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Retro EMULATORS for Xbox Series X|S / One - Download Links, NO MODDING, NO DEV-MODE

Fredrik

Member
yeah, it's actually weird that Microsoft has such an issue with it. pretty sure they are scared for no reason. retroarch is everywhere so third party devs wouldn't really care I think... but I think Microsoft thinks they would

an official version would be amazing
Yup.
Emulation is a touchy subject though, even here, so I guess I can understand it. But everything people are playing is super old anyway and few games are sold on any digital stores, talk is mostly PR for the devs.
 

oldergamer

Member
so i think MS realized and now both the builds i installed app or game for retroarch stopped working and refuse to launch
 

01011001

Banned
Sucks that missed out on this. :(

So do new versions keep popping up?

we have to see. it could be that MS will close these backdoors but you always have the option to use dev mode, which is of course less convenient
 
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01011001

Banned
HOW TO GET WHITELISTED FOR RETAIL!

so getting it without a whitlist is off the table atm. but getting whitelisted is not that hard! just follow these steps (which I will also add to the OP) and you are good to go within about a day or two (the guy is doing this by hand... and he is also updating builds so you will actually get patches for these)

while there is no current way to get Retroarch without a whitelist anymore (maybe someone will reupload again soon, and I will add a link if that happens)
you can still get whitelisted if you join Dom's Discord and fill the whitelist form to get whitelisted

Click the link below to join the server.
Dom's Discord Server

once you have joined click here
retail-start-here (discord.com)

the site has a tutorial on how to download and setup the basics for Xbox One and Series X

but here's also a video tutorial from the whitelist guys:
How to get RetroArch on Xbox RETAIL MODE! - YouTube

here is the website you will need to use ON YOUR XBOX to download all the homebrew that is on there. they have a working port of AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake)!!! and a standalone port of PPSSPP which is more stable than the Retroarch build, and they have standalone Duckstation (a PS1 emulator) which could also be more stable, especially on Xbox One systems
gamr13 - repo

LIMITATIONS FOR THIS METHOD:
you will need to be online for it to even launch! because this is seen as a review sample it doesn't function like any other normal app or game on xbox. so basically this is always online!
also, uploading video clips you take or screenshots will not work, you'll just get an error

It can be that his dev account gets removed. look out in the discord for info on that. if that happens you will need to download a new version of Retroarch manually (which also means setting it up again sadly) if you want new updates (your already installed version will still work tho! I have a super old whitelist version of a removed account on my system that still works without issue). so look out for that on the gamr13s-announcements (discord.com) page of the discord server! he will link the new site if that happens or just update the old one. (he will also announce when the new wave of white lists are going live! just scroll all the way to the bottom)
this isn't the end of the world tho, the non-whitelisted version will never get updates for example, so this whitelist way you at least have access to updates even if it could mean you need to reinstall if you actually want it... but for now the app will simply update automatically like any normal game would

setting everything up again isn't that hard tho. you can basically just copy/paste most of your settings to the new install (I did that with the non-whitelist version over from my old outdated whitelist version just the other day and was up and running within 10min)
 
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01011001

Banned
eh mine just goes to a blank grey image 😭

that is weird. do you use Instant on or Power Saving mode on your xbox?

if you use instant on... don't... never do that. and if you do try to do a full reboot of the console

my tip for you, if it doesn't work even after a reboot, follow the whitelisting guide and get that version instead. because I don't think you can redownload/reinstall the deleted version (although maybe you can???)

edit: also, are you in the Xbox Insider program? as in, do you use pre release system updates on your Xbox? because that can have issues with some games, and Retroarch, being somewhat of a backdoor install, would never get tested by Microsoft so these apps can have issues in beta firmware updates

edit2: what could have also happened is that you accidentally screwed up some settings. so to test if that's the case, try starting Retroarch with a different Xbox account. if you do that this account will use basically a blank slate... if this works there's something wrong with your settings. in which case you could try to delete your save file of Retroarch on your main account.
 
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FlyyGOD

Member
I was able to download retroarch before MS took it out of the store. Sadly my 4 TB WD external drive stopped working 3 days later. My series x is not recognizing my external drive anymore. Anyone know a fix?
 

