It's long been a dream to play PlayStation games on Xbox consoles and vice versa, which would effectively end the debate over console exclusives and the like. However, there's never been a legitimate way to get games to cross over between consoles, though an emulator is now making it possible to play certain classic PlayStation games on Xbox Series X, with performance boosts to boot.
While fans might dream of playing PS5 games on Xbox Series X, that's not what's happening here. Rather, as noted by VGC, the DuckStation emulator is making it possible to play PS1 games on the Xbox Series X, boosting their framerates beyond what was previously possible. In fact, the emulator is capable of boosting games by up to 16 times their original resolution, allowing them to run at even beyond 4K 60 FPS.
RELATED: SNES Emulator Developer Takes Own Life Following Online Harassment
A video from Modern Vintage Gamer demonstrates the DuckStation in action on an Xbox Series S. It's admittedly strange seeing the iconic PlayStation boot menu on an Xbox console, but it seems to be running exceptionally well. Modern Vintage Gamer's video shows a number of classic games running on the system through emulation software, from Final Fantasy 7 to Ridge Racer. The video is an impressive demonstration of what DuckStation is capable of, so it's worth checking out for emulation enthusiasts.
DuckStation is open source and is available for anyone with an Xbox Series X, Series S, or even an Xbox One. However, anyone that wants to use the software on the console will have to have developer mode enabled. Enabling developer mode isn't necessarily difficult to do, but it is an extra step that some users might not be comfortable with.
The preservation of classic games has been a highly debated topic over the past few years, as the shift to digital marketplaces calls into question how games will be backed up when digital stores are turned off. The most recent example was the proposed PS3, PSP, and PS Vita store shutdown, which gamers reacted poorly to. Ultimately, PlayStation decided to keep the PS3 and PS Vita stores online, a move that has been praised in the time since. Emulation keeps games playable, but the legality of the practice regularly gets called into question.
Regardless, DuckStation is an interesting piece of emulation software thanks to the added performance benefits. It might not be the "original" way that the games being boosted were presented, but smoother frame rates and higher resolutions are difficult to argue against.
MORE: The Secret Potential of the Steam Deck Could Be Emulation
Source: VGC
