The appropriately and bluntly named "Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC" program kicks off today with compatibility for BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy. PC players can download each title for $10, but those with Xbox Game Pass subscriptions or existing digital licenses for these games on console will have instant access without an additional purchase (no such luck if you simply stick an original Xbox disc in your PC drive, alas).
Playing these older Xbox titles on PC enables some bonus graphical features like Vsync support, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, and up to 4x resolution scaling of the original SD signal (to 2560x1920). Games are limited to their original frame rates and aspect ratios, though, which means a 30 fps 4:3 image in most cases. Microsoft says this first batch of games should be playable with 11-year-old GTX 950 graphics hardware, but recommends a 2017-era GTX 1070 Ti with 8GB of VRAM for best performance.
Playable through Microsoftβs new Xbox Backward Compatibility program for PC, youβll be able to relive classic Xbox titles directly on your laptop, desktop or handheld.
Microsoft launched Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC, bringing four classic original Xbox games to Windows and handhelds for the first time, complete with upscaling, VSync, and achievements coming later this year.
Recording artist, DJ and entrepreneur Diplo invested in Copper. Photo via BusinessWire
Seattleβs Copper has landed a high-profile new backer as it looks to accelerate growth of its consumer rewards platform, announcing Tuesday that Grammy-winning artist, DJ and entrepreneur Diplo has invested in the company.
Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
βIβm always looking for things that actually make sense for people,β Diplo said in a statement. βCopperβs one of those β youβre already on your phone, youβre already spending money, and this gives something back. Thatβs real.β
Copper says more than 4 million members use its platform to earn money through mobile games, cash-back offers and purchases.
Copper CEO Eddie Behringer, who previously co-founded Snap! Raise, said the company is building an alternative to consumer apps that monetize usersβ attention.
βMost consumer apps are designed to take more from the user β more time, more money, more attention,β Behringer said in a LinkedIn post. βAt Copper, weβre building the opposite.β
Founded in 2019, Copper originally launched as a banking app for teenagers. GeekWire covered the startup in 2022 after it raised $29 million in funding to expand into investing products, at a time when the company had nearly 1 million users.
The startup has since evolved into a broader consumer rewards platform. Copper has raised $42 million to date and recently ranked No. 2 among the Pacific Northwestβs fastest-growing companies in Deloitteβs Technology Fast 500 rankings, based on three-year revenue growth.
Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, has built a business portfolio that extends beyond music, investing in technology and consumer startups while launching ventures such as Diploβs Run Club, a series of 5K races paired with music festivals.
Heβs a three-time Grammy winner, and has collaborated with artists like Labrinth and Sia as part of the musical group LSD and worked with musician Mark Ronson on Silk City. Heβs also the founder of record label Mad Decent.
In 2024, Copper discontinued its banking services following the collapse of fintech infrastructure provider Synapse, forcing the startup to pivot away from its original business. βDespite our prior planning, this event has forced us to close banking accounts much sooner than anticipated,β Behringer wrote at the time.
The company has since rebuilt around its rewards platform, which it says now serves millions of users.
Behringer said that the companyβs mission was always about helping families improve their financial lives.
βAs household costs rose, we saw an even bigger opportunity to help the person making everyday spending decisions earn more from the things they were already doingβfrom buying groceries to shopping in-store and spending time on their phone,β Behringer tells GeekWire via email. βDiploβs investment is meaningful validation of how far that evolution has come.β
Linux-focused gaming site Boiling Steam breaks down the historical data, showing how the Deck's chart position has fallen from fifth place immediately after orders resumed in late May down to 14th place for two weeks in early July (the hardware sits at 12th place in the current edition of those charts).
That's in sharp contrast to 2025, when the Steam Deck never dropped below seventh place on the bestseller charts and was only rarely outside the Top 5. Then Valve warned of "intermittent shortages" for the Steam Deck starting in February, leading to weeks of lower chart positions before the Deck became completely unavailable until May.
AI tools are helping solo game developers build and release games faster, but writers, artists, and junior programmers are facing fewer opportunities in an increasingly competitive industry.