Xbox Series X|S: Microsoft blocks emulators for retro games

To the delight of Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft is now tough on the ban on emulators on the Xbox Series X|S. Previously, apps for running older PlayStation and Nintendo games were only removed from the store, but now they can no longer be started.

Shortly before Easter, the ban hammer fell on the small but active community of retro enthusiasts who upgraded their Xbox Series X|S with emulators to include many classics from competitors Sony and Nintendo. The Redmond-based system, which is now more than two years old, was one of the first consoles that made it possible to emulate older games.
Emulators no longer launch on Xbox Series X|S

The glory days seem to be over

“It was like the Steam deck of the consoles” there gamr13 to understand who is responsible for the distribution of the RetroArch emulator frontend (including NES, SNES, PlayStation, PS2, GameCube, Wii etc.). Until recently, private reuploads in the Microsoft Store were able to keep the emulators in use. In the meantime, however, these may no longer even be executed, which Microsoft puts a final stop to. A Microsoft spokesman said disputes with Nintendo were assumed to be the reason for implementing years of existing policies against emulators kotaku: “We are continually evolving our mechanisms for reviewing and enforcing content distributed through the Store to ensure compliance with our Microsoft Store policies. Per 10.13.10, products that emulate a gaming system or platform are eligible to not allowed in any device family.”

Nevertheless, the emulator community lives on on the Xbox Series X|S. Although the apps can no longer be run in the so-called “Retail Mode” for end users, they are still available in the paid “Developer Mode” (developer mode).

Interesting: In November 2021, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was still in favor of emulators – of the legal kind, of course. “My hope is that we as an industry are working on legal emulators that, with modern hardware, make it possible to make any older executable usable, so that you can play any game.” Now he is in charge of blocking such approaches.

See also:

Microsoft, Gaming, Games, Console, Game Console, Xbox, Games, Game, Consoles, Game Console, Game Consoles, Controllers, Xbox Series X, Xbox Live, Xbox Series S, Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft Xbox Series X, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Controllers, Microsoft Xbox