Xbox Series X and Series S
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| Left: Xbox Series X with controller Right: Xbox Series S with controller | |
| Developer | Microsoft Gaming |
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| Manufacturer | Flex, Foxconn |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Ninth |
| Release date | WW: November 10, 2020 PRC: June 10, 2021 |
| Predecessor | Xbox One |
| Successor | Project Helix |
| Emulated | ✗ |
The Xbox Series X and Series S (collectively Xbox Series X|S) are ninth-generation home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation of the Xbox console line, succeeding the Xbox One family. The Xbox Series X retailed for $499 ($621 in 2026), and the Series S for $299 ($372 in 2026).
The Xbox Series X has an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU at 3.8 GHz with a GPU at 1.825 GHz based on AMD's RDNA 2 with 52 compute units (CUs) and 16 GB of VRAM. The Xbox Series S has a Zen 2 CPU with 8 cores at 3.6 GHz and a GPU at 1.565 GHz with 20 CUs and 8 GB of VRAM. The Xbox Series X surpasses the PlayStation 5 and even rivals very respectable gaming rigs in performance (roughly equivalent to a Ryzen 7 3700X with an underclocked Radeon RX 6800), but the Series S fares significantly worse with a GPU less performant than even an RX 6600.
The Kinect sensor and Kinect Adapter have been discontinued with these consoles. You can still use your Kinect with your Xbox 360 or Xbox One, but the sensor is not compatible with Xbox Series X|S.
Emulators and compatibility layers
[edit | edit source]THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO EMULATORS FOR THIS DEVICE THAT CAN RUN COMMERCIAL GAMES AND/OR SOFTWARE.
Due to the Xbox Series X|S being so architecturally similar to the Xbox One, most Xbox Series X|S games should be able to work on Xbox One compatibility layers supporting DX12 games.
- Main article: Xbox One emulators#Emulators and compatibility layers
Enhancements
[edit | edit source]| Name | Emulator name (N/A) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics | Resizable Internal Resolution | ||||||||
| Texture Replacement | |||||||||
| Ultrawide hack Widescreen already supported on the Xbox Series system. But there is no support by system for render games in other ratios such as ultrawide 21:9 or super ultrawide 32:9. |
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| Ray-tracing (DXR, VRT and MRT) |
Ray-tracing already supported on Xbox Series consoles. But there are ways to improve path-tracing implementation even further like increasing ray length or more rays per light source etc. | ||||||||
| Pre-rendering AA (MSAA, SSAA) |
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| Super-resolution techniques (DLSS, XeSS and FSR 2+) |
FSR 3 is already supported on Xbox Series X/S.[1] | ||||||||
| RTX Remix | Implementing RTX Remix technology in an emulator is unfortunately quite challenging and unlikely to be feasible in the near future. | ||||||||
| Performance | Overclock | ||||||||
| Internal Framerate Hack | |||||||||
| Frame generation technologies (LSFG, DLSS-FG and SM, XeSS-FG, AFMF and FSR FG) |
AFMF is (technically) already supported on Xbox Series X/S. | ||||||||
| Rendering latency reduction technologies (LatencyFleX, Reflex,  Xe-LL and Anti-Lag+)
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While most emulators offer frame pacing or framebuffer latency control options, implementing rendering latency reduction technologies isn't currently feasible. This is likely doesn't offer enough benefits to justify the development effort. | ||||||||
| Post-Processing | Post-rendering AA (FXAA, TXAA, and MLAA/SMAA) |
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| Post-rendering scaling (Sharp bilinear, Lanczos and FSR 1) |
FSR 3 is already supported on Xbox Series consoles. | ||||||||
| Filters | |||||||||
| AI-powered filter (Freestyle) |
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| Shader chain | |||||||||
| Inverse tone mapping compatible | Xbox Series X|S systems already supports HDR in some games.
