Developers are now able to emulate PS2 games on the Xbox Series X and S with the Retroarch emulator – the PlayStation 5, the successor to the PS2.

Thanks to the “Developer Mode” for the Xbox Series X / S Consoles Emulation software can be added as a Universal Windows application (UWA), Allows users to download a retail version of emulation software directly to their console without strategic fixes, so players do not have to wait for the re-release to play the old favorite.

Although the Retro Arch can emulate many different consoles, the compatibility to run PS2 games with the PCSX 2 core is particularly limited, as Sony’s PlayStation 5 is limited backwards compatibility compared to the Xbox. The new console is compatible with native backwards compatible with PlayStation 4 games (with some caveats), and Sony currently only offers the option to play PS3 and PS2 games using the PS3 game streaming service.

It should be noted that Microsoft does not officially support this type of emulation and PCSX 2 support is still in progress, but early results with Retro Arch are exciting: despite a limit on file sizes, PS2 games work almost the same standard as they did on the original console.

The process of adding Retroarch to your Xbox using Developer Mode A little complicated. You must pay a $ 19 registration fee to become part of Microsoft’s developer program, and then download the “Dave Mode Activation” application from the Xbox Store. Once the app is downloaded and running, you can connect to your Xbox from a web browser using your local network and add Retro Arch UWA files. This UWA retroarch is limited by a file size cap that can prevent you from running games larger than 2 GB.

The latest and easiest method created by the programmer “Tunip 3” Cover first Ars Technica. The Tunip 3 method uses the retail version of Retro Arc, which is listed as a “private app” in the Xbox Store. By adding player emails to a whitelist, the full version of Retro Arc can be downloaded directly to your Xbox with a single code. This method removes the file size limitations that come with a developer UWA application, which means more games are compatible – until Microsoft eliminates these loopholes.

With retroarch in the new Xbox, there is now strong evidence that these older consoles can emulate the next generation of hardware. In fact, Microsoft already relies on an emulator built to run Xbox and Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S. For PlayStation games, the ball is in Sony’s court, and it’s not yet clear what it intends to offer. Back-to-back compatibility option on PS5 beyond cloud streaming.