Gaming on the Playstation and Xbox Platforms
User avatar
RCBH928
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 6037
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:40 am

Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by RCBH928 Tue Dec 01, 2020 11:25 am

I don't know if you have heard this guys but news is that Xbox Series S can do emulation by enabling a developer mode on the system for $20 then downloading RetroArch, it can emulate anything at the price of $299 and we are only at the dawn of this generation. Add to it that you can have gamepass and all the backward compatibility back to the oXbox.

The important part for me is that it can stream the Xbox games to your smartphone/tablet making my iPad an emulator.

-Can you stream the RetroArch(system wide) to an iPad or its a feature built within the games?
-Do I have to setup something on the console before I start playing, or i just turn the Xbox on and it will mirror everything to my iPad screen?
-Do you think Microsoft will take out this ability like Sony took out the ability of installing Linux on PS3?

I was definitely going for a PS5 but now I am questioning it. The only thing that is worrying me is that I have a PS3 and its pictures quality on SD video from DVD sources is superb (near BD I would say) and I was told its because of Sony hardware tricks, I don't know whats the truth of that but I have another Samsung BD player connected to an LG tv and the DVD looks like .avi file on a Windows 95 computer. The other issue I heard PS5 BD drive is loud. I will be getting the Xbox Series X for this of course.

You can't beat the power you are getting for $299/$499, its an all in one machine. I tried to build a custom PC with much lower spec but it seems no way you can reach this level at that price. You also get a free controller with the console worth $60!
User avatar
isiolia
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 5785
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 1:52 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by isiolia Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:45 pm

RCBH928 wrote:You can't beat the power you are getting for $299/$499, its an all in one machine. I tried to build a custom PC with much lower spec but it seems no way you can reach this level at that price. You also get a free controller with the console worth $60!


That has tended to be the case nearer the start of a console cycle, and definitely true of the Series X and PS5 now. Conspiracy time: that's why they're so hard to find. MS and Sony are likely losing a lot of money on each one they sell, and could be limiting production as a result.

Otherwise...

The ability to do this is a continuation of something Microsoft announced in 2013, made good on in 2016, and has in turn already been available on Xbox One for years. The emulation being used debuted on that, though the Series X|S have more power on tap, which may make it more interesting for more people.

I don't think it's at risk of just getting pulled a la PS3 Linux support. With that, Sony was essentially allowing users to buy hardware under cost, to use for purposes they'd never make money on. While hardware access was limited, it could still be used to great effect for certain tasks, so you had PS3 clusters being built.
MS, instead, is enabling small scale development - something they've done since XNA on the 360 - in a way that's not all that odd. Apple has a development program for iOS apps too, for instance. So, there's always that chance that an indie hit will come of it. Or, at the very least, that the homebrew crowd won't have real motivation to put effort into cracking the system's DRM. :lol:

If they have a real problem with people buying systems just to do this, I suspect they'd just counter it by increasing the fee.


I assume you can stream a la these instructions https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming ... eloper-kit but I haven't messed with it on Dev mode (or streaming to things other than a desktop PC).
User avatar
marurun
Moderator
 
Posts: 11964
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 8:51 am
Location: Cleveland, OH

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by marurun Tue Dec 01, 2020 1:04 pm

I am a bit surprised the developer fee is so low, although I guess you'd have to pay that for each of your testers just to have access to test your app. I would think $100 would be more in line with what an individual developer would expect from another platform.
Dope Pope on a Rope
B/S/T thread
My Classic Games Collection
My Steam Profile
The PC Engine Software Bible Forum, with Shoutbox chat - the new Internet home for PC Engine fandom.
User avatar
bmoc
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 1864
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 1:36 pm

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by bmoc Tue Dec 01, 2020 1:06 pm

RCBH928 wrote:The other issue I heard PS5 BD drive is loud.

The PS5 disc drive is far more quiet than my PS4 Pro's disc drive. During gameplay, it almost never makes any noise because everything gets installed to the SSD. Occasionally, it will randomly spin up the disc which is noticeable but again far more quiet than my PS4 Pro. And that usually last less than 10 seconds. You know, I haven't watched any DVD/BluRays on it yet. I'll try to remember to report back with how loud those are in comparison to my other consoles.

