Microsoft Addresses Xbox Emulator Ban, Says It’s Based on ‘Long-Standing Policy’
Microsoft has finally cracked down on a loophole in the Xbox Store that allows emulators to be downloaded and used with Xbox consoles to play older games, including many that aren’t available on Xbox consoles. While the rumors are flying, Microsoft points to a fairly simple and long-standing official store policy as the reason.
Emulator users and creators began pointing out the changes earlier this week. Previously, the emulator was accessible on the Xbox Store via a direct link in the Edge browser on Xbox. These emulators could run indefinitely once downloaded, even if the app download itself was found and deleted. However, many users have reported that popular emulators such as Xenia no longer start on the console even if they had previously downloaded it, instead showing the error his message.
Good run everyone.
But now I have to do it @Xbox @XboxP3 #LetUseEmulate pic.twitter.com/K9KO1p655K
— 🇮🇪gamr13 🇮🇪 (@gamr12) April 6, 2023
As a result, the emulation community has drawn frustration and outrage, especially from users who claim they promoted legal emulation to play games they already owned on older Xbox consoles but weren’t available on current Xbox hardware. manifesting. That said, there are many games available through emulators, including Wii and GameCube games that were either sold in the Xbox store or weren’t available on Xbox at all. Emulation on the Xbox console is still possible with developer mode on the console, which costs $20.
This change has sparked speculation as to why Microsoft is now cracking down on emulators after allowing loopholes to exist for so long. One popular rumor he alleged was that the culprit was Nintendo, not Xbox, and demanded action for copyrighted games being played on Xbox consoles without permission. However, in a statement to IGN, Microsoft said otherwise.
“The information currently circulating on Twitter is inaccurate,” reads Microsoft’s statement. “Our actions are based on long-standing policies regarding content distributed to the store and are consistent with Microsoft Store policies. Pursuant to 10.13.10, products that emulate game systems or platforms is not allowed on any device family.”
Policy directed by the team historically placedAs such, it remains unclear why Microsoft left the loophole open for so long, or specifically why it is now cracking down.and Statement to Kotaku, Microsoft said it “continuously evolves mechanisms to review and take enforcement action on content distributed to the Microsoft Store to ensure alignment with Microsoft Store policies.” indicates that may have been looking for a workaround solution for some emulators. You may have found it in time and just now.
Earlier, Xbox head Phil Spencer made statements in favor of legal emulation as a solution for game saves, but allowing such attempts without allowing illegal emulation would be extremely disrespectful. It Is difficult.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. you can find her on her twitter @duck valentine.
