THPS 2X Recompiled

THPS 2X Recompiled

A static recompilation of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X (Xbox, USA) into native PC code, with a Vulkan renderer and a set of modern extras: higher resolutions, widescreen, 120 fps, custom soundtracks, RetroArch shader support, button remapping and a full settings menu inside the game.

This project contains no game data, no game code and no keys. You need your own copy of the game (USA disc).

AI disclosure: AI assistance yes (Claude Code by Anthropic).

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Features

Native port, no emulator

• The original Xbox code is translated to C ahead of time and compiled for the PC – no CPU emulation at run time.
• Vulkan 1.3 renderer on every platform, SDL3 for window, input and audio, plain C code.
• Game logic runs on its own clock: the game never speeds up, whatever the frame rate.

Rearranged options menu

Everything is set inside the game's own Options menu – no external tool, no overlay. New entries:

Entry	What it does
CONTROLS	Per player: pick the input device, then remap its buttons (BUTTON MAPPING). Unconnected pads are greyed out.
SOUNDTRACKS	Pick the music source and one of 8 playback modes (see Custom soundtracks).
GENERAL OPTIONS	The game's own four options plus the gameplay options (see below).
RECOMP OPTIONS	All port settings (see below).

GENERAL OPTIONS

One list, changed with left / right or A and saved at once. Y puts the selected line back to its default - only that line.

Setting	Values
Trick tips, Score display, Quick chat, Motion blur	The game's own options, ON (default) or OFF. Motion blur is the game's own effect while skating fast.
Playstyle	XBOX (original) or PS2: spins on Black / White (on a modern pad the shoulder buttons LB / RB), nollie and switch stay on the triggers. Works on top of your button mapping - if Black / White are not mapped to anything, PS2 has no spins.
180 spin taps	ON (original) or OFF: tapping a trigger in the air no longer turns 180°; holding it still spins.
Big drop	ORIGINAL: a drop from a moderate height scores BIG DROP, from a very great height you bail. NO BAIL: no bail, the drop counts as BIG DROP. OFF: neither - every drop lands like a normal one.

RECOMP OPTIONS

Changes are saved immediately. Settings that need a restart are marked, and leaving the menu asks RESTART NEEDED.

Setting	Values
Display mode	Borderless (default), Fullscreen (exclusive), Windowed – window size and position are remembered
Render resolution	1x (original 640×480) up to 5x (e.g. 1080p, 1440p, 4K) – independent of the window size
Aspect ratio	4:3 (original) or 16:9 – real widescreen (wider view), not stretched
Menus at 16:9	Pillarboxed (default) or stretched – only shown with 16:9; movies always stay 4:3
Anisotropic filter	Off up to 16x
Antialiasing	Off, FXAA (default), SMAA, MSAA 2x, MSAA 4x
Frame rate	Original (60 fps) or 120 fps (needs a display with 120 Hz or more), V-Sync, FPS counter (FPS, frame time or both)
Shaders	RetroArch slang shaders with preset browser, live parameters and your own presets
Button cheats	The game's button cheats as a list - no typing codes with LT held. Each line says what the cheat does and shows ON / OFF; A switches it, any combination works, Y switches the selected one off. One-time ones (unlock everything, 5000 cash, all gaps) say DO IT / DONE and cannot be undone. Only in the main menu's Options.
Boot animation	Plays your own intro video before the game for example a video of original xbox boot animation ;)

Widescreen (16:9)

• Gameplay is rendered in true 16:9 (Hor+): you see more to the sides, nothing is stretched or cut.
• Menus, loading screens and movies stay 4:3 with black side bars (or optionally stretched for menus).
• Split screen is handled as well.

120 fps

• Optional, on displays with at least 120 Hz. On slower displays the game stays at 60 fps.
• Gravity, speed, the session timer and replays behave exactly like at 60 fps.

Custom soundtracks

Put your own music into the media folder and choose it in Options → SOUNDTRACKS:

• SOUNDTRACK: game music, COMBINED (game music + your albums) or a single album of yours.
• PLAYBACK MODE: play songs in order (the game's music, original behaviour) · play album in order · shuffle game music · shuffle album · shuffle all custom albums · shuffle all · play all in order · play all custom albums in order.
• Your choice is remembered (the original game forgets it at every start). The in-game picker in the pause menu keeps working.

RetroArch shader support

• CRT, LCD/handheld, scaling and many more effects from the official libretro slang-shaders pack.
• Browse presets by folder (the pass count is shown as a cost hint), change parameters live, reset them, and save your own presets.
• The shader only affects the game picture, never the black side bars. Off = no cost at all.

Button remapping

• Keyboard and every gamepad (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, generic) can be remapped per device; identical pads share one mapping.
• The menus always stay usable with the default layout, so a bad mapping can never lock you out.

Everything in one folder

• The port runs from one folder that can be moved or copied anywhere – even to a USB stick.
• Nothing is written outside it: no registry, no AppData, no shortcuts, no temp files left behind.

Installer built in

• Put your disc image into game\ (or pick it with Choose disc image...) and start the game: it checks, extracts and verifies the image itself. An image in game\ is deleted afterwards; an image picked elsewhere stays where it is.
• A wrong game or an unsupported version is refused with a clear message, and the image is kept.

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Getting started

Requirements

• Windows 10/11, 64-bit, or Linux with Proton / Wine (best effort, see Linux via Proton / Wine)
• A GPU whose driver offers Vulkan 1.3 with the extension VK_KHR_push_descriptor (NVIDIA GTX 900 and newer, AMD RX 400 and newer, Intel HD 500 / UHD 600 and newer, Intel Arc, Steam Deck). If something is missing, the game says so at the start and names your GPU, its Vulkan version and what it lacks.
• VK_EXT_vertex_input_dynamic_state is used when the driver has it, but no longer required. AMD Polaris (RX 400 / RX 500 series, e.g. RX 580) on Windows lacks it and runs on a fallback since v0.9.3 - I tested it with the fallback forced, not yet on a real RX 580; feedback welcome.
• Your own copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X (USA)
• About 2 GB of free disk space (no internet needed: the compiler ships inside the release zip)

Supported version

Version	Title ID	default.xbe SHA-1
USA (NTSC-U)	41560001	469818E015AED2730641C0BDCBD2557D8A6B8BB4

Other versions are refused with: "This THPS 2X version is not supported. Supported version(s): USA. Please provide a supported version."

First start

1. Download THPS2X-Recompiled-v<version>-win64.zip (about 210 MB, the compiler included) from the release page and unpack it into an empty folder of your choice (keep the tools\ folder next to the exe).
2. Start THPS 2X Recomp.exe. It creates the folders below (each with a short README.txt) and asks for the game: put your disc image (.iso, XISO or full redump image) or the extracted disc files into game\, or click Choose disc image....
3. The first start then sets everything up, with a progress window:
   • the image is checked, extracted and verified,
   • the compiler (llvm-mingw, a fixed release, in the zip's tools\download\) is checked by its SHA-256 and unpacked – only if that file is missing is it downloaded (about 190 MB); if the download fails you get the real reason (name lookup, connection, secure connection or the server's answer) with Retry, and the link to download it by hand,
   • the game's code is translated and compiled on your PC (a few minutes, only once).
4. The game starts. Later starts go straight into the game.
5. Optional: add your music, shader pack and boot video (see next section).

Updating from an earlier version

Unpack the new zip over the old folder. The game is built once more at the next start (a few minutes); your saves\ and media\ stay.

Windows warning: the exe is not signed. SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC" – click More info → Run anyway. Smart App Control (Windows 11) blocks unsigned apps completely; the port can only run with Smart App Control turned off.

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Where your files go

THPS 2X Recomp/
├── THPS 2X Recomp.exe      start this (sets everything up on the first start, then starts the game)
├── THPS2X.exe              the port – built on your PC on the first start
├── game/                   YOUR GAME: put the disc image or extracted files here
├── media/                  YOUR MEDIA (read only – the port never changes it)
│   ├── boot.mpg            optional boot animation
│   ├── shaders/
│   │   └── shaders_slang.zip   optional RetroArch shader pack
│   ├── Punk/               every folder with music = one soundtrack
│   └── Artist/Album/       folders can be nested
├── saves/                  your saves and settings – never deleted
│   ├── UDATA/41560001/     career, skater and park saves
│   ├── settings.ini        all port settings
│   └── shaders/            your own shader presets ("My Presets")
├── data/                   caches and logs – safe to delete at any time
└── tools/                  translator, compiler and licences (used on the first start and for a repair)

Game → game\

• One disc image (.iso) or the extracted disc folder. default.xbe must sit directly in game\.
• The image is deleted only after every extracted file has been verified. On any error it stays.

