You can plug an Xbox 360 into the Xbox One, says Major Nelson

Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb - better known as Major Nelson - has revealed that you can plug an Xbox 360 into the Xbox One using the new HDMI-in port on the console.

"Absolutely; you can certainly plug an Xbox 360 in the back - that was one of my first questions when I heard about the [HDMI-in] feature," he told a Reddit Games interviewer at E3.

He stopped short of explaining why you'd want to do that, but the inference from the question was that you might want to use the Xbox One UI, or perhaps make use of its multi-tasking while playing.

The same question covered plugging a Windows 8 PC in via HDMI-in port. "The answer is yes," he said - a remark that seemed to cover both PC and set-top box input. It's not specific confirmation but judging by the Xbox 360 compatibility there's a good chance PCs will be too.

"It's the only console right now that has HDMI-in, and it's going to absolutely allow you to plug in your, for instance, your cable, your set-top box," he said.

Hryb tackled other thorny subjects such as how long Xbox One game licenses - your new Xbox games library - will last for. Will they outlive the Xbox One?

"We haven't even started this generation so it's kind of early to talk about the end of the generation. That's certainly something that we would not do," he said, referencing ending support at the end of the generation. "That's not the way the system is designed - it's designed for flexibility. Let's get this system out there first."

He also talked about bans. Now games are tied to licenses which are in turn tied to Xbox Live accounts, does being banned mean being withheld your game collection?

"Absolutely not," Hryb answered definitively. "You will always have access to the games you've purchased.

To which the interviewer commented: "Yay."

To which Hryb replied: "Yay - really? Come on! You had to expect that."

"It's safe to say we're confident where we're going. It's also safe to say that gamers are going to love our vision of the future and what we're going to offer for gaming."

He was pressed again about the 24-hour online DRM check that Xbox One carries out, and wheeled out a familiar line about flexibility and sharing games with your family.

"We think the upside of being connected ... it's really about the library and having access to your games anywhere you are - things you can't really do today," he said.

"We think it's going to be more flexible for the future, and that's kind of what Xbox One is all about - we've looked towards the future and said, 'This is where the gaming industry is going and we want gamers to come with us on this journey which is going to unlock the amazing potential of these great gaming experiences as well as flexibility as I just described with the library. It's one approach that we think is going to be infinitely more flexible."

Hryb was confronted about Sony, too, and whether Microsoft would change anything following its rival's combative showing at E3.

"I don't think - we're not going to change anything," he answered. "We're very happy with what we've done with Xbox One. Did you see the games on stage at our briefing? Did you see the exclusives? We're really really proud of the system and the games that are coming out."

He used Respawn's Titanfall as an example of an exclusive and asked the interviewer if she'd seen it. She had, so he said: "OK. Enough said. Conversation over."

Titanfall may yet become a PlayStation game, although it's only on Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC for now.

"It's safe to say we're confident where we're going," Hryb wrapped up. "It's also safe to say that gamers are going to love our vision of the future and what we're going to offer for gaming."

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