maftymanicemu/dukex

DukeX is an experimental iPhone and iPad app that emulates the original Xbox game console. Emulation means running a software copy of one computer's hardware on a different computer, so games written for the original Xbox can run on an iOS device. The project does not write its own emulator from scratch. It builds on xemu, an existing open-source Xbox emulator, and wraps the xemu engine in a native Swift interface designed for the iPhone screen. The README is firm that DukeX does not ship with any Xbox system files, game images, or signing certificates. Users must supply their own legally obtained BIOS, MCPX ROM, hard disk image, and XISO game disc images. The project frames itself as a preservation tool and explicitly says it is not designed for use with pirated content. Graphics use xemu's Vulkan renderer routed through MoltenVK, a layer that translates Vulkan calls into Apple's Metal API, and then presented through a native Metal layer on screen. The app supports portrait and landscape modes, includes a SwiftUI library with cover art and several sort options, accepts MFi-style controllers through Apple's GameController APIs, and exposes user-accessible folders for BIOS files, ROMs, covers, game configs, and shader caches through the standard iOS file sharing interface. There is a built-in FPS and system statistics HUD for testing. A key constraint is JIT, just-in-time compilation, which the emulator needs for performance. On iOS 18.x the app uses a write-or-execute reprotection flow after JIT is enabled. On iOS 26 or later it requires a separate tool called StikDebug with a Universal.js script assigned to the DukeX bundle ID. The target is iPhoneOS arm64 with iOS 18.0 or later, and builds are distributed through GitHub Releases and AltStore or SideStore sources for sideloading rather than through the App Store. The repository keeps the QEMU and xemu source tree at the root because the upstream build expects that layout, with iOS-specific code under ios/, store metadata under altsource/, and docs under docs/ios-port/. DukeX is not affiliated with Microsoft, Xbox, or the xemu project.