This page is for the first Xbox system, not the series of consoles. For this, see Microsoft Xbox 360, Microsoft Xbox One, and Microsoft Xbox Series X and S.

Whether these emulators support operating systems for these consoles is unknown; it must be looked into further. Consoles without meaningful OSes are not included.

http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html

3DO Comp. 3DO – 3DOx Alpha

Atari 2600 – Stella Xbox, Z26X

Atari Lynx – LynXBox, mednafen, HandyX

Bandai WonderSwan (Color) – rarch, WonderSwanX

Coleco ColecoVision – AdamX, KolekoX

NEC TurboGrafx-16 – HuGoX v10, MednafenX-PCE, XPCE-X, rarch

Nintendo 64 – Surreal64, PJ64-X, Daedalus X

Nintendo DS – DesmumeX 0.87

https://www.1emulation.com/forums/topic/35774-desmumex-v087-new-update

Nintendo Entertainment System - FCEUltraX, NestopiaX, MednafenX, Nester X, XNES, rarch

Super Nintendo Entertainment System – ZsnexBox, xSnes9x, Snes9Xbox, Snes9x X, rarch

Nintendo Game Boy (Color) – XBoyAdvance, GBAX001, eXtremeGB, Gnuboy, rarch

Nintendo Game Boy Advance – XBoyAdvance, ARM2x86/GBA, U-VBAx, GBAX001, rarch

Nintendo Pokémon Mini – PokemonMiniX

Nintendo Virtual Boy - XVBoy

Sega Genesis – NeoGenesis, Xenesis, Dgen, Gens_xport, Gens-x, rarch

Sega Master System – DegaBox, MekaX, Dega-X, Centipede, Kaster-X, SMSPlusX, rarch

Sega Saturn – Yabause Community Edition

https://digiex.net/threads/yabause-community-edition-public-a1-0-download-sega-saturn-emulator-for-xbox.13685/

Sony PlayStation 1 – PCSXBox

patches and binaries currently support Darwin 8.0.1 only

Levels of function unknown, but it boots and has text interfacing.

http://web.archive.org/web/20090219230924/http://xbox-linux.org/wiki/Darwin

working directly from the CD without the need to install or change

A liveCD based distro with official Xbox support, among others.

http://web.archive.org/web/20090312061622/http://dynebolic.org/

This device runs an operating system which is known to emulate various devices with EOPs. See the AmigaOS, Classic Mac OS, DOS, MSX, and SHARP x68000 series pages.

Fedora Core for the Xbox.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbox-linux/files/Fedora/

http://web.archive.org/web/20090308005358/http://legacy.not404.com/XFedora4

you can fetch patches for FreeBSD 5.4-RELEASE and 6.0-BETA1

In a state presumably more developed than OpenBSD.

https://www.freebsd.org/platforms/xbox/

https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/16ff7n/xbox_i386_still_supported/

http://web.archive.org/web/20081216090905/http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/FreeBSD/Main_Page

Gentoo now officially includes support for the xbox via an x86 system profile

Non-tailored Gentoo install that was “official” from the Gentoo project.

http://web.archive.org/web/20080910213128/http://gentoo-wiki.com/Gentoo_for_Xbox

/experimental/x86/xbox/ on 2006-8 gentoo mirrors

a patch system created from the ground up

The “other” seemingly prestige linux distro for Xbox. Custom tailored for Xbox.

https://gentoox.shallax.com/

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbox-linux/files/Gentoox/

Hard to find much about this, but some files remain.

http://ftp.riken.jp/NetBSD/misc/jmcneill/xbox/

The project is finished now (the port is not completely finished)

Not utterly finished, but all important functions are available except an X server.

http://undeadly.org/cgi?action=article&sid=20070706150902

http://web.archive.org/web/20081211183250/http://tobias.schroepf.de/doku/doku.php?id=xbox:porting_openbsd_to_the_xbox

Whether these emulators support operating systems for these computers is unknown; it must be looked into further. PCs without meaningful OSes are not included.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IePzKSqLKcY (past 31:00)

http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html

Amstrad CPCs - ArnoldX 5, CoinOPS

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Emulators

Apple IIs - kegsX V5, Apple ][ soul captor

Atari 8-bits - AtariXLBox V8.05b

Atari STs – WinSTonX

CHIP-8 – Chip8X

https://digiex.net/threads/chip8x-v4-download-chip8-superchip8-emulator-for-xbox.13730/

