Emulation on Xbox, a Guide?

Emu Talk Goes Here
Dave Auto
16-bit
Posts: 57
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:24 am
Location: ..."Upstate New York?"

Post by Dave Auto »

I'm not gonna go so far as to say that XBox emulation is better than on PC. PC emulators are doing a lot of impressive things right now to improve the graphics of older 3D machines, as racketboy has recently pointed out on the main page.

But what the XBox does, it does effin' right. The emulation quality and compatibility for most major 2D systems (even stuff like PC-Engine CD, Sega CD/32X, CPSII and Neo-Geo) easily matches what's on PC, and the frontends are slick as hell and overflowing with options. And I just plain prefer playing on the couch with the big-screen tv than at the computer desk.

Where XBox can't compare to PC is when it comes to the PSX/Saturn/N64 era. No Saturn emu (Saturn's a particular bitch to emulate, tho) and PSX and N64 compatibility lists have pretty gaping holes. That said, the games that run perfectly (like Super Mario 64, Starfox 64 and F-Zero X) run like a dream: polygon edges are razor-sharp running in 480p on an LCD tv.
"Oh, no, not in Utica, no. It's an Albany expression."
User avatar
Raz1r
24-bit
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 12:01 am

Post by Raz1r »

True dat, Dave. PSX is actually emulated very well, once you figure out the settings. PCSXbox has come a long way since V1.3 when I was playtesting for it. I've yet to find a AAA title it won't play without a little fiddling in the Config menu. Enhanced Graphic filters are also built-in to almost every emulator I've used so far.

MAME does well too, unless you are playing a shooter with lots of enemies on screen. Then it tends to slow down.

However, a Saturn emulator for Xbox simply doesn't exist (yet) and Surreal 64 still has a long way to go.

I figured it might be a good cheap (Xbox's are $60 at my local EB, and a good chip might run you $20-30) way to emulate Pre-N64/PSX/Sat systems. Even with the stock 8-gig drive, you can fit all the best games from the past generations very easily. It's pretty much drag-and-drop.

Also, Droid Party PM me. I'll help you out with ZSnexBox/Snes9Xbox.


The only problem that I could find with this is that I don't think Racketboy wants this site to be misinterpreted as a haven for "pirates".
So what would you guys like to see of this? A guide that shows what the Xbox can do in terms of emulation? Or should the focus be on turning a box into a lean-mean emulation machine? I'd love to write an article about this.
Image
wyatt
32-bit
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Post by wyatt »

I am putting the finishing touches on my Xbox that I just softmodded, and upgraded the hard drive on. I have read a lot, whole lot and there are a lot of guides out there but it seems like they all omit one thing or another, or they give a method far more difficult than need be, or are just out dated. If we can collaborate maybe we can get a good, succinct guide. I'd be happy to help out, I was thinking about doing it anyway as I have already done, and am about to do a couple friends consoles. Personally I would advocate the soft mod method, I know some people prefer chips. But if someone is looking for info on modding to begin with, there are no benefits to a chip that will outweigh the ease of the soft mod (in fact I haven't encountered anything a chip can do that a soft mod can't, and if there is something, it probably wouldn't be a concern in a begginer tutorial).
Let my legs shake me to sleep, and don't wake me when I sweat on my sheets.
User avatar
Raz1r
24-bit
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 12:01 am

Post by Raz1r »

Performing some Necromancy on this topic. I might actually be able to work on this now that it's summer.

So what is the consensus? Should we make an updated guide on softmodding or just a general article about emulation on the Xbox platform?
Image
Post Reply