hakuX 1.2.0 adds system link and XLink Kai to the Android original Xbox emulator, plus fixes for Doom 3, Silent Hill 2 and GTA III

hakuX is moving fast. Developer rfandango released 1.2.0 of the Android original Xbox emulator on October 26, two days after 1.1.0 (October 24) and three after the 1.0.0 overhaul (October 23). If you missed those, our hakuX 1.0 and 1.1 write-up covers the new FEX-based core and the move beyond Adreno.

What's new in 1.2.0

• System link over your network (Settings → Network → System link): hakuX devices on the same Wi-Fi find each other the way Xboxes do on a LAN. Devices on another subnet or a VPN like Tailscale or ZeroTier can be added by address.
• XLink Kai: with an XLink Kai engine running on a computer on your network, system link goes online.
• Console identity: each console gets its own serial number, network address and online key.
• Game fixes: Doom 3 no longer crashes at the main menu, Silent Hill 2 no longer crashes loading a room, GTA III no longer shows its bad-disc screen, and Splinter Cell: Double Agent no longer closes on boot. Sega GT 2002, Fatal Frame II, Ultimate Spider-Man, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, AirForce Delta Storm, Project Gotham Racing 2 and Dungeons & Dragons Heroes get fixes too.
• Fewer stutters with Turnip, and controllers can connect or disconnect mid-game without a restart.

How it runs

Retro Dodo tested hakuX on the Retroid Pocket Duo and Pocket Nova and says about 80% of the handful of games it tried ran well, with Halo: Combat Evolved and Jet Set Radio Future at 30 fps or better. Fable and Halo 2 needed work: installing Turnip drivers improved them. VideoCardz also reports the developer getting playable results in Forza Motorsport, Ninja Gaiden Black and Project Gotham Racing 2. We haven't tested 1.2.0 ourselves yet; when we do, results will go in the compatibility database.

What you need

An arm64 Android device with Vulkan. Adreno is still the main target, and Mali, Xclipse and PowerVR support has been experimental since 1.1.0. Per the project's README, no BIOS, MCPX ROM or hard disk image is needed, just your own game images (ISO or XISO) dumped from discs you own. hakuX is free software under the GPL v3 or later. It isn't on Google Play: get the 1.2.0 APK from the project's GitHub releases, and it checks for updates by itself.

Sources: hakuX 1.2.0 release notes on GitHub, hakuX README on GitHub, VideoCardz, Retro Dodo, Play It Again. Facts verified against the original reports; written by Overclocked.