The new architecture of the Xbox One makes backwards compatibility difficult, says Microsoft.

The next-generation Xbox One won't be able to play old Xbox 360 games, Microsoft has confirmed.

Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft Xbox Live vice president Marc Whitten said that the architecture between the two machines is too different to allow for backwards compatibility. "The system is based on a different core architecture, so back-compat doesn't really work from that perspective," he said.

Microsoft's new Xbox One uses an new x64 processor, as opposed to the PowerPC core of the Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360 supported backwards compatibility of over 400 original Xbox titles.

Sony is in a similar position with its upcoming PlayStation 4, although the company has said it hopes to one day make its PlayStation 3 catalogue available on its next-generation console via cloud streaming technology.

Microsoft officially announced the Xbox One today at its Redmond campus in Washington.

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