Preface
Back in the mid-to-late 2000s, the Xbox 360 was the hottest topic in gaming, even after the PlayStation 3 launched a year later. Most of us didn’t know or care why at the time, but just about every multi-platform game ran better on the 360. The simple truth was that Microsoft’s console was easier to develop for right off the bat, while the PS3’s Cell architecture required developers to implement stringent workflows just to get the best out of the hardware.At the time, I was just some kid who preferred Sony PlayStation products. I fully trusted the brand to provide a high-end gaming experience, and if I’m being honest, I had been a massive PlayStation fanboy since the PS1 days. It didn’t matter that I knew more people with an Xbox 360 than a PS3; I cared more about sticking to my guns. In many ways, that loyalty bias remains today whenever I hear about PlayStation, even though I largely abandoned the console ecosystem for PC gaming around 2008.
One of the reasons I dropped consoles (the PS Vita and 3DS being my last true investments) was the sheer breadth of choices PC gaming provided: a far more enjoyable library of games and a limitless amount of peripherals, including OEM controllers. I even got to play some of the 360’s highly coveted exclusives, like Halo CE and Halo 2, on PC. Even today, I still cannot get into that franchise. But the general context is important because I’ve recently begun to temper those old biases, allowing myself to enjoy things without being overly analytical. I’ve been revisiting many late-2000s titles and enjoying them for what they were (which I wrote about in a previous article).
While this hasn’t changed my perception of modern games, it has given me fresh eyes to look back at the classics I missed.
This brings us to 2026. I recently bought an Xbox 360 on a whim after spotting it for $35 at a secondhand store. It seemed like the perfect way to grow my collection of 7th-generation hardware, especially since it aligns with my preference for offline gaming and is easy to bring and set up for local gaming gatherings.
The console itself was in surprisingly good, barely-used condition. Before I formatted the drive, I snooped through the previous owner’s profile. The last game he played was a Forza title with very few achievements unlocked, leading me to believe he bought the console, played it for a few weeks, and then stashed it away. Initially, I thought I had found a goldmine unit with an ancient firmware, but it was running the 2010 Kinect-era dashboard rather than the highly coveted “Blades” interface. Because of that, it wasn’t a total loss to wipe the drive and update the Xbox 360 to the latest firmware, allowing me to use the ABadAvatar exploit.
Exploration
I have to say, the initial softmodding process for the Xbox 360 feels a lot less tedious compared to the PS3. The PlayStation 3 relies on a semi-persistent method: you apply a modified firmware that lets you use the console with full retail features, and then simply enable HEN when you want to access the homebrew ecosystem. All of this stays on the system, and you never have to worry about it unless you update the console. On the flip side, the ABadAvatar exploit for the 360 is incredibly simple to execute; it is essentially a USB trigger that exploits data in the avatar. Once you complete the installation, you can immediately begin fiddling with homebrew and backups. The catch is that it isn’t permanent and must be triggered via the USB drive each time. There is an HDD version of the exploit that I haven’t tried yet which shows a lot of promise. While I’m not deeply ingrained in the Xbox 360 jailbreaking scene, the fact that ABadAvatar and ABadUpdate are relatively recent developments proves they are paving the way for even easier homebrew access in the future.With the system ready, Ultra Street Fighter IV was the first game I booted up. The Xbox 360 version is famous for being the superior port, boasting a more stable framerate and significantly less input delay than its Sony counterpart. This is exactly why the Xbox 360 was the tournament standard at EVO for the entire SF4 generation. I haven’t had a chance to compare the two versions side-by-side myself yet, as I am waiting for an Xbox component cable to arrive. I’m currently using an S-Video cable, and a graphical comparison simply wouldn’t be fair while one console has a lesser signal quality.
Speaking of video quality, because I am playing on a 4:3 CRT TV, I’ve noticed a handful of games strictly output a letterboxed 16:9 image. It looks absolutely awful when a game intended for 4:3 gets squished into forced 16:9 letterboxing, creating a smaller unplayable picture. I will be testing these games out on a modern gaming monitor soon to get a more reasonable impression. This aspect ratio headache isn’t exclusive to the Xbox 360, by the way; it was a common annoyance on the Wii and PS3 as well. These consoles were designed during a weird transitional period for displays, right as CRTs began experimenting with widescreen formats and just before the total domination of much more convenient LCD flat-screens.
Beyond Street Fighter, the first broader genres of games I sought out right away were fighters and SHMUPs. Based on my surface-level impressions and some community recommendations, I initially felt like I hadn’t missed out on anything truly special. However, one itch I really wanted to scratch with the 360 was comparing its overall performance against the PS3. Naturally, that performance gap becomes marginal when looking at multi-platform releases from the tail end of the 7th generation, as developers had finally figured out how to optimize for the PS3’s complex architecture.
Fighting the Controller DRM
When I first brought the console home, I quickly realized that the XInput on modern controllers like the Xbox Core Controller and Logitech F310 wouldn’t just plug and play. Even though they are XInput devices, the Xbox 360’s built-in controller DRM prevents them from working. Ironically, the only peripheral I already owned that was fully compatible out of the box was my custom DIY arcade stick.My setup uses a 16.5″ enclosure from AllFightSticks. The joystick is an OTTO V5 (formerly a JLX2), the primary six buttons are Seimitsu Alutimos with Cherry MX Speed Silver mechanical switches, and the rest are standard Sanwa OBSFs. But the most important part for true plug-and-play compatibility is the PCB. Because my stick has a Brook Ultimate Fighting Board Plus Retro, it natively bypasses the DRM and supports virtually every modern and retro console, including the Xbox 360.
