Several users have been running into problems running software that previously made it easy to emulate video games on Xbox Series X | S. The first reports have been collected by The Verge, means that the text of the messages that users receive is usually “unable to run this game or app“.
It does not seem that it is a general veto to software emulation. Users who pay to run their console in developer mode they can still launch emulators.
Tom Warren, the The Verge, detected the report of @gamr12, who is involved in the distribution of the very popular emulator RetroArch. With the help of the emulator, users could run video games from other consoles, including those that do not belong to Xbox. That could be one of the reasons for the new light ban on emulation software, a source allegedly within Xbox QA hinted at Alyanna McKennadeveloper of Microsoft Azure.
The source reportedly told McKenna that Xbox deciding to get serious about restricting emulation efforts would be directly related to legal problems with Nintendo due to complaints about Wii and Nintendo 64 emulators.
I’m in the Xbox emulation discord.
I was asked why Microsoft keeps taking down the emulators.
In a email to my friend, 3 reasons were given ,
• Nintendo making complaints that the Wii and N64 emulators should be removed
• Apps needing unnecessary or potentially harmful…
— Alyanna McKenna (@AlyannaMcKenna) March 29, 2023
On the subject, a Microsoft spokesman limited himself to say to my city the next:
“We continually evolve our mechanisms for reviewing and taking compliance action on store-distributed content to ensure alignment with our Microsoft Store Policies. As of 10.13.10, products that emulate a game system or game platform are not allowed on any device family”:
