The Source Code of the Original Xbox Has Leaked
The operating system for the original Xbox and Windows NT 3.5 have officially leaked online according to reports and Microsoft, who are investigating the source of the leak. The Xbox OS leak includes some build environments, the Xbox development kit, emulators used for testing, internal documents and the kernel for the operating system. While emulators for the original Xbox exist, this leak could provide the infrastructure that fans of the original Xbox need. The Xbox Series X is on track to launch in the holiday release window, bringing the Xbox family of consoles to the next-gen.
Unofficial emulators have tried to replicate the Xbox OS kernel but have failed to do so over the years, this recent leak may be the end of that struggle. Microsoft has its own proprietary emulation for Xbox and Xbox 360 games that hasn’t leaked and it’s only available on Xbox One consoles, not on Windows PC’s. Microsoft has largely protected its proprietary Windows and Xbox source code over the years but in this case, they have failed to do so. “We’re aware of these reports and are investigating,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a recent statement.
While several emulators for the original Xbox exist, such as CXBX, XQEMU and CXBX Reloaded, it’s likely that a new one will be built using this leaked source code. The Windows NT 3.5 is less sought after, being just a slightly modified Windows 2000, but the Xbox OS leak is a big deal to the homebrew community. Windows NT 3.5 support ended in December 2001 and the operating system is only used in a small number of systems worldwide so it’s likely that Microsoft is looking for the leaker due to the Xbox OS leak alone.
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Source: The Verge