If you are looking for an officially licensed, plug-and-play stick in 2026 without building one yourself, your best bet is hunting the secondhand market for 7th-generation arcade sticks like the Hori RAP EX or the later HRAP Pro V Kai. Places like ArcadeShock still sell replacement panels to refurbish them, and they are compatible with modern arcade parts as long as they fit the Sanwa or Seimitsu specifications.
Control
While my custom stick was absolutely perfect for my initial runs through fighting games and SHMUPs, I obviously couldn’t use it to play standard titles like Gears of War or Onechanbara.This brings up one of the most immediate consequences of playing on older, out-of-production consoles: dealing with the controller market. Finding original hardware usually means facing prices aimed at collectors or sellers trying to cash in on the retro reseller bubble. Even when you do find an OEM controller in good condition, they are rarely priced competitively against brand-new modern controllers due to their growing scarcity.
A few days after getting the console, I bypassed the secondhand market entirely and picked up a Brook Wingman Converter, specifically the XB1 model. For anyone looking to also play on Xbox 360, and maybe OG Xbox by extension, I highly recommend tracking down the XB1 or XB2. The newer XB3 model is overkill unless you also play on modern Xbox Series consoles, and keep in mind it actually removes compatibility for the OG Xbox.
This converter allows you to use almost any modern controller on the 360. I happen to have access to an OEM PlayStation 5 controller, and it ended up being the only pad I have that successfully syncs for wireless play. You simply plug the controller in via USB once to sync, and you’re good to go untethered. Admittedly, there is an irony in playing Xbox 360 games with a PlayStation controller, but it works perfectly. It’s also incredibly versatile across the board; Xbox One controllers work perfectly in wired mode. I’ve been told by a user on Reddit that these can be used wirelessly if you revert the controller firmware to an earlier version. Since I am on Linux and that process requires the Xbox Accessories app on Windows or a modern Xbox console, I cannot confirm this firsthand. However, it is a potential solution for those who want to avoid using a dedicated wireless dongle. The converter is also a lifesaver for standard XInput peripherals like the Logitech F310 and many others.
As it stands right now, I have not gotten around to updating the firmware on my XB1 because I am on Linux, so it might explain why the Nintendo Switch 2 controller registers the Player 1 LED but does not control anything in the menu. I may update this article if it turns out that having the latest Brook firmware allows you to plug the Switch 2 controller into the XB1. Otherwise, it’s probably a safer bet to just grab the XB2 or XB3; again, XB3 does not support OG Xbox.
If you are looking to replicate this setup, the older Wingman XB1 models can be tricky to find. I got mine directly from ArcadeShock and they retail for about $35 from them, though it wasn’t listed on their main website; you have to send them an email to request a custom invoice. If you go that route, tell them Kannibal sent you. Full disclosure: I actually work at ArcadeShock.
Impressions
Rather than feeling like a fun retro novelty, a part of me feels like I simply waited too long to get an Xbox 360. Take Gears of War, for example. I managed to enjoy it, but not in a way that hooked me for hours. Because I’ve already played so many of this generation’s defining titles on PC or PS3, there was very little new under the sun for me to discover. While my financial investment was negligible, I can’t help but feel overall underwhelmed by the prospects of what the library offers me today. Some of the other notable games I did try were Call of Duty: Black Ops, Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition, and the Tony Hawk games. While I appreciated revisiting these after a while, the novelty of playing them on Xbox 360 was not enough to do anything for me. I’m still installing and playtesting games, but I am struggling to find that one game to truly stick to.That isn’t to say there haven’t been standout experiences. Ultra Street Fighter IV, as mentioned earlier, is a game I still thoroughly enjoy running through Arcade Mode with using several characters. Dead or Alive 4 was another pleasant surprise. Because it was the final entry before the franchise adopted the idealized realism aesthetic of Dead or Alive 5, it sits exactly where you’d expect a mid-2000s fighter to be. Mechanically, it is much more fluid and deep, especially if you’re coming from Dead or Alive 2, even if it lacks the flashy cinematic presentation introduced in later sequels. Judged strictly on its own merits, it remains a very worthwhile game to experience firsthand.
But my absolute favorite pick out of everything I’ve checked out so far has to be Raiden Fighters Aces. It is a compilation consisting of three Raiden Fighters games that each provide a precision-based challenge, but thankfully avoids obliterating your irises with the slow, floating showers of bullets found in typical “bullet hell” shooters every half minute.
There are a handful of other games I also enjoyed, but at the end of the day, very little of the Xbox 360 experience was genuinely new to me.
Conclusion
Not that it was any trouble, but after all that, what I value the most in my initial Xbox 360 incursion is that I have obtained a new console to take to my video game gatherings. I am pretty sure people will appreciate, maybe more than I did, that we can enjoy the optimal versions of local multiplayer games. Another thing I am anticipating is that now that I have total access to the Xbox 360 library, I can check out other curiosities as I discover them through a recommendation or a simple mention.
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