Commodore 64 - Vice64 XV11, Frodo-X

Commodore Amigas - WinUAEx lite v19, UAE-X

Commodore PETs - VicePETX

Commodore VIC-20 - Vice20X

MSXs – BlueMSXBox, FMSXbox

Sharp X68000s - X68000X v6

Sinclair ZX Spectrums - DidntXSpectrum 5, FuseX, DreamSPEC, SpeXtrum

x86 – DOSXbox, Bochs

Mandrake Linux 9.0 as a host operating system and ran Windows 2000 within a virtual PC

Anything you could run on such old hardware with QEMU, like Win98 and Win2000.

http://www.psphacker.com/run-windows-98-on-the-xbox/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-make-xbox-into-a-windows-pc/

ReactOS can be either installed to your Xbox or started via Live CD

Got a lot of work done in the mid 2000s, and has now been revived in the past months.

https://reactos.org/wiki/Xbox_Port

https://reactos.org/wiki/Xbox_Port_Tests

https://reactos.org/wiki/Xbox_Port_Roadmap

https://reactos.org/wiki/Install_ReactOS_on_Xbox

Not much to see here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7hRb2BXL1A (better vid)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEK7j7fOGQ

It is based on the SLAX LiveCD

Slackware SLAX-based similarly lightweight variant of Linux.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/sxb/

http://web.archive.org/web/20051211210329/http://www.keckstar.com/nuke/html/index.php

a version of GNU/Linux for the Xbox

The source of all these distros, being the project started for kernel ports and such, plus a compatible dual boot BIOS.

https://xboxdevwiki.net/Main_Page (OG wiki mirror)

https://github.com/XboxDev/cromwell

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbox-linux/

http://web.archive.org/web/20090314115049/http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Main_Page

A tiny Linux distribution that basically only runs rsyncd” (2nd link only)

Recent attempts of bringing back contributions to Linux on the Xbox, including experiments with porting 3.x and 4.x kernels.

https://github.com/XboxDev/xbox-linux

https://www.antoneliasson.se/journal/xbox-linux-pc-bios-xbox-hybrid-bootable-iso/

small (currently about 50mb) but fully functional Linux distribution

A variant of DamnSmallLinux for the Xbox, that seems quite fully featured for it’s size.

http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/09/install-linux-xdsl-on-original-xbox-via.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20090517073749/http://www.x-dsl.org/wiki/Main_Page

https://www.xbmc4xbox.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=566 (best vers?)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbox-linux/files/X-DSL/

Xebian comes as a bootable live CD which is used for installing the base system

Similar to other distro variants, this is customized for the Xbox. SSH and X available.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbox-linux/files/Ed_s%20Xebian/

http://web.archive.org/web/20090311005221/http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xebian

Hard to load info on this, but it does work for the classic Macintosh Systems.

https://digiex.net/threads/xmac-beta-v0-2-download-macintosh-plus-emulator-for-xbox.13765/

https://web.archive.org/web/20081018234456/http://www.darcelf.tk/ (glitchy site)

Xbox-enabled version of Ubuntu

A custom tailored version of 2008 Ubuntu for the Xbox. Unrelated to lightweight Xubuntu.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbox-linux/files/xUbuntu/

http://web.archive.org/web/20090130045047/http://xbox-linux.org/wiki/XUbuntu

Things listed on the consolemods linux wiki page.

https://consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox:Linux

None of these were very good, considering the functionality of internet browsing on the linux installs.

https://digiex.net/threads/linksboks-v0-99-download-xbox-web-browser.13825/

For general information, see the Game Console Revisions Overview.

Huge thanks to the ConsoleMods.org Xbox Wiki for supplying a lot of this information. They're in the sidebar for a reason!

There is one version of this console.

The first Xbox console. 4 controller ports up front, a power button and DVD drive. AC, Ethernet, and AV to the back, with a hard drive inside. This setup stayed the same across the Xbox’s life, with the only external change being to the DVD drive’s tray. This is important, as it allows the user to identify which DVD drive it is. Thomson: U shape. Phillips: U, with a wider-than-U circle at the tray’s center. Samsung: weird “U” with angles on the left/right, plus two large nearby circles. Hitachi: wide “U” with two small distant circles to the left/right. One can check the excellent /r/originalxbox/wiki/revision link for a visual guide. Generally, the Thomsons suck, the Samsungs were well regarded (ish), the Phillips should be OK, and the Hitachis are in 1.6s only, but might be OK. Remember, you can swap DVD drives, sometimes from other devices (PC DVD drives, for example), as the stock ones are all hit-or-miss in quality and reliability.