Music → media\

• Every folder that contains music files is one soundtrack, named after the folder. Folders can be nested (Artist\Album\); music lying directly in media\ is ignored.
• Formats: MP3, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV. (.m4a/AAC is not supported – convert it to MP3 or Ogg.)
• Track order: an .m3u/.m3u8 playlist in the folder sets it; otherwise the files are sorted by name.
• Up to 500 tracks per soundtrack. Two folders with the same name get their parent folder in front.

Shaders → media\shaders\

1. Download the shader pack from libretro/slang-shaders (green Code button → Download ZIP) and save it as media\shaders\shaders_slang.zip. An already extracted folder works too.
2. Start the game. The pack is unpacked once in the background into data\shaders (a few seconds).
3. Options → RECOMP OPTIONS → SHADERS: switch the shader on, pick a preset, adjust parameters, save your own preset.

• Good first presets: crt\crt-easymode, crt\crt-guest-advanced, handheld\… (LCD/Game Boy looks).
• Presets that draw a frame (bezel/border) are hidden, because the shader only covers the game picture.

Boot animation → media\boot.mpg

• Your own intro video, played before the game starts. It cannot be skipped – keep it short. It can be switched off in RECOMP OPTIONS (the change applies at the next start).
• Format: MPEG-1 video with MP2 audio. Convert any video once with the free ffmpeg – 720p at 30 fps is recommended (light to decode, small file):

  ffmpeg -i boot.mp4 -vf scale=-2:720 -r 30 -c:v mpeg1video -q:v 2 -c:a mp2 -b:a 192k boot.mpg
  

  Full resolution also works (leave out -vf scale=-2:720 -r 30), but costs more CPU while it plays.
• A boot.mp4 or boot.mkv alone is not played; BOOT ANIMATION then says "CONVERT BOOT VIDEO TO BOOT.MPG SEE README". The port never converts or changes your files.
• Never shipped with the port – you supply your own video.

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Controls

Gamepads work out of the box via SDL3 (incl. rumble). Keyboard default (physical key positions):

Key	Xbox pad
W A S D	left stick
Arrow keys	D-pad
Enter / Backspace	Start / Back
I / J / K / L	Y / X / A / B
U / O	Black / White
Z / P	left / right trigger

Remap in Options → CONTROLS → PLAYER n CONTROLS → BUTTON MAPPING. Emergency exit: if a mapping leaves you stuck, start once with the environment variable THPS_BIND_RESET=1, or delete the bind. lines from saves\settings.ini.

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Advanced

• Settings file: saves\settings.ini (plain key=value), shared by the menus.
• Overrides: every setting can be forced with an environment variable THPS_<SETTING> (e.g. THPS_DISPLAY_MODE=windowed).
• Logs: data\thps2x.log (the previous run is kept as .previous.log); the first-start setup logs to data\launcher.log.
• Repair: "THPS 2X Recomp.exe" --repair unpacks, translates and compiles everything again; saves\ and media\ are never touched.

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Portability

• Written in portable C with SDL3 and Vulkan only; platform code is kept in one thin layer.
• Linux and Android are planned but paused for now. The code is kept ready for them.

Linux via Proton / Wine: best effort

The Windows build runs under Proton and Wine too (from v0.9.1.1: the first start uses no Windows system tools any more, and the crash at the title screen is fixed). It is not tested as thoroughly as Windows. Known to work:

• Steam Deck (Proton): a player finished all three careers (v0.9.x).
• Arch Linux with Proton 11.0-2 and Wine 11.20: install, first start and the game.
• Wine 9.0 (Ubuntu 24.04): saving, overwriting and deleting saves (v0.9.2).

Fixed in v0.9.2: every save after the first failed with "the memory unit was removed during use", and saves or replays could not be deleted (Proton / Wine only). If a start fails, the log data\thps2x.log now says why instead of the game crashing after the intro.

Known limits:

• Needs a Wine / Proton with Vulkan (winevulkan) and the host's Vulkan driver, 64-bit.
• Under Gamescope (Steam Deck) the frame rate follows the Steam performance settings: a framerate limit of 30 there makes the game run at 30. If the present mode in the log ([VK] present mode) is FIFO, occasional uneven frames can occur (see Known issues).
• The recomp's FPS counter and the Steam overlay can show different numbers: the recomp's counter counts the frames the game itself renders; the Steam overlay measures further down the chain, after Gamescope.