That said, I really hope this dev mode feature remains accessible and that Microsoft doesn't go out of their way to block emulators. Personally, I would not buy one for the sole purpose of emulating just yet. If the feature is still going strong 6 months from now, it might be fairly safe then.
User avatar
bmoc
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 1864
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 1:36 pm

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by bmoc Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:42 am

As promised, I watched a Blu Ray movie last night on my PS5. The disc drive was very quiet. I couldn't hear it at all. It is a vast improvement over the PS4 Pro which at times sounded like a jet engine. On a related note, I never could get my Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition DVD to play on my PS4 and unfortunately it looks like that bug has carried over to the PS5. I've googled the problem in the past and I am not the only one with this problem. Now I find myself debating whether to shell out for the new LOTR 4K Blu Rays.
User avatar
RCBH928
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 6037
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:40 am

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by RCBH928 Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:29 am

@isiolia

I just don't understand why would Microsoft allow emulation, I somehow feel its something they missed and in the future they will ban emulators somehow from this. I am afraid to make the jump and in the future they kill it which then I rather go with the ps5.

@bmoc
Its not worth it just for emulation but for me I will be getting:
    Next-Gen games
    Emulation
    Media player(Youtube/Netflix)
    Disc Player
    Controller
    SSD storage
    ability to stream emulation games to my smartphone
    backward compatibility all the way back to oXbox
    Access to Gamepass
    Online competitive gameplay(which I have not been active on for years)

If somehow there is a way to connect keyboard and mouse to play games like Age of Empires if it exists, this is knock out punch.

Thanks for sharing on the disc sound, a DVD player that does not play DVD disc is a very awkward situation I have never heard this before. I would be 100% upset.
User avatar
isiolia
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 5785
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 1:52 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by isiolia Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:29 pm

RCBH928 wrote:@isiolia

I just don't understand why would Microsoft allow emulation, I somehow feel its something they missed and in the future they will ban emulators somehow from this. I am afraid to make the jump and in the future they kill it which then I rather go with the ps5.

~

If somehow there is a way to connect keyboard and mouse to play games like Age of Empires if it exists, this is knock out punch.


MS can and does filter out emulators on the retail side of the console. Or, tries to. Curating what people can put on the console in Dev Mode, on the other hand, would be both impractical, and defeat the purpose of having it in the first place.

Keyboard and mouse support is basically up to game developers. The consoles themselves have supported KB/Mouse input since the PS3/360, albeit mostly just in the system UI - use the built in web browser or fill in forms more easily. PS4/XB1, and now the PS5/Series X|S, have some games that support it. If/when they bring Age of Empires to Xbox, it'd probably be a given.
User avatar
ElkinFencer10
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 8582
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
Location: Henderson, North Carolina

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by ElkinFencer10 Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:08 pm

re: PS5 disc drive, I've never once heard it during gameplay, and I sit literally less than a yard away from my PS5. I've heard the fans when I've been playing for a while but never the disc drive.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

Image
User avatar
Forlorn Drifter
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 5166
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:02 pm
Location: Central Texas

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by Forlorn Drifter Mon Jan 04, 2021 2:11 pm

This really interests me, but I’m waiting to jump on. If the Xbox Series fork of Retroarch gets worked to allow playing from disc (which is somewhat possible in Windows Retroarch) I’ll probably grab a series X for funsies.

The only thing that is a downer here is how long it takes to swap between retail mode and developer mode. Though there are some murmurs that it could, maybe one day be allowed for download through retail, although I doubt that happens.
ninjainspandex wrote:Maybe I'm just a pervert

PSN: Green-Whiskey
Owned Consoles: GameCube, N64, PS3, PS4, GBASP
User avatar
stickem
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 2299
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:57 pm
Location: nashville,tn.

Re: Xbox Series S: The emulation beast

by stickem Sun Jun 25, 2023 9:17 pm

Hadn't fired retroarch up in a couple months then learned Microsoft cracked down in april and it no longer works. Shit, I spent hours trying to figure that out and set everything up where it was working great. Fuck!
Return to Sony and Microsoft

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests