xemu

xemu is a free and open-source emulator of the original Microsoft Xbox game console, which lets you play original Xbox games on Windows, macOS and Linux. It has its own simple menu-based interface, a public compatibility list where the community reports how well each title runs, and many more things for which xemu stands out. Firstly, it can be freely studied and adjusted, since the code is open source under the GNU GPL version 2 license and developed on GitHub; secondly, it has a built-in settings menu that allows detailed configuration of input, display, audio, network and system options just as easily. The project continues the earlier XQEMU emulator and is built on the QEMU machine emulator.

Before games can run, the emulator needs three files dumped from a real Xbox: the MCPX boot ROM, a flash BIOS image and a hard disk image (a pre-built hard disk image is linked in the documentation). When started without a game disc, xemu boots the original Xbox dashboard with its Memory, Xbox Live, Music and Settings menus, where saved games on the virtual hard disk can be viewed and managed. Games are loaded from Xbox disc images; redump-style images have to be converted first, and compressed formats such as CHD are not supported. Up to 4 controllers can be connected to the computer, so multiplayer titles and split-screen games can be enjoyed with friends without the console itself.

Lets you play original Xbox games on a PC with upscaled graphics, save states and support for up to 4 controllers.

Features:

• Cross-platform, open-source program for Windows, macOS and Linux
• Low-level emulation of the original Xbox hardware, which gives better compatibility with kernels, titles, homebrew applications and connected devices
• Snapshot (save state) feature that saves the machine's state at any moment, so you can come back to it later
• An active community on Discord and a community-maintained compatibility list, with documentation for setup and troubleshooting
• Render scaling that upscales games from their native 480p resolution up to 1080p
• SDL-based support for up to 4 controllers, plus networking with other xemu instances and real Xbox consoles, locally or over the Internet

Taken together, these features make xemu a practical way to play original Xbox games on a PC. The initial setup takes some effort because of the required system files, but after that the emulator is easy to use even for less experienced users. xemu is still in active development, so compatibility and performance vary from title to title and between computers, and new builds are released regularly on the official website and on GitHub.