for an emulator for the 360 games?

A. There are. But we aren’t done thinking them through yet unfortunately. It turns out to be hard to emulate the PowerPC stuff on the x86 stuff. So there’s nothing to announce, but I’d love to see it myself too.

What we can gather from this is that the Microsoft team is indeed working on some form of emulation for either some or most Xbox 360 games that would run on the Xbox One. The main issue is the difference and difficulty in trying to get the PowerPC platform (what the Xbox 360 runs) to work in an x86 environment.

In the past, Microsoft had stated that they would try to port over select titles or marketplace games to the Xbox One, but this is the first mention of actual emulation planned for the newest edition to the Xbox family.

To view the hour long session for the Xbox One development at Build 2014, visit Channel 9 to view their video archive or watch live.

[SOURCE]

I would love if I could play some of my old 360 games on my Xbox One. Even if it ends up just being the digital ones (I got Alan Wake digitally.) But Xbox One plays DVD's so if would hopefully do both. How great it would be that if at E3 they announce xx many X360 games will no play on your Xbox One!

This would make me, and the person I loan my Xbox 360 very, very happy!

Hmm, Maybe this will indirectly lead to an xbox 360 emulator for PC!

In any case, awesome if they can do it!

Uhhh idk why this happened

If this allows for physical copies of games to be played, I'll purchase an Xbox One, otherwise I'll wait for the inevitable PC emulator.

Not happening ... Even if it does get passed through many games won't be compatible and or have tons of issues.

Once they got a wiff of Gaikai they wanted in. :)

Would be awesome on PC too ahah

I guess that's the same kind of research Sony did with cross game chat on PS3.

"
Q. Are there any plans for an emulator for the 360 games?
A. There are. But we aren’t done thinking them through yet unfortunately. It turns out to be hard to emulate the PowerPC stuff on the x86 stuff. So there’s nothing to announce, but I’d love to see it myself too.
"

That doesn't sound like it's happening to me at all.