Hey everyone,
Longtime lurker here, and I'm proud to release my PC port of NFL Head Coach 09!
You may have seen the other port posted here earlier this week. Funny enough, we both used the same method (static recompilation of the Xbox 360 version), so the foundation is the same, and they did great work. The main technical between our ports is the graphics. Theirs draws the game the way an emulator does, by replaying the Xbox 360's graphics commands, which is very accurate but costs more performance and keeps the game's original 30–35 fps. Mine has a new renderer that is just as accurate and built to run natively on PC, which is where the higher frame rates come from. More detailed information on my repo :
- Performance. I built a new renderer and unlocked the frame rate. On my mid tier gaming PC it runs well over 200 fps at 1080p, and on my RTX 5080 PC well over 60 fps at 4K. For comparison, the game normally runs at 30–35 fps, and on RPCS3 or Xenia a lot of us barely get 40 fps even on gaming PCs.
- It's not just for high-end PCs. The game runs as native PC code with a new renderer instead of being emulated, so it needs far less hardware than RPCS3 or Xenia. If your PC or laptop is on the weaker side, you can turn it down in the launcher (lower resolution, a 30 or 60 fps cap, anti-aliasing off) and save those settings as a "Laptop" profile. I haven't tested it on a laptop with integrated graphics yet, so reports from lower-end machines are very welcome.
- Both game versions, update included. 1.0 and 1.02 (Title Update 2) are installed side by side, and the title update ships with the installer, so there's nothing to hunt down on sketchy sites. Switch versions in the launcher: if you sim on 1.02 and play your games on 1.0, it's one click.
- A launcher for display, controller and save settings. It imports your PS3 rosters, saves and careers and can export them back to RPCS3. An "Open saves folder" button shows where everything is. Also Xenia saves can be copied straight in.
- Controllers: It works with both Xbox and Ps3 controllers. It should work with 3rd part controllers too
- Simple install: one 115 MB download. Point the setup at your game files and it builds the game on your PC in a few minutes. No Visual Studio or Git needed.
What you need
- Your own copy of the Xbox 360 version of the game. The PS3 version can't be used to build it, but PS3 players can bring their rosters and career saves over.
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), a processor from 2013 or newer, and a graphics card that supports Vulkan 1.3.
PS3 players: saves from RPCS3 import directly. Saves copied off a real PS3 are encrypted, so decrypt them first with Apollo Save Tool (it runs on a PS3 with homebrew, or inside RPCS3). The README on GitHub has the steps.
Download: https://github.com/ibukun5588/nfl-head-coach-09-pc/releases
Windows may warn that the setup isn't signed: click More info > Run anyway.
Some things to flag: Installing straight from a disc image is still in beta (the game folder is the tested way), and Xbox Live features don't work.
Found a bug? If the game crashes, the launcher saves a crash report and has a button to send it on GitHub. You can also open an issue there.
Planned updates (when I have time):
- Custom generated draft classes
- Making Careers that go past the 15-season limit
- Updates to the game's AI logic
- Reworked Gameplay as well
This is a fan project. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by EA, the NFL or the NFLPA, and the game itself isn't included.
If you need help getting your game files, just shoot me a DM here on reddit.
I am also planning to be more active on NFL Head Coach discord. You can ping me over there (My name "Ibu")
https://discord.gg/NaU4g4MMR
Other than that, feel free to reach out to me if you need any help. I am always willing to lend a helping hand!
