The latest developments in Xbox Game Pass reveal Microsoft and Sony's contrasting views on gaming history. Just one day after Sony announced it was shutting down its PS3, PSP, and Vita digital stores, Microsoft has decided to make classic Xbox games more widely available than ever. As of today, 16 original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles are available to play on Android devices through Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta).

The information comes from the official Xbox Wire blog and is quite simple. As part of the $15/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, users can stream certain games directly from Microsoft's servers to the Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) app on Android. Until today, only Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games were eligible for this treatment. If this program is successful, there will be more in the future.

The full list is as follows:

The list appears to be a mix of major titles and cult classics. Of particular interest, however, are two games, Jetpac Refuelled and Viva Piñata. Not only were these games delivered via cloud streaming, but they could also be controlled via touch screen. In theory, this eliminates the need for complex controller mounts and phone stand setups.

It is worth noting, however, that playing Xbox games on the Android app still requires a very strong Internet connection. So even with the addition of touchscreen controls, Xbox Cloud Gaming will not be a true mobile solution.

One of the interesting things about these backwards compatible games, according to the Xbox Wire blog, is that "you can get right back into the game as if you've never left. If your account is synced correctly, you should be able to use your old save files on Android; the Xbox 360 supports cloud saves, but Microsoft's first console does not.

While we will no longer have access to our favorite Sony portable console, we are about to get a whole new portable gaming option from Microsoft. As a gamer, this is an interesting week.