Reporting frame rate or stutter problems (from v0.9.2): turn on FPS COUNTER (RECOMP OPTIONS -> FRAME RATE), or start with the launch option RECOMP_FPS_LOG=1 %command%. data\thps2x.log then gets an [fps] line every 5 seconds - frames per second and how a frame's time splits into the game, its own wait for the display ("vblank wait"), translating the graphics, the GPU and presenting - and a [hitch] line for every frame over 50 ms that names what took the time (shader compiles, textures, file reads, sleeps). Please attach that log to a report.

• Only a compiler download (when tools\download\ is missing) needs the host's CA certificates (package ca-certificates) and 64-bit GnuTLS – a missing certificate store shows up as a secure connection error.
• The first start (translate + compile) is slower than on Windows.
• Open folder and the file picker depend on your Wine desktop integration.
• Controllers go through Wine's input layer; report what does not work.
• Native Linux builds are still paused.

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Known issues

• Frame pacing is smooth with the default present mode MAILBOX. Drivers without MAILBOX fall back to FIFO, where occasional ~33 ms frames occur.
• The first frame after a level has loaded can take 40–120 ms (shaders and textures are prepared; faster once cached).
• Split screen with two physical controllers is not fully tested yet.
• The exe is not signed (see Windows warning above).

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Roadmap

• First release: the game with all extras listed above.
• maybe Later: Linux and Android.

Non-goals

• Online play.

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Building from source

The release exe is built from this repository and the toolkit xboxrecomp-vulkan (branch vulkan-backend state); Windows 10/11 x64. Folder layout (tools\paths.ps1; every path without spaces, the compiler and Ninja use them directly):

<root>\projects\thps2x\<this repo>    generated files go to <root>\projects\thps2x\private\
<root>\tools\xboxrecomp               the toolkit; its dependencies go to <root>\tools\private\
<root>\roms\xbox\                     your disc image (optional, lift.ps1 -Iso takes any path)

1. powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\setup.ps1 – installs Python 3.12, CMake, Ninja, LLVM-MinGW (UCRT) and the Vulkan SDK with winget, and capstone for Python.
2. tools\deps.ps1 – builds glslang, SDL3 and librashader from source with the same compiler.
3. tools\lift.ps1 -Iso "<path to your USA .iso>" – extracts the disc into the install folder and generates the C code (into a private\ folder next to the repo, never into it).
4. tools\build.ps1 – builds into the portable install folder THPS 2X Recomp\.
5. Optional: tools\release.ps1 -Version <name> – the single release exe (the launcher with its payload).

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Legal

This repository and its releases contain no game data, no XBE, no generated game code and no keys. You need your own legally obtained copy of the USA disc.

This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Activision, Neversoft or Treyarch. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and all related names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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Credits & third-party code

Project	Used for	Licence
sp00nznet/xboxrecomp	toolkit base: XBE lifter, kernel/runtime, game template	MIT
antoxa2584x/burnout3-sw	Vulkan NV2A renderer, back-end interface, pushbuffer executor	MIT
xemu-project/xemu	MCPX APU core, ADPCM decoder, NV2A definitions, fixed-function vertex shader	LGPL-2.1-or-later (these files)
comoria08/defjam_recomp	lift pipeline and seeds workflow	MIT
takedawn-xboxrecomp	XDVDFS disc reader	MIT
librashader	RetroArch shader runtime (self-built, Vulkan only)	MPL-2.0
iryoku/smaa	SMAA antialiasing	MIT
miniz (tinfl)	unpacking the shader pack	MIT
dr_libs, stb_vorbis	MP3, FLAC, WAV, Ogg decoding	Public domain / MIT
phoboslab/pl_mpeg	boot animation (MPEG-1 video, MP2 audio)	MIT
SDL3, glslang	window, input, audio; shader compiler	zlib; BSD/MIT
Python 3.12 (embeddable), capstone	the translator on the first start (shipped in tools\)	PSF; BSD
mstorsjo/llvm-mingw	the compiler (downloaded on the first start) and its runtime	Apache-2.0 with LLVM exception; MinGW-w64 runtime licences

Logo/banner artwork: @GectorNathan.

Design references (no code take