01011001

Banned
I was able to download retroarch before MS took it out of the store. Sadly my 4 TB WD external drive stopped working 3 days later. My series x is not recognizing my external drive anymore. Anyone know a fix?

I have Retroarch on an external 2TB drive, also by WD, and have no issues. this could be/it most likely is unrelated and simply a failing harddrive

you could try to plug it into a PC and reformat it.

or unplug it, reboot the xbox, and plug it in after it has fully booted to see if it does something
 
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Bojanglez

The Amiga Brotherhood
I have Retroarch on an external 2TB drive, also by WD, and have no issues. this could be/it most likely is unrelated and simply a failing harddrive

you could try to plug it into a PC and reformat it.

or unplug it, reboot the xbox, and plug it in after it has fully booted to see if it does something
In think he's asking if there is another way to get retroarch on his console, now that the HDD that it was on is dead?
 
that is weird. do you use Instant on or Power Saving mode on your xbox?

if you use instant on... don't... never do that. and if you do try to do a full reboot of the console

my tip for you, if it doesn't work even after a reboot, follow the whitelisting guide and get that version instead. because I don't think you can redownload/reinstall the deleted version (although maybe you can???)

edit: also, are you in the Xbox Insider program? as in, do you use pre release system updates on your Xbox? because that can have issues with some games, and Retroarch, being somewhat of a backdoor install, would never get tested by Microsoft so these apps can have issues in beta firmware updates

edit2: what could have also happened is that you accidentally screwed up some settings. so to test if that's the case, try starting Retroarch with a different Xbox account. if you do that this account will use basically a blank slate... if this works there's something wrong with your settings. in which case you could try to delete your save file of Retroarch on your main account.
Great post, I will give this a go asap, I was an insider, so I've just cancelled and left.that, I'll see if I can get it sorted.
 

bronk

Banned
How do N64 games play? Thats all I care about. I assume N64 emulation is crappy? Its been awhile since ive emulated N64 but it was always pretty bad.
 

01011001

Banned
How do N64 games play? Thats all I care about. I assume N64 emulation is crappy? Its been awhile since ive emulated N64 but it was always pretty bad.

the more popular games should run no issue, but yes N64 is still a crapshoot when it comes to emulation
 

Harlock

Member
Finally NeoGeo games are working. I used a neogeo.zip bios of 1.740kb in the Retroarch System folder. Running on Final Burn Neo core.

nv67iJw.png
 

01011001

Banned
Finally NeoGeo games are working. I used a neogeo.zip bios of 1.740kb in the Retroarch System folder. Running on Final Burn Neo core.

nv67iJw.png

I had issues with some NeoGeo titles. many run perfectly but sone didn't launch. I yet gotta try with the new version tho so maybe this fixes it
 

Calverz

Member
Hey guys. I’m having issues with when I try to scan directory to add ps1 games it just gets stuck on the loading bar. I can add them through the manual scan option, but unfortunately, this adds each individual track to the list. For example air combat hs over 40tracks.
Any ideas why it gets stuck?
 

01011001

Banned
Hey guys. I’m having issues with when I try to scan directory to add ps1 games it just gets stuck on the loading bar. I can add them through the manual scan option, but unfortunately, this adds each individual track to the list. For example air combat hs over 40tracks.
Any ideas why it gets stuck?

not sure why this might happen, but if you want an easier way to manage PS1 titles in general, I would suggest converting them to/using PSP .PBP files.

most PS1 emulators can read .PBP files (usually called EBOOT files, because that's what you have to name them to actually use them on PSP, you don't have to using an emulator)

with .PBP files you have a single file for every game

here's a video on how to convert games (ignore the part where the PSP comes into play)
 
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Calverz

Member
not sure why this might happen, but if you want an easier way to manage PS1 titles in general, I would suggest converting them to/using PSP .PBP files.

most PS1 emulators can read .PBP files (usually called EBOOT files, because that's what you have to name them to actually use them on PSP, you don't have to using an emulator)

with .PBP files you have a single file for every game

here's a video on how to convert games (ignore the part where the PSP comes into play)

Cool might give this a try.
 