There are five revisions within the Xbox.

Likely the least reliable Xbox revision, but it’s one of the best for EOPs. These systems feature a GPU fan, a bad PSU, and the worst DVD drive of all Xboxes. However, they feature the Conexant video encoder, which is seemingly the best quality over component (don’t use RGB, 480i res cap). They also have a 1MB TSOP chip, which is the system BIOS is. A 1MB TSOP chip allows more versatility in flashing a new BIOS, although this also can be done on a modchip. Lastly, there’s open RAM slots, which allows upgrading up to 256MB (from 64). Remember, this rev has the leaky clock capacitors (as for the others except 1.6/some 1.4s). Overall, the reliability of these may be poor, but most of the weak parts (DVD, fan, PSU, caps) can be replaced. For EOPs, they’re quite great. To identify: Manufactured from 01/01/2001 - 07/31/2002. Serial number: LNNNNNN 20/21/23XXX (only the 2nd part matters; some 23s are 1.1). Kernel versions 3944, 4034, 4036, and 4627.

RECOMMENDED OVERALL

For the most part, these are similar to the 1.0, except the GPU fan is gone, the DVD drive might be better, maybe the PSU is better, and the USB controller isn’t a separate PCB. In other words, these have the Conexant, a 1MB TSOP, and the additional RAM slots. Plus, they’re a bit quieter and cooler than the 1.0s. This makes these systems one of the best for EOPs. Remember to swap the leaky clock capacitors! To identify: Manuf. 08/18/2002 – 01/25/2003. Serial 2nd half starts with 23-25. Kernel either 4817 or 4972.

With these systems, some things have changed significantly, mainly the TSOP shrinking to 256KB. The PSU is also a more conventional ATX type, making replacement easier. Not much else is different, although they are a bit quieter and cooler than the 1.1s. RAM can still be added, as for the ability to modchip. The 1.3’s are identical, except one irrelevant LPC pin has been removed. Remember to swap the leaky clock capacitors! To identify: Manuf. 12/01/2002 – 07/26/2003. Serial 2nd half starts with 30-32. Kernel either 5101, 5530, or 5713 (shared with 1.4/1.5s).

More has changed with these systems, and they don’t appear to be good changes. First of all, the TSOP is still 256KB. The video encoder has been changed to the Focus encoder, which doesn’t have the best reputation (although some may prefer it). Furthermore, modchips and RAM additions both will work. Also, many of these will not have the leaky clock capacitors, but check anyways. 1.5s most likely don’t exist, and if they were produced, it was only for a very short period of time. To identify: Manuf. 07/23/2003 – 04/10/2004. Serial 2nd half starts with 33. Kernel either 5101, 5530, or 5713 (shared with 1.2/1.3s).

BEST RELIABILITY

Easily the least desirable for EOPs. These systems have underwent serious motherboard changes, in a way that cripples hardware modding for all but the most devoted (ie. modchipping is very hard). One cannot even add more RAM. Continuing on, the XCalibur encoder in these systems cannot handle 480p output without difficulty; oddly though, they do RGB (not YPbPr) better than earlier revisions… without >480i res. Anyway, “b” revisions also use a low quality type of RAM. However, this revision is quiet and reliable, and it doesn’t have the notorious leaky clock capacitors; it’s worth considering for a non-EOP user. Since those bad caps were swapped, don’t replace them for now. To identify: Manuf. 03/14/2004 - 09/06/2004; 09/13/2004 - ? (1.6b). Serial 2nd half starts with 41, 43 for 1.6b. Kernel version: 5838. Shielding visible on bottom of AV port.

LOWEST PRICE couldn’t be assigned.

https://www.retrorgb.com/xbox.html

https://consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox:Versions (easy identification, read for DVD drives!)

https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=64176 (1.6 component sucks, RGB better)

https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/comments/g53d41/what_are_advantages_of_tsop/

https://www.ogxbox.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1515-which-version-of-the-original-xbox-is-the-best-10-12-13-14-15-or-16/ (pro-1.0/1.1 take)

https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/comments/8bwi5k/favorite_xbox_revision/ (various takes)

https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/comments/e1zloe/best_motherboard_revision_and_components/ (pro-1.1 take)

https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/comments/eq3b9e/best_motherboard_revision_and_dvd_ranking/ (anti-1.0 take)