First Xbox Games Can Be Played on Jailbroken PS5

Developed for jailbroken consoles, XPSemu opens the doors for the first Xbox games on PS5. This new software manages to run the productions in the original Xbox library on Sony's current console.

The project in question takes the hardware potential of the console to a different dimension. Users can now experience classic games such as Halo 2, Forza Motorsport and Fable on their own devices.

Technical Details with XPSemu

XPSemu stands out as a specially adapted version of the open source xemu project for PlayStation 5. The software runs directly as a native application on the PS5, rather than a simple wrapper like the Libretro core.

The emulation process is carried out by emulating the Xbox processor through QEMU's TCG JIT infrastructure. On the graphics side, xemu's Vulkan backend and the open source RADV driver optimized for PS5 are involved.

The first public Alpha 1 version of the software allows users to launch games directly. Users can adjust game settings, view cover images and track performance indicators through an interface compatible with the DualSense controller.

Internal resolution support can be increased up to 4x from the 480p resolution of the original Xbox. This feature makes games appear clearer on current screens.

The project also borrows some technical implementation methods from PS5SX2, which was developed for PS2 emulation on PS5. PS5SX2's work is used as a reference on issues such as JIT memory management and reading DualSense inputs.

Game Performance and Future Projects

In initial tests, Halo 2 runs at 30 FPS at standard settings, while offering values between 36 and 60 FPS with the 60 FPS patch. Forza Motorsport performs between 15 and 21 FPS during the race, and Fable: The Lost Chapters performs between 10 and 30 FPS.

Current performance limits are due to emulation load on the processor side rather than the graphics unit. The emulated Xbox processor uses most of the PS5's processing power, while the GPU side is generally under low load.

Developers made special optimizations for the PS5's Zen 2 processor, providing serious speed increases in games such as Fable. However, the current version of the software does not yet include save management and the games use their own internal save systems.

On the Xbox 360 side, the developer named BrinoBlitz showed that an early stage emulator is running on PS5. In addition, the PS5 Proton project, which aims to run Windows games without installing Linux, continues to be developed with its Wine-based structure.

All of these projects can only be used on PS5 consoles that are jailbroken and support homebrew software. Since the software does not contain any Microsoft BIOS files, users must provide the necessary files from their own hardware.