01011001

Banned
You can use the game bar of the console to record gameplay and upload to xbox live like any game?

if you use the non-whitelist version then yes it seems to work.

for whitelisted versions no, as they are seen by Xbox Live as a preview code, and therefore they lock that function down. you cans till record I think, but not upload in that case.
 

01011001

Banned
after downloading the whitelist version I highly suggest gettig that version btw.

its on version 1.9.7 (non whitelisted is 1.9.5) and has more up to date cores.

PS2 runs ridiculously good for me now in games that had slowdowns in 1.9.5

setting everything up again should be no issue, especially if you use most of your games via a usb drive. jusz copy/paste your playlists into the new install and it's all already set up for the most part.

you can also replace the PCSX2 memory cards with your old ones in the PCSX2 folder of your current install. save states from other consoles also can be carried over by just copying them over to the new version

the guy who does the whitelistings also provides a well made basic config file for both Xbox One and Series consoles (although some stuff isn't set up optimally. for example you should set the analog sensitivity in the input settings to 1.2 because some PS2 games will need that to function properly)
 
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Fredrik

Member

Oh wow didn’t realize PS2 was possible. I have no experience in the PS2 version of SOTC though, except a crappy demo that ran at like 15fps. How bad is it compared to playing on original hardware?
I’d love to revisit Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance
 
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nkarafo

Member
How do N64 games play? Thats all I care about. I assume N64 emulation is crappy? Its been awhile since ive emulated N64 but it was always pretty bad.
When was the last time you tried?

Mupen64plus-next in Vulkan mode and the Parallel RDP/RSP plugins in the core options is great, close to 100% compatibility, if you don't take into account various timing issues. Not sure if this option exists for the Series X.

Same with m64p, though this one is a standalone for Windows.

N64 emulation is nothing like 10 years ago. As long as you stay away from crap like the Raspberry Pi and mobile phone devices and emulate the system on a powerful device to handle LLE.
 

JCK75

Member
the more popular games should run no issue, but yes N64 is still a crapshoot when it comes to emulation

I always find the real issue with N64 emulation is that some games use the Yellow directional buttons as a D-pad so it works best to use the tight thumbstick in place of it, or they use it as actual command buttons which becomes a real PITA when mapping them.
 

Esppiral

Member
Oh wow didn’t realize PS2 was possible. I have no experience in the PS2 version of SOTC though, except a crappy demo that ran at like 15fps. How bad is it compared to playing on original hardware?
I’d love to revisit Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance
It is not perfect but it runs way better than on real hardware.
 

Lillie

Member
gamr13's website no longer redirects to download the app when on the xbox. I was going to update the client to 1.9.7 since i'm on 1.9.4 this way since i'm whitelisted but i guess the store took it down?
 
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01011001

Banned
gamr13's website no longer redirects to download the app when on the xbox. I was going to update the client to 1.9.7 since i'm on 1.9.4 this way since i'm whitelisted but i guess the store took it down?

I just downloaded it from there yesterday. if they take his stuff down he usually will do an update on discord and soon after link a new download.

he wrote that he simply copies over his whitelist to the new account if that happens.

so if it's down again (which isn't the first time it seems) it will soon be replaced

edit: btw. if you are on 1.9.4 this means that the link you originally used had to be down for a while as well, since you will get patched for Retroarch for as long as the account he used when you first downloaded it isn't removed.

do you use the link in the OP? which I'll also link here:

also you have to click the link on your Xbox's browser AND only the whitelisted account can be logged into your xbox while downloading! this is important
 
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Lillie

Member
I just downloaded it from there yesterday. if they take his stuff down he usually will do an update on discord and soon after link a new download.

he wrote that he simply copies over his whitelist to the new account if that happens.

so if it's down again (which isn't the first time it seems) it will soon be replaced

edit: btw. if you are on 1.9.4 this means that the link you originally used had to be down for a while as well, since you will get patched for Retroarch for as long as the account he used when you first downloaded it isn't removed.