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| TAS features | Macros/Scripts/Lua | ||||||||
| Rewind | |||||||||
| Fast-Forward/Turbo Speed | |||||||||
| Savestates | Xbox Series X and Series S already have similar feature called "Quick Resume". | ||||||||
| Movie recording/playback | |||||||||
| Quality of life | Pause/Resume Emulation | ||||||||
| SDL backend support Provides controller plug-and-play and automatic input mapping through SDL GameController database. |
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| Built-in Custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes For using this on Windows OS you need CRT Emudriver. Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility". |
N/A Eighth gen home consoles and beyond only have digital video output anyway. | ||||||||
| Streamable compression format | |||||||||
| Built-in save manager | |||||||||
| Built-in mod editor and manager | |||||||||
| Built-in Cheat Manager | |||||||||
| Built-in Patch Manager | |||||||||
| Per-Game Profiles | |||||||||
| Command-Line Options | |||||||||
| Big Picture Mode | |||||||||
| Automatic Updater | |||||||||
| Portable and Stealth Useful enhancement feature for non-personal computer use or plug-and-play scenarios. However, the software may still require the necessary prerequisites and dependencies for your operating system if it is not statically linked. |
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| Controls | Mouse Injector Compatible | ||||||||
| Input lag-mitigating technique | |||||||||
| Turbo button | |||||||||
| Real peripheral support (Passthrough) Ability to passthrough USB HID devices or Bluetooth adapter for emulated system. |
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| Disguise peripheral support through Passthrough Tricking the software into think that the original controller was connected even those identify themselves with different device IDs. When a game tries to identify a connected 'nearly the same internally' controller, emulator will tell it that the equivalent original controller is connected instead, allowing it to work. |
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| Misc | RetroAchievements | ||||||||
| Rich Presence (RPC) Allows the emulator to share real-time game session details (e.g., current game title, level, boss, playtime, or custom status) with external applications. This enables features such as displaying what you're playing on your profile, inviting friends to spectate, or triggering join-in-progress functionality where supported. |
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| EmuVR support | Exclusive to libretro cores. So there is no support at the moment. | ||||||||
| Ambient sounds simulation Simulation of audio from original hardware and environments, such as mechanical hard drive, floppy diskette, and optical drive noises (e.g., head seeks, spin-up/down, tray loading, disc spinning, and clicking), variable CRT flyback transformer whine (the classic high-pitched "coil whine" that dynamically changes pitch based on screen brightness and content), arcade cabinet effects (e.g., fan hum or button rattles), and other background ambient noises. |
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| Screen translator Using optical character recognition (OCR) and other techniques, this feature can provide live translation of in-game text, text-to-speech for visually impaired users, and more — either on demand or automatically. |
You can use RetroArch's AI Service or the standalone offline bquenin's Interpreter. | ||||||||
| Free Look Free Look is an enhancement feature that allows manipulation of the in-game camera. |
While freecam would be technically possible, it will require per-game patches. Said patches would require a significant amount of time to reverse the game's engine, which means that only someone talented with enough dedication to a single game could do it. | ||||||||
| Debug Features | |||||||||
Hardware features and peripherals
[edit | edit source]| Name | Emulator name (N/A) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard and apps | ||
| Quick Resume | ||
| Achievements Not to be confused with RetroAchievements. |
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| Xbox network | ||
| System Link | ||
| Xbox and Xbox 360 emulation (Fission) |
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| Backwards compatibility for Xbox One titles | ||
| HDR | ||
| Haptic feedback | ||
| Ultra HD Blu-ray drive | ||
| Peripherals | ||
| USB Keyboard & Mouse | ||
| Headset microphone support | ||
Dashboard and apps
[edit | edit source]The Dashboard is a graphical user interface developed for Xbox. You can launch various applications from this interface.
Ultra HD Blu-ray drive
[edit | edit source]Xbox Series X supports Audio CD, DVD-Video, BD-Video, XGD4 and UHD-BD.
- See this dedicated page for more information about home media playback support for emulation software.
- See Ripping games.
- See Disc Drive emulation.
Note that the Xbox Series S lacks an internal disk drive.
System Link
[edit | edit source]There are only three known games for Xbox Series X/S that have LAN/System-Link support. However, this shouldn't be confused with Fission system-link support which is supported by Xbox Series consoles.
- See Original Xbox hardware features and peripherals, Xbox 360 hardware features and peripherals and Xbox One hardware features and peripherals sections for more information about backwards compatibility and other features.
- Also see computer programs such as XBSlink, SVDL and XLink Kai allow users to play multiplayer for LAN supported games by using a network configuration that simulates a worldwide LAN.
See also
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References
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