YouTube channel Emulators and Gameplay HD shared a video recently of Xbox 360 Red Dead Redemption running much better through the Xenia Canary emulator than when it was released on the original hardware. Frame rates have improved a lot since the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation that Red Dead Redemption comes from, making the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S among the most optimized home consoles, while the Nintendo Switch maintains a high-quality portable experience. With these technological innovations done since the release of Red Dead Redemption, the emulation community has been able to bring a modern feel to the classic Rockstar title.
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Emulators and Gameplay HD’s video begins with the player standing in the doorway of one of the John Marston can reside in, and without leaving the entrance, an overlay shows that the older version has a changing FPS of around 38 while the GPU is at 38% and the CPU is a lower 33%. By comparison, the Xbox 360 emulation maintains between 76 and 80 FPS while the CPU fluctuates from 76 to 80%, and the GPU is working the slightest bit harder than it did with the older counterpart by spiking as high as 34%. Although the numbers on Emulators and Gameplay HD’s clip highlight the differences between the older client and the emulator, the gameplay that becomes a focus shows just how improved the game is with modern emulation.
The Xbox 360 emulator’s stats are significantly minimized in Emulators and Gameplay HD’s clip in favor of making the gameplay speak for itself in full screen, spotlighting only the impressive modern version of Red Dead Redemption from this point. The player navigates John Marston from the game’s starting area to the first city that fans will come across in the desert known as Armadillo. The ride from one location to another is enough to showcase the power of Xbox 360 emulation as the FPS easily doubles the alternative performance as it gets as high as 145 which makes the GPU run as much as 93% functionality and the CPU is much lower at 28% in the moment.
Although Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on PC in 2019 and has seen a large community and multiple mods like one that makes the Rockstar game even more realistic, the first title never received a full-fledged PC port. Many Red Dead Redemption fans expressed their enthusiasm for Emulators and Gameplay HD’s video of the Xenia Canary emulation, while others suggested improvements to titles like Gears of War, Fable, Lost Odyssey, Viva Pinata, and more.
Red Dead Redemption is available now for Xbox 360.
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