Xbox 360:Original Xbox Games

By default, OEM Xbox 360 hard drives come with a built in original Xbox emulator. However, the emulator would not boot all games, and hacked third party hard drives usually did not include the emulator at all. This guide will walk you through installing a hacked Xbox emulator with a JTAG/RGH Xbox 360 which will allow you to boot any original Xbox game.

A video guide walking through the full setup can be found on MrMario2011's channel.

In 2019, the hacked emulator was updated to enable the Xbox 360 guide and gamechat while playing original Xbox games and to coincide with the official 2018 emulator update. The official update also fixed compatibility with the PAL version of Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Original Xbox Games Compatibility List

Installing the Emulator Partition

This step is only required if you have an unofficial hard drive without an HddX partition. OEM hard drives sold by Microsoft should include the official emulator files and partition.

Via Console Method (recommended)

1. Download HDD Compatibility Partition Fixer.
   • This app can also be installed from the Homebrew Store. If you got it from there, skip to step 3.
2. Extract the default.xex and the Media folder to your flash drive. Plug your flash drive into your Xbox and launch your desired dashboard.
3. Find the application's default.xex and launch it.
   • In Aurora, it will pop up as a homebrew application with a Dashlaunch cover.
4. Press A to install the partition, and press B when completed.
5. Restart the console. You can check if the HddX partition was made by going in the dashboard's file manager.

Via PC Method (Xplorer360)

1. With your console off, connect your console's hard drive to your PC.
   • If you have a S/E hard drive, you can simply use a simple USB to SATA cable to connect it to the PC.
   • If you have a "phat" hard drive from a non-S/E model, you will need to take apart the hard drive shell to access the hard drive inside. The outside shell will be screwed togeather with Torx T6 screws, whereas the hard drive inside will have Torx T8 screws.
2. Download and extract the backwards compatibility partition.
3. Run Xplorer 360 Extreme 2 as administrator and select Drive > Restore Partition 2, and select the Partition2.bin that you had downloaded. Close Xplorer360 and remove your drive to connect it back on your console.
4. When you boot up your Xbox 360, you may be prompted to update your system software.
   • If some saves do not work, they may need to be resigned to your profile. This is a per-game basis.

Installing the Hacked Original Xbox Emulator Files

This process only works if there is a hard drive in your system, and will not work on flash drives.

1. Download the Hacked Compatibility Files and extract the Compatibility folder inside of the HUD_xgamechat folder to a flash drive.
   • If you do not wish to use the Xbox 360 guide / gamechat during play, you can use the Compatibility folder in the Regular folder instead.
   • Optionally, download the Xbox One xefu files for use with Xefu Spoofer and place them in the same Compatability folder.
2. Open your dashboard of choice and copy the Compatibility folder from your flash drive to your HDDx partition (Partition2).
   • If you already have the official emulator in this partition, you can back up and/or replace the files with the hacked files.

Improving performance with 720p games

Some games are rendered at 720p on Xbox 360 even though they were 480p on original Xbox and yields low frame rate. To improve this behavior, you can go into display settings and set the system resolution to 480p.

• Example games:
  • Grand Theft Auto III
  • Grand Theft Auto Vice City
  • Counter Strike
  • Halo Combat Evolved

If the Xbox games are scrambled and unplayable after this change, also disable the display discovery option. Your TV is probably sending an incorrect EDID to the Xbox 360.

Troubleshooting

Stealth server plugins often times will prevent original Xbox games from running, so make sure to disable them before trying to play original Xbox titles. If you turn on the console with the power button and press the eject button afterwords to leave the DVD tray open, the stealth server plugin will detect that and temorarily disable itself until the next reboot.