do you use the link in the OP? which I'll also link here:

also you have to click the link on your Xbox's browser AND only the whitelisted account can be logged into your xbox while downloading! this is important
yeah i use that link - no other accounts other than my whitelisted one is on the xbox
 

01011001

Banned
yeah i use that link - no other accounts other than my whitelisted one is on the xbox

maybe re-enlist to the whitelist? could be that some names weren't brought over from the last time he had to change accounts. because it really seems you downloaded your version from a different account he used otherwise you would have gotten multiple patches since the 1.9.4 version.

whitelisted versions can be patched by the uploader, you don't have to manually download a new version until the account is taken down
 

01011001

Banned
yeah i use that link - no other accounts other than my whitelisted one is on the xbox

so yeah I just tried downloading it and it brings me into the store like normal.

just to see if his account got locked again I downloaded AM2R from his site and it worked.

this has to he an issue on your end. I bet you are not whitelisted on his new account for some reason.
 
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Any helps guys, Xbox one x, I had the original retail app, that stopped loading up and just turned into a grey image, I've uninstalled it and removed myself from insider program, now I'm going to the newer link...but it's just a blank store page, so I need to be re shortlisted for the newer version??
 

01011001

Banned
Any helps guys, Xbox one x, I had the original retail app, that stopped loading up and just turned into a grey image, I've uninstalled it and removed myself from insider program, now I'm going to the newer link...but it's just a blank store page, so I need to be re shortlisted for the newer version??

the new list needs a whitelisting yes. if you fill out the form in the new tutorial in the first post, you will be whitelisted within 24 hours usually. if you are lucky it's faster. really just follow this video tutorial here, which is directly by the guy who does the whitelist version



being whitelisted there also gives you access to a port of AM2R
OIP.NCFx3C56cwvkIr6MIACoUwHaEK
 
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bronk

Banned
When was the last time you tried?

Mupen64plus-next in Vulkan mode and the Parallel RDP/RSP plugins in the core options is great, close to 100% compatibility, if you don't take into account various timing issues. Not sure if this option exists for the Series X.

Same with m64p, though this one is a standalone for Windows.

N64 emulation is nothing like 10 years ago. As long as you stay away from crap like the Raspberry Pi and mobile phone devices and emulate the system on a powerful device to handle LLE.
Its actually been quite awhile! Cool ill check these out
 
the new list needs a whitelisting yes. if you fill out the form in the new tutorial in the first post, you will be whitelisted within 24 hours usually. if you are lucky it's faster. really just follow this video tutorial here, which is directly by the guy who does the whitelist version



being whitelisted there also gives you access to a port of AM2R
OIP.NCFx3C56cwvkIr6MIACoUwHaEK

wehay it worked, had to get relisted for the new version all good apart from my games are gone haha.
 
the new list needs a whitelisting yes. if you fill out the form in the new tutorial in the first post, you will be whitelisted within 24 hours usually. if you are lucky it's faster. really just follow this video tutorial here, which is directly by the guy who does the whitelist version



being whitelisted there also gives you access to a port of AM2R
OIP.NCFx3C56cwvkIr6MIACoUwHaEK

I sent my whitelist form a few days ago. How do I know when/if I'm whitelisted? What do I do then?
 

01011001

Banned
I sent my whitelist form a few days ago. How do I know when/if I'm whitelisted? What do I do then?

click this link on your Xbox's Browser

on that site are all the homebrew apps available for people on his whitelist, to fully utilize Retroarch you'll need the FTP app as well.

if you are whitelisted your xbox will open the Store and send you to the store page of the app as soon as you click on one of the download buttons

everything else about how to set it up is either in my OP, or in the video by the guy in the post you quoted
 
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click this link on your Xbox's Browser

on that site are all the homebrew apps available for people on his whitelist, to fully utilize Retroarch you'll need the FTP app as well.

if you are whitelisted your xbox will open the Store and send you to the store page of the app as soon as you click on one of the download buttons

everything else about how to set it up is either in my OP, or in the video by the guy in the post you quoted

Thanks, brother! I hope I can figure out how to use this thing. I'm not a moron, but I'm not super IT literate.
 
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