Game Compatibility

Xenia is an experimental Xbox 360 emulator capable of running many commercial and homebrew games. Compatibility varies widely depending on the game and the specific features it uses.

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Compatibility Status

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Official Compatibility List

The Xenia Canary project maintains an active compatibility database where users can report their experiences with different games:

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Contributing to Compatibility Data

If you’ve tested a game, please contribute your findings! Follow the existing conventions when submitting:

• Include the game title and Title ID
• Report your test results (playable, boots, crashes, etc.)
• Add screenshots if possible
• Note any specific issues or workarounds
• List your configuration if non-default settings were needed

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Compatibility Categories

Games generally fall into these categories:

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Playable

Games that can be completed from start to finish with minor or no issues. May have:

• Minor graphical glitches
• Occasional frame drops
• Non-critical bugs that don’t prevent completion

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Ingame

Games that boot and are playable to some extent but have significant issues:

• Major graphical problems
• Performance issues
• Crashes during gameplay
• Missing features that impact gameplay

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Menus

Games that boot to menus but don’t proceed further:

• Main menu displays correctly
• Game crashes when starting gameplay
• Severe rendering issues in-game

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Intro/Logos

Games that display intro videos or logos but crash before reaching menus.

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Nothing

Games that don’t boot at all or immediately crash.

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Factors Affecting Compatibility

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Hardware Requirements

Your PC hardware significantly impacts compatibility:

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Emulation Accuracy

Several emulation aspects affect compatibility: CPU Emulation:

• PowerPC instruction translation accuracy
• Timing and synchronization
• VMX128 vector extensions
• Cache behavior simulation

GPU Emulation:

• Xenos shader translation
• EDRAM simulation
• Render target formats
• Texture sampling and filtering
• Resolve operations

Kernel Emulation:

• Xbox 360 system calls
• Threading and synchronization
• File system access
• Achievement and profile handling

APU Emulation:

• Audio processing
• XMA audio decoding
• 3D audio effects

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Game-Specific Features

Some Xbox 360 features are difficult to emulate:

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Configuration Impact

Your Xenia configuration can affect compatibility: Critical Settings:

• --pvr value may affect games that check processor version
• --gpu_allow_invalid_fetch_constants helps some games but may break others
• --half_pixel_offset fixes some games but may blur UI in others

Per-Game Configs: Many games require specific settings to work correctly. Check the compatibility list for recommended configurations for specific titles.

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Improving Compatibility

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Try Different Settings

If a game doesn’t work well:

1. Adjust GPU settings:
   • Toggle vsync
   • Try different pvr values
   • Modify gpu_allow_invalid_fetch_constants
   • Adjust half_pixel_offset
2. Enable debugging features:
   • Use --trace_gpu_stream to capture rendering issues
   • Enable --dump_shaders to analyze shader problems
   • Check logs for error messages
3. Update Xenia:
   • Use the latest Xenia Canary build
   • Check if your issue is already fixed in recent commits

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Report Issues

If you encounter problems:

1. Check the compatibility list first
2. Search existing issues to avoid duplicates
3. Report with detailed information:
   • Exact Xenia version/commit
   • Game title and Title ID
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Log files and screenshots
   • System specifications

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Known Limitations

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Compatibility Progress

Xenia compatibility improves continuously thanks to:

• Active development by the core team
• Community contributions and testing
• Better understanding of Xbox 360 hardware
• Improved emulation accuracy
• Bug fixes and optimizations

Check the GitHub repository for the latest development progress.

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Testing Guidelines

When testing games for compatibility:

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Before Testing

• Use the latest Xenia Canary build
• Start with default configuration
• Ensure game files are complete and not corrupted
• Check if the game is already listed in the compatibility database

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During Testing

• Test beyond the main menu (many games crash after starting)
• Try different game modes if available
• Note specific issues with timestamps or locations
• Take screenshots of problems
• Save log files for analysis

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Reporting Results

• Be specific about what works and what doesn’t
• Include version information (Xenia build, game version)
• Note any configuration changes from default
• Attach relevant screenshots and logs
• Update your report if issues are fixed in newer builds

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Resources