Microsoft has been working hard to make the Xbox Series X (and Series S) backward compatible with older Xbox consoles But there is one important feature you probably didn't know about: the Series X can connect to the original Xbox via System Link

It's certainly not Xbox Live, but it means you can set up your own LAN party to play classic Xbox games if you so desire [But as Modern Vintage Gamer discovered on YouTube, the Xbox Series X and Series S still support this classic feature Additionally, the Xbox One and Xbox 360 are all backward compatible, so all four consoles can be connected and played together

LAN parties were very important in the days before online gaming, as they were the only way to play multiplayer games with a large group of people although created for Xbox Live, the original Xbox did not support online play or titles that did not, This feature remains for those who don't support Internet connectivity After all, this was 2001, and high-speed Internet was not as accessible as it is today

The most notable Xbox title to support system linking was Halo: Combat Evolved, which allowed all 16 players to group together and play on four different consoles This cemented Halo's reputation as a multiplayer shooter and continues to this day

The system link also lasted longer than expected; Xbox Live was launched in 2002, but local options continued throughout the life of the Xbox, most recently being available at the launch of Call of Duty 3 in 2006 Xbox 360 was launched a year earlier and Xbox System Link was very good, given that it was more integrated with Live

But since it never really went anywhere, you could always dust off your classic Xbox consoles, plug them in, and see the action for yourself However, until COVID is well established, you may not want to host a LAN party