Key information
A popular Xbox emulator known as Xemu has been successfully ported to jailbroken Sony PlayStation 5 consoles by modder ZiZc3. Reddit user u/Yzenxam shared video footage showcasing the application, named XPSemu, running titles such as Forza Motorsport, Halo 2, and Crash Bandicoot. The project source code is available on GitHub under the name ZiZc3.
The port functions by allowing Xemu to open natively on the PS5. It uses QEMU's TCG JIT for realtime translation of the Xbox CPU, while communicating with the PS5's AMD GPU via the open-source RADV Vulkan driver enabled by PS5_Vulkan. Additionally, the modder integrated custom features including a controller-friendly dashboard, cover art, play time tracking, game patches, performance overlays, and specific CPU optimizations tailored for the PS5's Zen 2 processor.
Despite fast translation, the emulated Xbox CPU acts as the primary bottleneck, remaining heavily loaded while the PS5 GPU stays mostly idle. Because of slower per-core speeds compared to a fast PC, CPU-heavy software suffers. Halo 2 runs at 30 FPS stock or 36 to 50 FPS during gameplay with a 60 FPS patch, while Forza Motorsport reaches 15 to 21 FPS during racing. The developer notes that the project is in a testing phase, cautioning that not all games will function properly right away.
