Someone ported the OG Xbox dashboard to PC, and yes, it launches Steam games

Someone ported the OG Xbox dashboard to PC, and yes, it launches Steam games

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Summary

  • OG Xbox dashboard ported to PC – the true reverse-engineered dashboard for pure nostalgia.

  • Adds Steam integration via Title Maker – import games with titles, images and descriptions.

  • Available on TeamUIX – download it now, but it’s “very buggy, very beta” and the repositories are private.

I admit it; there’s something about the vibe that consoles had back in the OG Xbox days that I desperately want to get back to. Not just Xbox, but PS2, GameCube and even Dreamcast; for me, it was back when consoles still had that fun and whimsy before gaming got too serious and companies stopped doing fun things with their devices.

Well, if you want to go back to those days, someone ported the original Xbox Dashboard to PC. Not recreated. Not reinvented. Port it directly to people’s computers so you can run it yourself. And the best part is that with a little DIY, you can also install your Steam games on it.

Don’t get too excited, but Xbox 360 games could be coming to PC, says leaker

Please be real.

This OG ported Xbox launcher is going to be my fascination for next week

Okay, maybe two weeks

A screenshot of the original Xbox splash screen. Credit: Fox Die Gaming

As spotted by Windows Central, this incredible feat was demonstrated by @dtoxmilenko on real Original Xbox dashboard, reverse engineered and cobbled together to work on computers. This is as close as you can get to the real deal without booting up the console.

Reverse engineering also allowed developers to add additional features. For example, @dtoxmilkenko demonstrated an integration with Steam, where they imported a handful of their games using Title Maker. Now their Xbox dashboard has a dedicated Steam category and their games have a title, image and description. Incredible stuff.

If you want to try it yourself, head over to the TeamUIX website and download it now. Be warned; the website says it’s currently “very buggy, very beta” and that the repositories are private, but I think that’s a small price to pay for the feeling of restarting Halo: Combat Evolved for the first time.

Steam Big Picture mode running on a TV.

I’m using SteamOS on a non-Steam mini PC, and it’s a better home console than I expected

Steam offers excellent gaming experiences.